GeForce RTX 3090 Ti vs Radeon HD 8970M

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 8970M with GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, including specs and performance data.

HD 8970M
2013
4 GB GDDR5, 100 Watt
10.06

RTX 3090 Ti outperforms HD 8970M by a whopping 666% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking44911
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data8.29
Power efficiency6.8911.73
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code nameNeptuneGA102
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date14 May 2013 (11 years ago)27 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$1,999

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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 cores128010752
Core clock speed850 MHz1560 MHz
Boost clock speed900 MHz1860 MHz
Number of transistors2,800 million28,300 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)100 Watt450 Watt
Texture fill rate72.00625.0
Floating-point processing power2.304 TFLOPS40 TFLOPS
ROPs32112
TMUs80336
Tensor Coresno data336
Ray Tracing Coresno data84

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 sizelargeno data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Lengthno data336 mm
Widthno data3-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 16-pin

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 typeGDDR5GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount4 GB24 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed1200 MHz1313 MHz
Memory bandwidth153.6 GB/s1,008 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 ConnectorsNo outputs1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI-+

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (11_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model5.16.6
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.23.0
Vulkan1.2.1311.3
CUDA-8.6

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 8970M 10.06
RTX 3090 Ti 77.04
+666%

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 8970M 3876
RTX 3090 Ti 29680
+666%

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 8970M 6818
RTX 3090 Ti 69481
+919%

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 8970M 5039
RTX 3090 Ti 53110
+954%

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 8970M 31027
RTX 3090 Ti 246319
+694%

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:

Full HD51
−345%
227
+345%
1440p18−20
−722%
148
+722%
4K14−16
−679%
109
+679%

Cost per frame, $

1080pno data8.81
1440pno data13.51
4Kno data18.34

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−1269%
219
+1269%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
−558%
150−160
+558%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
−967%
160
+967%
Battlefield 5 30−35
−687%
240−250
+687%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
−500%
120−130
+500%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−1156%
201
+1156%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−413%
110−120
+413%
Far Cry New Dawn 27−30
−586%
190−200
+586%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
−269%
240−250
+269%
Hitman 3 18−20
−579%
120−130
+579%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
−400%
270−280
+400%
Metro Exodus 30−35
−384%
150−160
+384%
Red Dead Redemption 2 27−30
−339%
120−130
+339%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
−909%
300−350
+909%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−144%
150−160
+144%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
−558%
150−160
+558%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
−820%
138
+820%
Battlefield 5 30−35
−687%
240−250
+687%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
−500%
120−130
+500%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−981%
173
+981%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−413%
110−120
+413%
Far Cry New Dawn 27−30
−586%
190−200
+586%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
−269%
240−250
+269%
Hitman 3 18−20
−579%
120−130
+579%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
−400%
270−280
+400%
Metro Exodus 30−35
−384%
150−160
+384%
Red Dead Redemption 2 27−30
−339%
120−130
+339%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
−909%
300−350
+909%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 82
−106%
160−170
+106%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−144%
150−160
+144%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
−558%
150−160
+558%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
−720%
123
+720%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
−500%
120−130
+500%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−850%
152
+850%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−413%
110−120
+413%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
−269%
240−250
+269%
Hitman 3 18−20
−579%
120−130
+579%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
−400%
270−280
+400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
−909%
300−350
+909%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18
−972%
193
+972%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−106%
130
+106%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 27−30
−339%
120−130
+339%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 20−22
−730%
160−170
+730%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
−647%
110−120
+647%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10−11
−820%
90−95
+820%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6−7
−1700%
108
+1700%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−11
−720%
80−85
+720%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
−1980%
104
+1980%
Far Cry 5 12−14
−600%
80−85
+600%
Forza Horizon 4 45−50
−502%
270−280
+502%
Hitman 3 12−14
−769%
110−120
+769%
Horizon Zero Dawn 21−24
−867%
200−210
+867%
Metro Exodus 14−16
−720%
120−130
+720%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 12−14
−1654%
220−230
+1654%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
−1340%
140−150
+1340%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−275%
240−250
+275%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 16−18
−618%
120−130
+618%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 9−10
−878%
85−90
+878%
Far Cry New Dawn 7−8
−886%
65−70
+886%
Hitman 3 6−7
−1050%
65−70
+1050%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
−426%
220−230
+426%
Metro Exodus 8−9
−1500%
120−130
+1500%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
−2063%
173
+2063%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
−1000%
65−70
+1000%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
−1725%
73
+1725%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 5−6
−940%
50−55
+940%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−5200%
53
+5200%
Far Cry 5 5−6
−900%
50−55
+900%
Forza Horizon 4 12−14
−1015%
140−150
+1015%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 7−8
−1700%
120−130
+1700%
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
−1650%
70
+1650%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−790%
85−90
+790%

This is how HD 8970M and RTX 3090 Ti compete in popular games:

  • RTX 3090 Ti is 345% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 3090 Ti is 722% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 3090 Ti is 679% faster in 4K

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

  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3090 Ti is 5200% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, RTX 3090 Ti surpassed HD 8970M in all 72 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 10.06 77.04
Recency 14 May 2013 27 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 24 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 8 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 450 Watt

HD 8970M has 350% lower power consumption.

RTX 3090 Ti, on the other hand, has a 665.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, a 500% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 8970M in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon HD 8970M is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon HD 8970M
Radeon HD 8970M
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
GeForce RTX 3090 Ti

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.4 46 votes

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Questions & comments

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