GeForce GTX 580 vs Radeon HD 8970M

When choosing between GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 8970M, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 8970M.

Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8970M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Radeon HD 8970M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 580 Radeon HD 8970M
Power consumption (TDP) 244 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors One 6-pin and One 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1536 MB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 580 has 144% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • GeForce GTX 580 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 8970M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 580 has 1532 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • GeForce GTX 580 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 580 is build with Fermi architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 580 is 694 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • GeForce GTX 580 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 2796 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 580.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 21−24 20−22
ultra / 1080p 14−16 12−14
QHD / 1440p 8−9 6−7
4K / 2160p 6−7 5−6
low / 720p 40−45 35−40
medium / 1080p 27−30 24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 580 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 11% more, than Radeon HD 8970M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 580 Radeon HD 8970M
Architecture Fermi GCN
Code name GF110 Neptune
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 9 November 2010 15 May 2013
Pipelines 512 1280
Core clock speed 1544 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 3,000 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 49.4 billion/sec 72.00
Floating-point performance 1,581.1 gflops 2,304 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 384 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2004 MHz (4008 data rate) 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 192.4 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.2 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
CUDA +
CUDA cores 512
Bus support PCI-E 2.0 x 16
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support +
HDMI +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 142 Mh/s 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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