GeForce GTX 870M vs Radeon HD 7970M

Place in the ranking	474	488
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	6.35	6.14
Architecture	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)	Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code name	Wimbledon	GK104
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Release date	24 April 2012 (12 years ago)	12 March 2014 (10 years ago)

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	1280	1344
Core clock speed	850 MHz	941 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	967 MHz
Number of transistors	2,800 million	3,540 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	100 Watt	100 Watt
Texture fill rate	68.00	108.3
Floating-point processing power	2.176 TFLOPS	2.599 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	24
TMUs	80	112

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	large
Bus support	no data	PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0
Interface	MXM-B (3.0)	MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors	None	None
SLI options	-	+

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	2 GB	3 GB
Standard memory configuration	no data	GDDR5
Memory bus width	256 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	1200 MHz	Up to 2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	153.6 GB/s	120.0 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 outputs	No outputs
eDP 1.2 signal support	no data	Up to 3840x2160
LVDS signal support	no data	Up to 1920x1200
VGA аnalog display support	no data	Up to 2048x1536
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	no data	Up to 3840x2160
HDMI	-	+
HDCP content protection	-	+
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI	-	+
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming	-	+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	-	+
Optimus	-	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 (11_0)
Shader Model	5.1	5.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.5
OpenCL	1.2	1.1
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.1.126
CUDA	-	+

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.

HD 7970M 9.26
+3.5%

GTX 870M 8.95

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

HD 7970M 3568
+3.5%

GTX 870M 3449

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.

HD 7970M 5645

GTX 870M 7156
+26.8%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 7970M 21938

GTX 870M 24035
+9.6%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 7970M 4694

GTX 870M 4694

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

HD 7970M 31869
+1.7%

GTX 870M 31322

Unigine Heaven 3.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark using Unigine, a 3D game engine by eponymous Russian company. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. Version 3.0 was released in 2012, and in 2013 it was superseded by Heaven 4.0, which introduced several slight improvements, including a newer version of Unigine.

HD 7970M 58

GTX 870M 65
+12.2%

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	84 +5%	80−85 −5%
Full HD	60 +33.3%	45 −33.3%
4K	18−20 −5.6%	19 +5.6%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

14−16

+0%

14−16

+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Battlefield 5	27−30 +3.7%	27−30 −3.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Far Cry 5	21−24 +5%	20−22 −5%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 +4%	24−27 −4%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +1.7%	60−65 −1.7%
Hitman 3	16−18 +0%	16−18 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +2%	50−55 −2%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	30−33 +3.4%	27−30 −3.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Battlefield 5	27−30 +3.7%	27−30 −3.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Far Cry 5	21−24 +5%	20−22 −5%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 +4%	24−27 −4%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +1.7%	60−65 −1.7%
Hitman 3	16−18 +0%	16−18 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +2%	50−55 −2%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	30−33 +3.4%	27−30 −3.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	24−27 −252%	88 +252%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Far Cry 5	21−24 +5%	20−22 −5%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +1.7%	60−65 −1.7%
Hitman 3	16−18 +0%	16−18 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +2%	50−55 −2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	30−33 +3.4%	27−30 −3.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	24−27 +66.7%	15 −66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

24−27

+0%

24−27

+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	18−20 +5.9%	16−18 −5.9%
Far Cry New Dawn	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Far Cry 5	10−12 +10%	10−11 −10%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 +5.4%	35−40 −5.4%
Hitman 3	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Metro Exodus	12−14 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	55−60 +1.8%	55−60 −1.8%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

14−16

+0%

14−16

+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%
Hitman 3	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	35−40 +2.8%	35−40 −2.8%
Metro Exodus	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	1−2 +0%	1−2 +0%
Far Cry 5	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	10−12 +0%	10−12 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	3−4 +0%	3−4 +0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

9−10

+0%

9−10

+0%

This is how HD 7970M and GTX 870M compete in popular games:

HD 7970M is 5% faster in 900p
HD 7970M is 33% faster in 1080p
GTX 870M is 6% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M is 67% faster.
in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 870M is 252% faster.

All in all, in popular games: