Radeon HD 4850 vs Radeon HD 7970M

When comparing Radeon HD 4850 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 Radeon HD 4850 and Radeon HD 7970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 7970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7970M 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 here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 4850 Radeon HD 7970M
Power consumption (TDP) 110 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin None
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 512 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 4850 has 10% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 7970M.
  • Radeon HD 4850 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 7970M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • Radeon HD 4850 has 510 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7970M.
  • Radeon HD 4850 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 7970M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 4850 is build with Terascale 1 architecture, and Radeon HD 7970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 7970M is 225 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 4850.
  • Radeon HD 4850 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7970M is 3807 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 4850.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 18−20
ultra / 1080p 0−1 10−12
QHD / 1440p 0−1 5−6
4K / 2160p 4−5
low / 720p 12−14 35−40
medium / 1080p 3−4 21−24
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 333% more, than Radeon HD 4850.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 4850 Radeon HD 7970M
Architecture Terascale 1 GCN
Code name RV770 Wimbledon XT
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 25 June 2008 1 May 2012
Pipelines 800 1280
Core clock speed 625 MHz 850 MHz
Transistor count 956 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 25.00 68.00
Floating-point performance 1,000.0 gflops 2,176 gflops
Length 246 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 993 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 63.55 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 10.1 (10_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 4.1 5.1
OpenGL 3.3 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 254 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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