GeForce GTX 860M vs Radeon HD 7870 XT

When comparing GeForce GTX 860M and Radeon HD 7870 XT, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between GeForce GTX 860M and Radeon HD 7870 XT is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

GeForce GTX 860M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 860M 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 GeForce GTX 860M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 860M Radeon HD 7870 XT
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt 185 Watt
Interface MXM-B (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 7870 XT has 146% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 860M.
  • GeForce GTX 860M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and Radeon HD 7870 XT uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 860M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
  • GeForce GTX 860M is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 860M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - with GCN 1.0.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 128 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 860M.
  • GeForce GTX 860M and Radeon HD 7870 XT are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 16−18 35−40
ultra / 1080p 10−11 21−24
QHD / 1440p 5−6 16−18
4K / 2160p 4−5 10−11
low / 720p 30−35 60−65
medium / 1080p 21−24 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 113% more, than GeForce GTX 860M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 860M Radeon HD 7870 XT
Architecture Maxwell GCN 1.0
Code name N15P-GX Tahiti
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 12 March 2014 19 November 2012
Pipelines 640 1536
Core clock speed 797 MHz 925 MHz
Boost Clock 915 MHz 975 MHz
Transistor count 1,870 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 43.40 93.60
Floating-point performance 1,389 gflops 2,995 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 80.0 GB/s 192.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.2.131
CUDA +
CUDA cores 1152 or 640
Bus support PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 163 Mh/s 346 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
Standard memory configuration GDDR5
eDP 1.2 signal support Up to 3840x2160
LVDS signal support Up to 1920x1200
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support Up to 3840x2160
HDCP content protection +
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI +
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 14.5 Mh/s
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