Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon HD 8970M
If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon HD 8970M, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the Radeon HD 7870 XT stacks up against Radeon HD 8970M, check out specs charts below.
Radeon HD 7870 XT
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 7870 XT | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 185 Watt | 100 Watt |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 6-pin | |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort | No outputs |
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- Radeon HD 7870 XT has 85% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 8970M.
- Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
- Radeon HD 8970M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
- Radeon HD 7870 XT is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
- Radeon HD 7870 XT is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
- Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 75 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
- Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon HD 8970M are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT is 1200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 35−40 | 20−22 |
| ultra / 1080p | 21−24 | 12−14 |
| QHD / 1440p | 16−18 | 6−7 |
| 4K / 2160p | 10−11 | 5−6 |
| low / 720p | 60−65 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 40−45 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 77% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 55−60 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 45−50 | 27−30 |
| QHD / 1440p | 35−40 | 10−12 |
| 4K / 2160p | 18−20 | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 100−110 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 60−65 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Battlefield 5 is 80% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 50−55 | 50−55 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon HD 8970M have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone. | ||
| low / 768p | 250−260 | 230−240 |
| medium / 768p | 220−230 | 200−210 |
| ultra / 1080p | 180−190 | 110−120 |
| QHD / 1440p | 110−120 | 85−90 |
| 4K / 2160p | 70−75 | 45−50 |
| high / 768p | 210−220 | 160−170 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 24% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 60−65 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | 55−60 | 55−60 |
| Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon HD 8970M have the same average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 110−120 | 100−110 |
| ultra / 1080p | 100−110 | 75−80 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Dota 2 is 12% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 40−45 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | 27−30 | 18−20 |
| 4K / 2160p | 14−16 | 7−8 |
| low / 720p | 80−85 | 50−55 |
| medium / 1080p | 45−50 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Far Cry 5 is 72% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 60−65 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 45−50 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | 27−30 | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | 27−30 | − |
| low / 720p | 180−190 | 120−130 |
| medium / 1080p | 110−120 | 70−75 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Fortnite is 61% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 60−65 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 45−50 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | 30−35 | 12−14 |
| 4K / 2160p | 24−27 | 12−14 |
| low / 720p | 100−110 | 65−70 |
| medium / 1080p | 65−70 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Forza Horizon 4 is 80% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 140−150 | 100−110 |
| medium / 768p | 120−130 | 90−95 |
| high / 1080p | 70−75 | 40−45 |
| ultra / 1080p | 30−35 | 16−18 |
| QHD / 1440p | 21−24 | 6−7 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Grand Theft Auto V is 51% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 24−27 | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | 20−22 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 16−18 | − |
| 4K / 2160p | 8−9 | 2−3 |
| low / 720p | 65−70 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 30−35 | 16−18 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Metro Exodus is 93% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 130−140 | 120−130 |
| medium / 1080p | 120−130 | 110−120 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Minecraft is 8% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 100−110 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | 18−20 | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 31% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 24−27 | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 10−11 | 1−2 |
| 4K / 2160p | 7−8 | 1−2 |
| low / 720p | 65−70 | 35−40 |
| medium / 1080p | 35−40 | 20−22 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 92% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 130−140 | 70−75 |
| medium / 768p | 85−90 | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 24−27 | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | 16−18 | 8−9 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 87% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
| low / 768p | 90−95 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 60−65 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 50−55 | 40−45 |
| high / 768p | 60−65 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in World of Tanks is 6% more, than Radeon HD 8970M. | ||
Full Specs
| Radeon HD 7870 XT | Radeon HD 8970M | |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN |
| Code name | Tahiti | Neptune |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 19 November 2012 | 15 May 2013 |
| Pipelines | 1536 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 925 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 975 MHz | 900 MHz |
| Transistor count | 4,313 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 93.60 | 72.00 |
| Floating-point performance | 2,995 gflops | 2,304 gflops |
| Length | 267 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 6000 MHz | 4800 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
| Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 346 Mh/s | 273 Mh/s |
| Laptop size | large | |
| Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) | 14.5 Mh/s | |
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