Radeon HD 4890 vs Radeon HD 5970

When comparing Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 5970, 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 HD 4890 and Radeon HD 5970 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 4890 Radeon HD 5970
Power consumption (TDP) 190 Watt 294 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video 2x DVI, 1x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 5970 has 54% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 4890.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 2.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 5970 have maximum RAM of 1 GB.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is build with TeraScale architecture, and Radeon HD 5970 - with TeraScale 2.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 4890 is 125 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 5970.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 5970 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Radeon HD 5970 is 64 mm longer, than Radeon HD 4890.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 5970 is 100 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 4890.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 7−8 10−12
ultra / 1080p 4−5 6−7
QHD / 1440p 0−1 1−2
low / 720p 16−18 24−27
medium / 1080p 8−9 14−16
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 5970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 55% more, than Radeon HD 4890.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 4890 Radeon HD 5970
Architecture TeraScale TeraScale 2
Code name RV790 Hemlock
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 2 April 2009 18 November 2009
Pipelines 800 1600
Core clock speed 850 MHz 725 MHz
Transistor count 959 million 2,154 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 34.00 58.00
Floating-point performance 1,360.0 gflops 2x 2,320.0 gflops
Length 241 mm 305 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 3900 MHz 4000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 124.8 GB/s 128.0 GB/s
DirectX 10.1 (10_1) 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 4.1 5.0
OpenGL 3.3 4.4
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A N/A
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