Iris Graphics 5100 vs Radeon HD 7970M

When comparing Iris Graphics 5100 and Radeon HD 7970M, 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 Iris Graphics 5100 and Radeon HD 7970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Iris Graphics 5100 and Radeon HD 7970M are Laptop Graphics Cards

Note: Iris Graphics 5100 and Radeon HD 7970M are only used in laptop graphics. They have 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 Iris Graphics 5100 or Radeon HD 7970M here:

Main Specs

  Iris Graphics 5100 Radeon HD 7970M
Power consumption (TDP) 30 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 1.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type System Shared GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 7970M has 233% more power consumption, than Iris Graphics 5100.
  • Iris Graphics 5100 is connected by PCIe 1.0 x16, and Radeon HD 7970M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • Both cards are used in Laptops.
  • Iris Graphics 5100 is build with Gen. 7.5 Haswell architecture, and Radeon HD 7970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7970M is 650 MHz higher, than Iris Graphics 5100.
  • Iris Graphics 5100 is manufactured by 22 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7970M - by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 3−4 18−20
ultra / 1080p 1−2 10−12
QHD / 1440p 0−1 5−6
4K / 2160p 4−5
low / 720p 14−16 35−40
medium / 1080p 5−6 21−24
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 266% more, than Iris Graphics 5100.

Full Specs

  Iris Graphics 5100 Radeon HD 7970M
Architecture Gen. 7.5 Haswell GCN
Code name Haswell GT3 Wimbledon XT
Type Laptop Laptop
Release date 5 June 2013 1 May 2012
Pipelines 40 1280
Core clock speed 200 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 1200 MHz
Transistor count 1,300 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 22 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 48.00 68.00
Floating-point performance 2,176 gflops
Memory bus width 64/128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory + -
DirectX 12 (11_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.3 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.80 1.2.131
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 254 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Quick Sync +
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