Radeon RX 460 vs HD 7970M Crossfire
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire with Radeon RX 460, including specs and performance data.
HD 7970M Crossfire outperforms RX 460 by an impressive 50% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 337 | 433 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 1.12 |
| Power efficiency | 5.53 | 9.82 |
| Architecture | GCN (2012−2015) | GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) |
| GPU code name | Wimbledon XT | Baffin |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 1 May 2012 (12 years ago) | 8 August 2016 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $86 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 2560 | 896 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 1090 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1200 MHz |
| Number of transistors | no data | 3,000 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 200 Watt | 75 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | no data | 67.20 |
| Floating-point processing power | no data | 2.15 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | no data | 16 |
| TMUs | no data | 56 |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Laptop size | large | no data |
| Interface | no data | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
| Length | no data | 170 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | None |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | no data | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 2x 256 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4800 MHz | 1750 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | no data | 112.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Connectivity and outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | no data | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort |
| HDMI | - | + |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| FreeSync | - | + |
API compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.1 | 12 (12_0) |
| Shader Model | no data | 6.4 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | no data | 2.0 |
| Vulkan | - | 1.2.131 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
3DMark 11 Performance GPU
3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Average FPS across all PC games
Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:
| 900p | 132
+55.3%
| 85−90
−55.3%
|
| Full HD | 101
+153%
| 40
−153%
|
| 1440p | 100−110
+42.9%
| 70
−42.9%
|
| 4K | 30−35
+42.9%
| 21
−42.9%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | no data | 2.15 |
| 1440p | no data | 1.23 |
| 4K | no data | 4.10 |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27−30
+55.6%
|
18
−55.6%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+47.6%
|
21−24
−47.6%
|
| Elden Ring | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 50−55
+48.6%
|
35−40
−48.6%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27−30
+40%
|
20−22
−40%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+47.6%
|
21−24
−47.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+53.5%
|
40−45
−53.5%
|
| Metro Exodus | 40−45
+7.3%
|
41
−7.3%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 35−40
+39.3%
|
27−30
−39.3%
|
| Valorant | 60−65
+60%
|
40−45
−60%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 50−55
+48.6%
|
35−40
−48.6%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27−30
+40%
|
20−22
−40%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+47.6%
|
21−24
−47.6%
|
| Dota 2 | 55−60
+138%
|
24
−138%
|
| Elden Ring | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 55−60
+31.8%
|
44
−31.8%
|
| Fortnite | 85−90
+41.9%
|
60−65
−41.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+53.5%
|
40−45
−53.5%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 55−60
+62.9%
|
35
−62.9%
|
| Metro Exodus | 40−45
+63%
|
27
−63%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 110−120
+124%
|
51
−124%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 35−40
+129%
|
17
−129%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 45−50
+53.1%
|
30−35
−53.1%
|
| Valorant | 60−65
+60%
|
40−45
−60%
|
| World of Tanks | 200−210
+34.4%
|
150−160
−34.4%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 50−55
+57.6%
|
33
−57.6%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 27−30
+180%
|
10
−180%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−35
+47.6%
|
21−24
−47.6%
|
| Dota 2 | 55−60
+50%
|
35−40
−50%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 55−60
+34.9%
|
40−45
−34.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+53.5%
|
40−45
−53.5%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 110−120
+307%
|
28
−307%
|
| Valorant | 60−65
+60%
|
40−45
−60%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Dota 2 | 24−27
+71.4%
|
14−16
−71.4%
|
| Elden Ring | 24−27
+66.7%
|
14−16
−66.7%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 24−27
+71.4%
|
14−16
−71.4%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 140−150
+198%
|
50−55
−198%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 14−16
+55.6%
|
9−10
−55.6%
|
| World of Tanks | 110−120
+46.1%
|
75−80
−46.1%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 30−35
+52.4%
|
21−24
−52.4%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 14−16
+27.3%
|
10−12
−27.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
+50%
|
8−9
−50%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 40−45
+73.9%
|
21−24
−73.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+66.7%
|
24−27
−66.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 35−40
+66.7%
|
21−24
−66.7%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+61.5%
|
12−14
−61.5%
|
| Valorant | 40−45
+53.8%
|
24−27
−53.8%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 12−14
+140%
|
5−6
−140%
|
| Dota 2 | 27−30
+33.3%
|
21−24
−33.3%
|
| Elden Ring | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 27−30
+28.6%
|
21−24
−28.6%
|
| Metro Exodus | 10−12
+83.3%
|
6−7
−83.3%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 45−50
+46.9%
|
32
−46.9%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10−11
+42.9%
|
7−8
−42.9%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 27−30
+28.6%
|
21−24
−28.6%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
+66.7%
|
9−10
−66.7%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 12−14
+140%
|
5−6
−140%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
| Dota 2 | 27−30
+33.3%
|
21−24
−33.3%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 20−22
+53.8%
|
12−14
−53.8%
|
| Fortnite | 18−20
+63.6%
|
10−12
−63.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 21−24
+64.3%
|
14−16
−64.3%
|
| Valorant | 18−20
+63.6%
|
10−12
−63.6%
|
This is how HD 7970M Crossfire and RX 460 compete in popular games:
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 55% faster in 900p
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 153% faster in 1080p
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 43% faster in 1440p
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 43% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M Crossfire is 307% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, HD 7970M Crossfire surpassed RX 460 in all 63 of our tests.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 16.04 | 10.67 |
| Recency | 1 May 2012 | 8 August 2016 |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 200 Watt | 75 Watt |
HD 7970M Crossfire has a 50.3% higher aggregate performance score.
RX 460, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 4 years, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 166.7% lower power consumption.
The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 460 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is a notebook card while Radeon RX 460 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Other comparisons
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