Quadro 500M vs Radeon HD 7870M

When comparing Quadro 500M and Radeon HD 7870M, 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 Quadro 500M and Radeon HD 7870M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 7870M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7870M 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 7870M here:

Main Specs

  Quadro 500M Radeon HD 7870M
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 45 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Memory type DDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 7870M has 28% more power consumption, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon HD 7870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 7870M has 1 GB more memory, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 7870M - in Laptops.
  • Quadro 500M is build with Fermi architecture, and Radeon HD 7870M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7870M is 100 MHz higher, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7870M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870M is 2200 MHz higher, than Quadro 500M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 6−7
ultra / 1080p 4−5
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 1−2 16−18
medium / 1080p 0−1 8−9
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1600% more, than Quadro 500M.

Full Specs

  Quadro 500M Radeon HD 7870M
Architecture Fermi GCN
Code name GF108 Heathrow XT
Type Workstation Laptop
Release date 22 February 2011 24 April 2012
Pipelines 96 640
Core clock speed 700 MHz 800 MHz
Transistor count 585 million 1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 11.20 32.00
Floating-point performance 268.8 gflops 1,024 gflops
Memory bus width 128 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1800 MHz 4000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 28.8 GB/s 64 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
CUDA 2.1
Laptop size large
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