Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon R9 M385X

When comparing Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon R9 M385X, 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 5870 and Radeon R9 M385X is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon R9 M385X is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon R9 M385X 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 R9 M385X here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 5870 Radeon R9 M385X
Power consumption (TDP) 188 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 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 5870 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 M385X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 M385X has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 5870.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M385X - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon R9 M385X - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon R9 M385X is 250 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 5870.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 M385X - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 5870 is 3300 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M385X.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 10−12 8−9
ultra / 1080p 6−7 5−6
QHD / 1440p 1−2 0−1
low / 720p 24−27 18−20
medium / 1080p 14−16 10−11
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 5870 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 40% more, than Radeon R9 M385X.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 5870 Radeon R9 M385X
Architecture TeraScale 2 GCN
Code name Cypress Strato-XT-M3
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 23 September 2009 16 June 2015
Pipelines 1600 896
Core clock speed 850 MHz 1100 MHz
Boost Clock 1100 MHz
Transistor count 2,154 million 2,080 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 68.00 61.60
Floating-point performance 2,720.0 gflops 1,971 gflops
Length 282 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz 1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s 76.8 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.0 6.3
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 Not Listed
Vulkan N/A
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
PowerTune +
DualGraphics +
ZeroCore +
Switchable graphics +
Mantle +
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