GeForce GTX 960M vs Radeon HD 7870 XT
In this comparison between GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 7870 XT 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 GeForce GTX 960M will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 7870 XT will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon HD 7870 XT
GeForce GTX 960M is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: GeForce GTX 960M 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 GeForce GTX 960M here:
Main Specs
| GeForce GTX 960M | Radeon HD 7870 XT | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 75 Watt | 185 Watt |
| Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 6-pin | |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Display Connectors | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort |
| Check Price |
- Radeon HD 7870 XT has 146% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 960M.
- GeForce GTX 960M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and Radeon HD 7870 XT uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- GeForce GTX 960M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
- GeForce GTX 960M is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - in Desktops.
- GeForce GTX 960M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - with GCN 1.0.
- Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960M is 171 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
- GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 7870 XT are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 3500 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 960M.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 18−20 | 35−40 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−11 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | 4−5 | 16−18 |
| 4K / 2160p | 4−5 | 10−11 |
| low / 720p | 35−40 | 60−65 |
| medium / 1080p | 21−24 | 40−45 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 100% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 27−30 | 55−60 |
| ultra / 1080p | 24−27 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 8−9 | 35−40 |
| 4K / 2160p | 6−7 | 18−20 |
| low / 720p | 60−65 | 100−110 |
| medium / 1080p | 30−35 | 60−65 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Battlefield 5 is 100% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 50−55 | 50−55 |
| high / 1080p | 50−55 | − |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 7870 XT have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone. | ||
| low / 768p | 220−230 | 250−260 |
| medium / 768p | 190−200 | 220−230 |
| ultra / 1080p | 100−110 | 180−190 |
| QHD / 1440p | 70−75 | 110−120 |
| 4K / 2160p | 35−40 | 70−75 |
| high / 768p | 150−160 | 210−220 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 35% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 60−65 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 45−50 | − |
| medium / 1080p | 55−60 | 55−60 |
| GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 7870 XT have the same average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077. | ||
| low / 768p | 110−120 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 100−110 | 110−120 |
| ultra / 1080p | 70−75 | 100−110 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Dota 2 is 18% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 21−24 | 45−50 |
| ultra / 1080p | 20−22 | 40−45 |
| QHD / 1440p | 18−20 | 27−30 |
| 4K / 2160p | 6−7 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 45−50 | 80−85 |
| medium / 1080p | 21−24 | 45−50 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Far Cry 5 is 86% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 27−30 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 21−24 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 14−16 | 27−30 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 27−30 |
| low / 720p | 110−120 | 180−190 |
| medium / 1080p | 60−65 | 110−120 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Fortnite is 81% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 30−33 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 21−24 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 10−12 | 30−35 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 24−27 |
| low / 720p | 60−65 | 100−110 |
| medium / 1080p | 30−35 | 65−70 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Forza Horizon 4 is 96% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 95−100 | 140−150 |
| medium / 768p | 85−90 | 120−130 |
| high / 1080p | 35−40 | 70−75 |
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 30−35 |
| QHD / 1440p | 4−5 | 21−24 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Grand Theft Auto V is 64% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 9−10 | 20−22 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 16−18 |
| 4K / 2160p | 2−3 | 8−9 |
| low / 720p | 35−40 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 14−16 | 30−35 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Metro Exodus is 106% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 110−120 | 130−140 |
| medium / 1080p | 110−120 | 120−130 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Minecraft is 13% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 65−70 | 100−110 |
| medium / 1080p | 18−20 | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 39% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 14−16 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 9−10 | 16−18 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 10−11 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 30−35 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 18−20 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 89% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 65−70 | 130−140 |
| medium / 768p | 40−45 | 85−90 |
| high / 1080p | 21−24 | 45−50 |
| ultra / 1080p | 12−14 | 24−27 |
| 4K / 2160p | 7−8 | 16−18 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 106% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
| low / 768p | 90−95 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 60−65 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 35−40 | 50−55 |
| high / 768p | 55−60 | 60−65 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in World of Tanks is 8% more, than GeForce GTX 960M. | ||
Full Specs
| GeForce GTX 960M | Radeon HD 7870 XT | |
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |
| Code name | N16P-GX | Tahiti |
| Type | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 12 March 2015 | 19 November 2012 |
| Pipelines | 640 | 1536 |
| Core clock speed | 1096 MHz | 925 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1202 MHz | 975 MHz |
| Transistor count | 1,870 million | 4,313 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 47.04 | 93.60 |
| Floating-point performance | 1,505 gflops | 2,995 gflops |
| Length | 267 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 2500 MHz | 6000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 80 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.1.126 | 1.2.131 |
| CUDA | + | |
| CUDA cores | 640 | |
| Bus support | PCI Express 3.0 | |
| SLI options | + | |
| HDMI | + | |
| Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 175 Mh/s | 346 Mh/s |
| Laptop size | medium sized | |
| DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support | + | |
| H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder | + | |
| Optimus | + | |
| Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) | 14.5 Mh/s | |
| GameStream | + | |
| GeForce ShadowPlay | + | |
| GPU Boost | 2.0 | |
| GameWorks | + | |
| BatteryBoost | + | |
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