Radeon 540 vs Radeon HD 7870M
In this comparison between Radeon 540 and Radeon HD 7870M 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 Radeon 540 will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 7870M will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon 540
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
| Radeon 540 | Radeon HD 7870M | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 50 Watt | 45 Watt |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | No outputs |
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- Radeon 540 has 11% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 7870M.
- Radeon 540 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x8, and Radeon HD 7870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- Radeon 540 and Radeon HD 7870M have maximum RAM of 2 GB.
- Radeon 540 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 7870M - in Laptops.
- Radeon 540 is build with GCN 4.0 architecture, and Radeon HD 7870M - with GCN.
- Core clock speed of Radeon 540 is 300 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7870M.
- Radeon 540 is manufactured by 14 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7870M - by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon 540 is 3000 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7870M.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 6−7 | 6−7 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 4−5 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| low / 720p | 14−16 | 16−18 |
| medium / 1080p | 7−8 | 8−9 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 12% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | 9−10 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| low / 720p | 21−24 | 24−27 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Battlefield 5 is 15% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Radeon 540 and Radeon HD 7870M have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 130−140 |
| medium / 768p | 100−110 | 110−120 |
| ultra / 1080p | 50−55 | 50−55 |
| QHD / 1440p | 27−30 | 30−33 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 27−30 |
| high / 768p | 75−80 | 80−85 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 7% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 55−60 | 55−60 |
| ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 18−20 |
| medium / 1080p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Cyberpunk 2077 is 2% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 75−80 | 80−85 |
| medium / 768p | 55−60 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 30−35 | 30−35 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Dota 2 is 7% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 7−8 | 8−9 |
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 8−9 |
| 4K / 2160p | 3−4 | 3−4 |
| low / 720p | 16−18 | 18−20 |
| medium / 1080p | 8−9 | 9−10 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Far Cry 5 is 12% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 14−16 | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−11 | 10−11 |
| low / 720p | 55−60 | 60−65 |
| medium / 1080p | 20−22 | 21−24 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Fortnite is 3% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−11 | 10−12 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 1−2 |
| low / 720p | 24−27 | 24−27 |
| medium / 1080p | 12−14 | 14−16 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Forza Horizon 4 is 6% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 50−55 | 50−55 |
| medium / 768p | 40−45 | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 6−7 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Grand Theft Auto V is 3% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 4−5 | 5−6 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 3−4 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| low / 720p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| medium / 1080p | 6−7 | 6−7 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Metro Exodus is 16% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 90−95 | 95−100 |
| high / 1080p | 85−90 | 90−95 |
| ultra / 1080p | 75−80 | 80−85 |
| medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 90−95 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Minecraft is 4% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 16−18 | 16−18 |
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 30−33 | 30−35 |
| medium / 1080p | 16−18 | 18−20 |
| Radeon 540 and Radeon HD 7870M have the same average FPS in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS. | ||
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 7−8 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| low / 720p | 10−12 | 12−14 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−11 | 10−12 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 11% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 21−24 | 24−27 |
| medium / 768p | 14−16 | 16−18 |
| high / 1080p | 8−9 | 9−10 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 6−7 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 6−7 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 7% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 85−90 | 85−90 |
| medium / 768p | 40−45 | 45−50 |
| ultra / 1080p | 18−20 | 20−22 |
| high / 768p | 35−40 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870M in World of Tanks is 4% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
Full Specs
| Radeon 540 | Radeon HD 7870M | |
| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN |
| Code name | Lexa | Heathrow XT |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 26 March 2019 | 24 April 2012 |
| Pipelines | 512 | 640 |
| Core clock speed | 1100 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | |
| Transistor count | 2,200 million | 1,500 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 35.97 | 32.00 |
| Floating-point performance | 1,024 gflops | |
| Length | 145 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 64 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 7000 MHz | 4000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 56 GB/s | 64 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
| Laptop size | large | |
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