Radeon HD 5850 vs Radeon HD 6870

When comparing Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 6870, 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 5850 and Radeon HD 6870 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 5850 Radeon HD 6870
Power consumption (TDP) 151 Watt 151 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Both graphics cards have the same power consumption of 151 Watt.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 2.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 6870 have maximum RAM of 1 GB.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 6870 are build with Terascale 2 architecture.
  • Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 6870 are manufactured by 40 nm process technology.
  • Radeon HD 5850 is 21 mm longer, than Radeon HD 6870.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 5850 is 950 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6870.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 9−10 10−12
ultra / 1080p 5−6 6−7
QHD / 1440p 0−1 1−2
low / 720p 21−24 24−27
medium / 1080p 12−14 12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 6870 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 16% more, than Radeon HD 5850.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 5850 Radeon HD 6870
Architecture Terascale 2 Terascale 2
Code name Cypress RV940 Barts
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 30 September 2009 22 October 2010
Pipelines 1440 1120
Core clock speed 725 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 2,154 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 52.20 50.40
Floating-point performance 2,088.0 gflops 2,016.0 gflops
Length 241 mm 220 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2000 MHz 1050 MHz
Memory bandwidth 128.0 GB/s 134.4 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.0 5.0
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan N/A
Bus support PCIe 2.0 x16
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 213 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
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