Radeon HD 6970 vs Radeon HD 8970M

When comparing Radeon HD 6970 and Radeon HD 8970M, 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 6970 and Radeon HD 8970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8970M 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 8970M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6970 Radeon HD 8970M
Power consumption (TDP) 550 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type DDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 6970 has 450% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • Radeon HD 6970 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 8970M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 8970M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6970.
  • Radeon HD 6970 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 6970 is build with Terascale 2 architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
  • Radeon HD 6970 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 3425 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 14−16 20−22
ultra / 1080p 9−10 12−14
QHD / 1440p 3−4 6−7
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 30−35 35−40
medium / 1080p 18−20 24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 33% more, than Radeon HD 6970.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6970 Radeon HD 8970M
Architecture Terascale 2 GCN
Code name Cayman Neptune
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 14 December 2010 15 May 2013
Pipelines 1536 1280
Core clock speed 850 MHz
Boost Clock 880 MHz 900 MHz
Transistor count 2,640 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 84.48 72.00
Floating-point performance 2,703.4 gflops 2,304 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1375 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.0 5.1
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131
Bus support PCIe 2.0 x16
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 273 Mh/s 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
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