Radeon HD 6870 vs Pro 560X

Place in the ranking	465	602
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	0.99
Power efficiency	8.77	2.62
Architecture	GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)	TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)
GPU code name	Polaris 21	Barts
Market segment	Mobile workstation	Desktop
Design	no data	reference
Release date	16 July 2018 (6 years ago)	21 October 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$239

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 cores	1024	1120
Core clock speed	1004 MHz	no data
Boost clock speed	no data	900 MHz
Number of transistors	3,000 million	1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	151 Watt
Texture fill rate	64.26	50.40
Floating-point processing power	2.056 TFLOPS	2.016 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	32
TMUs	64	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
Bus support	no data	PCIe 2.0 x16
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x8	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	no data	220 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	2x 6-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 type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	1 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1270 MHz	1050 MHz
Memory bandwidth	81.28 GB/s	134.4 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	2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Eyefinity	-	+
HDMI	-	+

Supported technologies

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

CrossFire	-	+
FreeSync	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_0)	DirectX® 11
Shader Model	6.4	5.0
OpenGL	4.6	4.4
OpenCL	2.0	1.2
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.

Pro 560X 9.56
+66.3%

HD 6870 5.75

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.

Pro 560X 3677
+66.5%

HD 6870 2209

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.

Pro 560X 7590
+79.9%

HD 6870 4218

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.

Pro 560X 5699
+81.4%

HD 6870 3141

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.

Pro 560X 32449
+22.7%

HD 6870 26437

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	100−110 +63.9%	61 −63.9%
Full HD	38 −65.8%	63 +65.8%
1200p	60−65 +53.8%	39 −53.8%
1440p	41 +70.8%	24−27 −70.8%
4K	16 +77.8%	9−10 −77.8%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	3.79
1440p	no data	9.96
4K	no data	26.56

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	18−20 +38.5%	12−14 −38.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +72.7%	10−12 −72.7%
Elden Ring	27−30 +80%	14−16 −80%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	30−35 +72.2%	18−20 −72.2%
Counter-Strike 2	18−20 +38.5%	12−14 −38.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +72.7%	10−12 −72.7%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 +58.3%	24−27 −58.3%
Metro Exodus	36 +157%	14−16 −157%
Red Dead Redemption 2	36 +112%	16−18 −112%
Valorant	46 +188%	16−18 −188%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	44 +144%	18−20 −144%
Counter-Strike 2	18−20 +38.5%	12−14 −38.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +72.7%	10−12 −72.7%
Dota 2	46 +142%	18−20 −142%
Elden Ring	27−30 +80%	14−16 −80%
Far Cry 5	42 +55.6%	27−30 −55.6%
Fortnite	55−60 +64.7%	30−35 −64.7%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 +58.3%	24−27 −58.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	33 +73.7%	18−20 −73.7%
Metro Exodus	23 +64.3%	14−16 −64.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	34 −41.2%	45−50 +41.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10 −70%	16−18 +70%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	27−30 +61.1%	18−20 −61.1%
Valorant	21 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
World of Tanks	86 −120%	189 +120%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	31 +72.2%	18−20 −72.2%
Counter-Strike 2	18−20 +38.5%	12−14 −38.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +72.7%	10−12 −72.7%
Dota 2	69 +263%	18−20 −263%
Far Cry 5	37 +37%	27−30 −37%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 +58.3%	24−27 −58.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	70−75 +54.2%	45−50 −54.2%
Valorant	26 +62.5%	16−18 −62.5%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	12−14 +140%	5−6 −140%
Elden Ring	12−14 +85.7%	7−8 −85.7%
Grand Theft Auto V	12−14 +100%	6−7 −100%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	45−50 +27.8%	35−40 −27.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 +100%	4−5 −100%
World of Tanks	57 +39%	40−45 −39%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	18−20 +100%	9−10 −100%
Counter-Strike 2	10−11 +11.1%	9−10 −11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +75%	4−5 −75%
Far Cry 5	24 +100%	12−14 −100%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 +133%	9−10 −133%
Metro Exodus	18−20 +200%	6−7 −200%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	10−12 +57.1%	7−8 −57.1%
Valorant	19 +26.7%	14−16 −26.7%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	4−5 +100%	2−3 −100%
Dota 2	13 −30.8%	16−18 +30.8%
Elden Ring	6−7 +100%	3−4 −100%
Grand Theft Auto V	13 −30.8%	16−18 +30.8%
Metro Exodus	7 +600%	1−2 −600%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	26 +62.5%	16−18 −62.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	6−7 +50%	4−5 −50%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	13 −30.8%	16−18 +30.8%
World of Tanks	30 +66.7%	18−20 −66.7%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	9 +80%	5−6 −80%
Counter-Strike 2	4−5 +100%	2−3 −100%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +0%	2−3 +0%
Dota 2	20−22 +17.6%	16−18 −17.6%
Far Cry 5	12 +100%	6−7 −100%
Fortnite	10−11 +100%	5−6 −100%
Forza Horizon 4	12−14 +140%	5−6 −140%
Valorant	9−10 +80%	5−6 −80%

This is how Pro 560X and HD 6870 compete in popular games:

Pro 560X is 64% faster in 900p
HD 6870 is 66% faster in 1080p
Pro 560X is 54% faster in 1200p
Pro 560X is 71% faster in 1440p
Pro 560X is 78% faster in 4K

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

in Metro Exodus, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the Pro 560X is 600% faster.
in World of Tanks, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the HD 6870 is 120% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

Pro 560X is ahead in 54 tests (89%)
HD 6870 is ahead in 6 tests (10%)
there's a draw in 1 test (2%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	9.56	5.75
Recency	16 July 2018	21 October 2010
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	1 GB
Chip lithography	14 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	151 Watt

Pro 560X has a 66.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 185.7% more advanced lithography process, and 101.3% lower power consumption.

The Radeon Pro 560X is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6870 in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon Pro 560X is a mobile workstation card while Radeon HD 6870 is a desktop one.

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