GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 980 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 980 will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 7870 XT will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 980 Check Price

Radeon HD 7870 XT

Main Specs

	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon HD 7870 XT
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	185 Watt
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pins	2x 6-pin
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	2 GB
Display Connectors	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU)	500 Watt
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Radeon HD 7870 XT has 12% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 980.
Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
GeForce GTX 980 has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
Both cards are used in Desktops.
GeForce GTX 980 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7870 XT - with GCN 1.0.
GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon HD 7870 XT are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
Radeon HD 7870 XT is 257 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 980.
Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 5993 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980.

Game benchmarks


high / 1080p	55−60	35−40
ultra / 1080p	35−40	21−24
QHD / 1440p	30−35	16−18
4K / 2160p	18−20	10−11
low / 720p	80−85	60−65
medium / 1080p	65−70	40−45
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 53% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	85−90	55−60
ultra / 1080p	75−80	45−50
QHD / 1440p	60−65	35−40
4K / 2160p	30−35	18−20
low / 720p	140−150	100−110
medium / 1080p	95−100	60−65
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Battlefield 5 is 53% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	45−50	50−55
QHD / 1440p	−	0−1
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 980.
low / 768p	250−260	250−260
medium / 768p	230−240	220−230
ultra / 1080p	−	180−190
QHD / 1440p	150−160	110−120
4K / 2160p	100−110	70−75
high / 768p	220−230	210−220
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 10% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	70−75	60−65
medium / 1080p	50−55	55−60
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 3% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	120−130	120−130
medium / 768p	110−120	110−120
ultra / 1080p	110−120	100−110
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Dota 2 is 2% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	70−75	45−50
ultra / 1080p	65−70	40−45
QHD / 1440p	45−50	27−30
4K / 2160p	24−27	14−16
low / 720p	100−110	80−85
medium / 1080p	75−80	45−50
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Far Cry 5 is 51% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	100−110	60−65
ultra / 1080p	80−85	45−50
QHD / 1440p	50−55	27−30
4K / 2160p	21−24	27−30
low / 720p	230−240	180−190
medium / 1080p	150−160	110−120
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Fortnite is 40% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	95−100	60−65
ultra / 1080p	75−80	45−50
QHD / 1440p	55−60	30−35
4K / 2160p	35−40	24−27
low / 720p	140−150	100−110
medium / 1080p	100−110	65−70
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Forza Horizon 4 is 53% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	160−170	140−150
medium / 768p	150−160	120−130
high / 1080p	100−110	70−75
ultra / 1080p	55−60	30−35
QHD / 1440p	45−50	21−24
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Grand Theft Auto V is 34% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	40−45	24−27
ultra / 1080p	35−40	20−22
QHD / 1440p	27−30	16−18
4K / 2160p	16−18	8−9
low / 720p	100−110	65−70
medium / 1080p	60−65	30−35
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Metro Exodus is 71% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	120−130	130−140
medium / 1080p	−	120−130
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Minecraft is 8% more, than GeForce GTX 980.
high / 1080p	90−95	−
ultra / 1080p	65−70	14−16
4K / 2160p	18−20	−
low / 720p	130−140	100−110
medium / 1080p	100−110	18−20
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 121% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
high / 1080p	40−45	24−27
ultra / 1080p	27−30	16−18
QHD / 1440p	21−24	10−11
4K / 2160p	14−16	7−8
low / 720p	100−110	65−70
medium / 1080p	60−65	35−40
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 70% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	210−220	130−140
medium / 768p	140−150	85−90
high / 1080p	80−85	45−50
ultra / 1080p	45−50	24−27
4K / 2160p	30−33	16−18
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 67% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
low / 768p	140−150	90−95
medium / 768p	−	60−65
ultra / 1080p	70−75	50−55
high / 768p	−	60−65
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in World of Tanks is 50% more, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.

Full Specs

	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon HD 7870 XT
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Code name	GM204	Tahiti
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	19 September 2014	19 November 2012
Pipelines	2048	1536
Core clock speed		925 MHz
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	975 MHz
Transistor count	5,200 million	4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	28 nm
Texture fill rate	144 billion/sec	93.60
Floating-point performance	4,981 gflops	2,995 gflops
Length	10.5" (26.7 cm)	267 mm
Memory bus width	256 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	7.0 GB/s	6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth	224 GB/s	192.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-
G-SYNC support	+
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (11_1)
Shader Model	6.4	5.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	1.1.126	1.2.131
CUDA	+
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight)	0.54 kh/s
CUDA cores	2048
Bus support	PCI Express 3.0
Height	4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options	+
Multi monitor support	4 displays
HDMI	+
HDCP	+
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI	Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)	579 Mh/s	346 Mh/s
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	+
Optimus	+
Decred / DCR (Decred)	1.74 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto)	20.28 Mh/s	14.5 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash)	312.12 Sol/s
GameStream	+
GeForce ShadowPlay	+
GPU Boost	2.0
GameWorks	+
BatteryBoost	+
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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT

Main Specs

Game benchmarks

Full Specs

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