GeForce GTX 980M vs Radeon HD 7870 XT

When comparing GeForce GTX 980M 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 980M 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 980M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 980M 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 980M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 980M Radeon HD 7870 XT
Power consumption (TDP) 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 8 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • GeForce GTX 980M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and Radeon HD 7870 XT uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 980M has 6 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
  • GeForce GTX 980M is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 980M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - with GCN 1.0.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 980M is 113 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
  • GeForce GTX 980M and Radeon HD 7870 XT are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 3500 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 35−40
ultra / 1080p 24−27 21−24
QHD / 1440p 18−20 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 60−65
medium / 1080p 45−50 40−45
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 3% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 980M Radeon HD 7870 XT
Architecture Maxwell GCN 1.0
Code name GM204 Tahiti
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 7 October 2014 19 November 2012
Pipelines 1536 1536
Core clock speed 1038 MHz 925 MHz
Boost Clock 1127 MHz 975 MHz
Transistor count 5,200 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 51.84 93.60
Floating-point performance 3,462 gflops 2,995 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2500 MHz 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 160 GB/s 192.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.2.131
CUDA +
CUDA cores 1536
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 383 Mh/s 346 Mh/s
Laptop size large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 14.5 Mh/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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