GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon HD 7870
When comparing GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon HD 7870, 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 980 and Radeon HD 7870 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.
Main Specs
GeForce GTX 980
Radeon HD 7870
Power consumption (TDP)
165 Watt
175 Watt
Interface
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
2x 6-pins
Memory type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
4 GB
2 GB
Display Connectors
1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU)
500 Watt
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Radeon HD 7870 has 6% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 980.
GeForce GTX 980 has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870.
Both cards are used in Desktops.
GeForce GTX 980 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7870 - with GCN.
GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon HD 7870 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 is 4793 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980.
Game benchmarks
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Dota 2
Far Cry 5
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Metro Exodus
Minecraft
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
World of Tanks
high / 1080p
55−60
24−27
ultra / 1080p
35−40
14−16
QHD / 1440p
30−35
9−10
4K / 2160p
18−20
6−7
low / 720p
80−85
45−50
medium / 1080p
65−70
30−33
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 122% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
85−90
35−40
ultra / 1080p
75−80
30−35
QHD / 1440p
60−65
16−18
4K / 2160p
30−35
10−11
low / 720p
140−150
75−80
medium / 1080p
95−100
40−45
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Battlefield 5 is 130% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
45−50
50−55
QHD / 1440p
−
0−1
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 980.
low / 768p
250−260
240−250
medium / 768p
230−240
210−220
ultra / 1080p
−
130−140
QHD / 1440p
150−160
100−110
4K / 2160p
100−110
60−65
high / 768p
220−230
180−190
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 20% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
70−75
60−65
medium / 1080p
50−55
55−60
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 3% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
120−130
120−130
medium / 768p
110−120
110−120
ultra / 1080p
110−120
85−90
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Dota 2 is 8% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
70−75
30−33
ultra / 1080p
65−70
27−30
QHD / 1440p
45−50
21−24
4K / 2160p
24−27
9−10
low / 720p
100−110
60−65
medium / 1080p
75−80
30−35
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Far Cry 5 is 109% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
100−110
35−40
ultra / 1080p
80−85
30−33
QHD / 1440p
50−55
18−20
4K / 2160p
21−24
−
low / 720p
230−240
130−140
medium / 1080p
150−160
80−85
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Fortnite is 106% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
95−100
40−45
ultra / 1080p
75−80
30−33
QHD / 1440p
55−60
18−20
4K / 2160p
35−40
14−16
low / 720p
140−150
75−80
medium / 1080p
100−110
45−50
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Forza Horizon 4 is 126% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
160−170
110−120
medium / 768p
150−160
100−110
high / 1080p
100−110
45−50
ultra / 1080p
55−60
20−22
QHD / 1440p
45−50
10−11
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Grand Theft Auto V is 79% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
40−45
14−16
ultra / 1080p
35−40
12−14
QHD / 1440p
27−30
10−12
4K / 2160p
16−18
4−5
low / 720p
100−110
45−50
medium / 1080p
60−65
21−24
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Metro Exodus is 166% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
120−130
120−130
medium / 1080p
−
110−120
GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon HD 7870 have the same average FPS in Minecraft.
high / 1080p
90−95
−
ultra / 1080p
65−70
14−16
4K / 2160p
18−20
−
low / 720p
130−140
75−80
medium / 1080p
100−110
18−20
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 175% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
high / 1080p
40−45
16−18
ultra / 1080p
27−30
10−12
QHD / 1440p
21−24
4−5
4K / 2160p
14−16
2−3
low / 720p
100−110
45−50
medium / 1080p
60−65
24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 155% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
210−220
85−90
medium / 768p
140−150
50−55
high / 1080p
80−85
30−33
ultra / 1080p
45−50
16−18
4K / 2160p
30−33
10−11
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 166% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
low / 768p
140−150
90−95
medium / 768p
−
60−65
ultra / 1080p
70−75
45−50
high / 768p
−
55−60
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in World of Tanks is 54% more, than Radeon HD 7870.
Full Specs
GeForce GTX 980
Radeon HD 7870
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN
Code name
GM204
Pitcairn XT
Type
Desktop
Desktop
Release date
19 September 2014
5 March 2012
Pipelines
2048
1280
Core clock speed
1000 MHz
Boost Clock
1216 MHz
Transistor count
5,200 million
2800 Million
Manufacturing process technology
28 nm
28 nm
Texture fill rate
144 billion/sec
Floating-point performance
4,981 gflops
Length
10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width
256 Bit
256 Bit
Memory clock speed
7.0 GB/s
4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth
224 GB/s
Shared memory
-
-
G-SYNC support
+
DirectX
12 (12_1)
DirectX 11.1, Shader 5.1
Shader Model
6.4
OpenGL
4.5
OpenCL
1.2
Vulkan
1.1.126
CUDA
+
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight)
0.54 kh/s
0.39 kh/s
CUDA cores
2048
Bus support
PCI Express 3.0
Height
4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options
+
Multi monitor support
4 displays
HDMI
+
HDCP
+
Maximum VGA resolution
2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI
Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
579 Mh/s
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support
+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder
+
Optimus
+
Eyefinity
+
Decred / DCR (Decred)
1.74 Gh/s
0.63 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto)
20.28 Mh/s
16.6 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash)
312.12 Sol/s
145 Sol/s
GameStream
+
GeForce ShadowPlay
+
GPU Boost
2.0
GameWorks
+
BatteryBoost
+
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