Radeon HD 4890 vs Radeon HD 7870M

When comparing Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 7870M, 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 7870M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 7870M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7870M 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 7870M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 4890 Radeon HD 7870M
Power consumption (TDP) 190 Watt 45 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 4890 has 322% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 7870M.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 7870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 7870M has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 4890.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 7870M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is build with TeraScale architecture, and Radeon HD 7870M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 4890 is 50 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7870M.
  • Radeon HD 4890 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7870M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870M is 100 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 4890.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 7−8 6−7
ultra / 1080p 4−5 4−5
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 16−18 16−18
medium / 1080p 8−9 8−9
Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 7870M have the same average FPS in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 4890 Radeon HD 7870M
Architecture TeraScale GCN
Code name RV790 Heathrow XT
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 2 April 2009 24 April 2012
Pipelines 800 640
Core clock speed 850 MHz 800 MHz
Transistor count 959 million 1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 34.00 32.00
Floating-point performance 1,360.0 gflops 1,024 gflops
Length 241 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 3900 MHz 4000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 124.8 GB/s 64 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 10.1 (10_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 4.1 5.1
OpenGL 3.3 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
Laptop size large
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