Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R9 270

When comparing Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon R9 270, 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon R9 270 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 here:

Main Specs

  Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon R9 270
Power consumption (TDP) 110 Watt 150 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 512 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 270 has 36% more power consumption, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 270 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has 510 GB more memory, than Radeon R9 270.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 270 - in Desktops.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is build with RV6xx architecture, and Radeon R9 270 - with GCN 1.0.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 270 - by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 6−7 21−24
ultra / 1080p 4−5 12−14
QHD / 1440p 0−1 7−8
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 16−18 40−45
medium / 1080p 8−9 27−30
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 270 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 188% more, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.

Full Specs

  Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon R9 270
Architecture RV6xx GCN 1.0
Code name M88-XT CF Curacao
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 1 September 2008 13 November 2013
Pipelines 640 1280
Core clock speed 660 MHz
Boost Clock 925 MHz
Transistor count 666 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 10.56 74.00
Floating-point performance 2x 422.4 gflops 2,368 gflops
Length 210 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 850 MHz
Memory bandwidth 54.4 GB/s 179.2 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model 4.1 5.1
OpenGL 3.3 4.6
OpenCL N/A 1.2
Vulkan N/A +
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 293 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
DisplayPort support +
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 16 Mh/s
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
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