Radeon HD 6870 vs Radeon HD 6950M

When comparing Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6950M, 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 6870 and Radeon HD 6950M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 6950M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 6950M 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 6950M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6870 Radeon HD 6950M
Power consumption (TDP) 151 Watt 50 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 6870 has 202% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6950M.
  • Radeon HD 6870 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 6950M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • Radeon HD 6950M has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6870.
  • Radeon HD 6870 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 6950M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6950M are build with Terascale 2 architecture.
  • Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6950M are manufactured by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 6870 is 150 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6950M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 10−12 8−9
ultra / 1080p 6−7 5−6
QHD / 1440p 1−2 0−1
low / 720p 24−27 20−22
medium / 1080p 12−14 10−12
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 6870 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 27% more, than Radeon HD 6950M.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6870 Radeon HD 6950M
Architecture Terascale 2 Terascale 2
Code name RV940 Barts Blackcomb Pro
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 22 October 2010 6 January 2011
Pipelines 1120 960
Core clock speed 580 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 1,700 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 50.40 27.84
Floating-point performance 2,016.0 gflops 1,113.6 gflops
Length 220 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1050 MHz 900 MHz
Memory bandwidth 134.4 GB/s 115.2 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
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
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