Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5500 XT

When comparing Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire and Radeon RX 5500 XT, 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 Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire and Radeon RX 5500 XT is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire 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 7970M Crossfire here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire Radeon RX 5500 XT
Power consumption (TDP) 200 Watt 130 Watt
Interface PCIe 4.0 x8
Supplementary power connectors 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB
Display Connectors 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire has 53% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 5500 XT.
  • Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is used in Laptops, and Radeon RX 5500 XT - in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is build with GCN architecture, and Radeon RX 5500 XT - with RDNA 1.0.
  • Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 5500 XT - by 7 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 5500 XT is 9200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 45−50
ultra / 1080p 21−24 30−35
QHD / 1440p 16−18 24−27
4K / 2160p 10−11 14−16
low / 720p 60−65 70−75
medium / 1080p 40−45 55−60
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 5500 XT in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 28% more, than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire Radeon RX 5500 XT
Architecture GCN RDNA 1.0
Code name Wimbledon XT Navi 14
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 1 May 2012 12 December 2019
Pipelines 2560 1408
Core clock speed 850 MHz
Boost Clock 1845 MHz
Transistor count 6,400 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 7 nm
Texture fill rate 162.4
Length 180 mm
Memory bus width 2x 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz 14000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 224.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX DirectX 11.1, Shader 5.0 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.5
OpenGL 4.6
OpenCL 2.0
Vulkan 1.2.131
Laptop size large
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