Radeon HD 4870 vs Radeon HD 6850

When comparing Radeon HD 4870 and Radeon HD 6850, 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 4870 and Radeon HD 6850 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 4870 Radeon HD 6850
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 127 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 4870 has 18% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6850.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 2.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon HD 4870 and Radeon HD 6850 have maximum RAM of 1 GB.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is build with TeraScale architecture, and Radeon HD 6850 - with TeraScale 2.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6850 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is 52 mm longer, than Radeon HD 6850.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 3−4 9−10
ultra / 1080p 1−2 5−6
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 14−16 21−24
medium / 1080p 6−7 12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 6850 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 100% more, than Radeon HD 4870.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 4870 Radeon HD 6850
Architecture TeraScale TeraScale 2
Code name RV770 Barts
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 25 June 2008 21 October 2010
Pipelines 800 960
Core clock speed 750 MHz
Transistor count 956 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 30.00 37.20
Floating-point performance 1,200.0 gflops 1,488.0 gflops
Length 250 mm 198 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 3600 MHz
Memory bandwidth 115.2 GB/s 128.0 GB/s
DirectX 10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model 4.1 5.0
OpenGL 3.3 4.4
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A
Bus support AGP
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 139 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
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