Radeon HD 7870 vs Radeon HD 8790M

When comparing Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 8790M, 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 7870 and Radeon HD 8790M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 8790M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8790M 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 8790M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 7870 Radeon HD 8790M
Power consumption (TDP) 175 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 8790M have maximum RAM of 2 GB.
  • Radeon HD 7870 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8790M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 8790M are build with GCN architecture.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 is 150 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8790M.
  • Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon HD 8790M are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 is 300 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8790M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 24−27 3−4
ultra / 1080p 14−16 1−2
QHD / 1440p 9−10 0−1
4K / 2160p 6−7
low / 720p 45−50 14−16
medium / 1080p 30−33 6−7
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 383% more, than Radeon HD 8790M.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 7870 Radeon HD 8790M
Architecture GCN GCN
Code name Pitcairn XT Mars XTX
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 5 March 2012 16 November 2012
Pipelines 1280 384
Core clock speed 1000 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 2800 Million 950 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 21.60
Floating-point performance 691.2 gflops
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz 4500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 64 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX DirectX 11.1, Shader 5.1 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1
OpenGL 4.6
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.39 kh/s
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 80 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
Eyefinity +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.63 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 16.6 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 145 Sol/s
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