Iris Xe MAX Graphics vs Radeon HD 6970

In this comparison between Iris Xe MAX Graphics and Radeon HD 6970 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people Iris Xe MAX Graphics will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 6970 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

Iris Xe MAX Graphics is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Iris Xe MAX Graphics 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 Iris Xe MAX Graphics here:

Main Specs

  Iris Xe MAX Graphics Radeon HD 6970
Power consumption (TDP) 550 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type LPDDR4x DDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
  Check Price Check Price
  • Iris Xe MAX Graphics has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6970.
  • Iris Xe MAX Graphics is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 6970 - in Desktops.
  • Iris Xe MAX Graphics is build with Gen. 12 Xe architecture, and Radeon HD 6970 - with Terascale 2.
  • Iris Xe MAX Graphics is manufactured by 10 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6970 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 2891 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 14−16
ultra / 1080p 21−24 9−10
QHD / 1440p 16−18 3−4
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 30−35
medium / 1080p 40−45 18−20
The average gaming FPS of Iris Xe MAX Graphics in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 140% more, than Radeon HD 6970.

Full Specs

  Iris Xe MAX Graphics Radeon HD 6970
Architecture Gen. 12 Xe Terascale 2
Code name iDG1LPDEV Cayman
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 31 October 2020 14 December 2010
Pipelines 96 1536
Boost Clock 1650 MHz 880 MHz
Transistor count 2,640 million
Manufacturing process technology 10 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 84.48
Floating-point performance 2,703.4 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 4266 MHz 1375 MHz
Shared memory -
DirectX DirectX 12.1
Shader Model 5.0
OpenGL 4.4
OpenCL 1.2
Bus support PCIe 2.0 x16
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 273 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
  Check Price Check Price