Quadro 500M vs Radeon HD 8970M

When comparing Quadro 500M and Radeon HD 8970M, 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 8970M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8970M 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 8970M here:

Main Specs

  Quadro 500M Radeon HD 8970M
Power consumption (TDP) 35 Watt 100 Watt
Interface MXM-A (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Memory type DDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 8970M has 185% more power consumption, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is connected by MXM-A (3.0), and Radeon HD 8970M uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 8970M has 3 GB more memory, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
  • Quadro 500M is build with Fermi architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 150 MHz higher, than Quadro 500M.
  • Quadro 500M is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 3000 MHz higher, than Quadro 500M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 20−22
ultra / 1080p 12−14
QHD / 1440p 0−1 6−7
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 1−2 35−40
medium / 1080p 0−1 24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 3600% more, than Quadro 500M.

Full Specs

  Quadro 500M Radeon HD 8970M
Architecture Fermi GCN
Code name GF108 Neptune
Type Workstation Laptop
Release date 22 February 2011 15 May 2013
Pipelines 96 1280
Core clock speed 700 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 585 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 11.20 72.00
Floating-point performance 268.8 gflops 2,304 gflops
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1800 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 28.8 GB/s 153.6 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
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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