GeForce GTX 480M SLI vs Radeon HD 4870

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 480M SLI and Radeon HD 4870 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 480M SLI will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 4870 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 480M SLI is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 480M SLI 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 480M SLI here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 480M SLI Radeon HD 4870
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 150 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video
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  • Radeon HD 4870 has 50% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 480M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 480M SLI has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 4870.
  • GeForce GTX 480M SLI is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 4870 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 480M SLI is build with Fermi architecture, and Radeon HD 4870 - with TeraScale.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 4870 is 325 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 480M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 480M SLI is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 4870 - by 55 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 4870 is 2400 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 480M SLI.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 16−18 3−4
ultra / 1080p 9−10 1−2
QHD / 1440p 4−5 0−1
4K / 2160p 4−5
low / 720p 30−35 14−16
medium / 1080p 20−22 6−7
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 480M SLI in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 233% more, than Radeon HD 4870.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 480M SLI Radeon HD 4870
Architecture Fermi TeraScale
Code name N11E-GTX-A3 RV770
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 25 May 2010 25 June 2008
Pipelines 704 800
Core clock speed 425 MHz 750 MHz
Transistor count 6000 Million 956 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 55 nm
Texture fill rate 30.00
Floating-point performance 1,200.0 gflops
Length 250 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1200 MHz 3600 MHz
Memory bandwidth 115.2 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX DirectX 11, Shader 5.0 10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model 4.1
OpenGL 3.3
OpenCL 1.1
Vulkan N/A
Laptop size large
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