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
  Check Price Check Price
  • 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

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.

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 +
  Check Price Check Price