Radeon E8860 vs Radeon HD 8970M

When comparing Radeon E8860 and Radeon HD 8970M, 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 Radeon E8860 and Radeon HD 8970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8970M 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 Radeon HD 8970M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon E8860 Radeon HD 8970M
Power consumption (TDP) 37 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 4x mini-DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 8970M has 170% more power consumption, than Radeon E8860.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon HD 8970M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon E8860.
  • Radeon E8860 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon E8860 is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 275 MHz higher, than Radeon E8860.
  • Radeon E8860 and Radeon HD 8970M are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 300 MHz higher, than Radeon E8860.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 7−8 20−22
ultra / 1080p 4−5 12−14
QHD / 1440p 0−1 6−7
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 18−20 35−40
medium / 1080p 9−10 24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 140% more, than Radeon E8860.

Full Specs

  Radeon E8860 Radeon HD 8970M
Architecture GCN 1.0 GCN
Code name Venus Neptune
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 25 January 2014 15 May 2013
Pipelines 640 1280
Core clock speed 575 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 625 MHz 900 MHz
Transistor count 1,500 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 25.00 72.00
Floating-point performance 800.0 gflops 2,304 gflops
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 4500 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 72 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131 1.2.131
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 48 Mh/s 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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