Radeon HD 8970M vs Radeon RX 540
In this comparison between Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 540 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 HD 8970M will be the best choice, for others Radeon RX 540 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 540 are Laptop Graphics Cards
Note: Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 540 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 Radeon HD 8970M or Radeon RX 540 here:
Main Specs
Radeon HD 8970M
Radeon RX 540
Power consumption (TDP)
100 Watt
65 Watt
Interface
PCIe 3.0 x16
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
1x 6-pin
Memory type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
4 GB
4 GB
Display Connectors
No outputs
Check Price
Check Price
Radeon HD 8970M has 53% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 540.
Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon RX 540 have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
Both cards are used in Laptops.
Radeon HD 8970M is build with GCN architecture, and Radeon RX 540 - with Polaris.
Radeon HD 8970M is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 540 is 1200 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
Game benchmarks
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Dota 2
Far Cry 5
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Metro Exodus
Minecraft
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
World of Tanks
high / 1080p
20−22
14−16
ultra / 1080p
12−14
8−9
QHD / 1440p
6−7
3−4
4K / 2160p
5−6
−
low / 720p
35−40
30−33
medium / 1080p
24−27
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 33% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
30−35
21−24
ultra / 1080p
27−30
20−22
QHD / 1440p
10−12
6−7
4K / 2160p
7−8
5−6
low / 720p
65−70
45−50
medium / 1080p
35−40
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Battlefield 5 is 42% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
50−55
45−50
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
230−240
200−210
medium / 768p
200−210
170−180
ultra / 1080p
110−120
90−95
QHD / 1440p
85−90
50−55
4K / 2160p
45−50
30−33
high / 768p
160−170
130−140
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 23% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
60−65
55−60
ultra / 1080p
50−55
35−40
medium / 1080p
55−60
45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Cyberpunk 2077 is 21% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
120−130
100−110
medium / 768p
100−110
90−95
ultra / 1080p
75−80
60−65
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Dota 2 is 18% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
24−27
16−18
ultra / 1080p
21−24
14−16
QHD / 1440p
18−20
−
4K / 2160p
7−8
6−7
low / 720p
50−55
35−40
medium / 1080p
24−27
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Far Cry 5 is 36% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
30−35
24−27
ultra / 1080p
24−27
18−20
QHD / 1440p
14−16
16−18
low / 720p
120−130
95−100
medium / 1080p
70−75
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Fortnite is 28% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
30−35
24−27
ultra / 1080p
24−27
18−20
QHD / 1440p
12−14
8−9
4K / 2160p
12−14
−
low / 720p
65−70
50−55
medium / 1080p
35−40
27−30
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Forza Horizon 4 is 34% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
100−110
80−85
medium / 768p
90−95
70−75
high / 1080p
40−45
27−30
ultra / 1080p
16−18
12−14
QHD / 1440p
6−7
2−3
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Grand Theft Auto V is 33% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
12−14
9−10
ultra / 1080p
10−11
7−8
4K / 2160p
2−3
2−3
low / 720p
35−40
27−30
medium / 1080p
16−18
12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Metro Exodus is 33% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
120−130
110−120
ultra / 1080p
−
100−110
medium / 1080p
110−120
100−110
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Minecraft is 9% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
−
21−24
ultra / 1080p
14−16
16−18
low / 720p
70−75
55−60
medium / 1080p
18−20
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 6% more, than Radeon RX 540.
high / 1080p
14−16
14−16
ultra / 1080p
10−11
9−10
QHD / 1440p
1−2
0−1
4K / 2160p
1−2
−
low / 720p
35−40
27−30
medium / 1080p
20−22
16−18
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 23% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
70−75
50−55
medium / 768p
45−50
30−35
high / 1080p
24−27
18−20
ultra / 1080p
14−16
10−11
4K / 2160p
8−9
8−9
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 37% more, than Radeon RX 540.
low / 768p
90−95
100−105
medium / 768p
60−65
60−65
ultra / 1080p
40−45
30−35
high / 768p
55−60
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in World of Tanks is 1% more, than Radeon RX 540.
Full Specs
Radeon HD 8970M
Radeon RX 540
Architecture
GCN
Polaris
Code name
Neptune
Polaris 12
Type
Laptop
Laptop
Release date
15 May 2013
21 March 2017
Pipelines
1280
512
Core clock speed
850 MHz
Boost Clock
900 MHz
1219 MHz
Transistor count
2,800 million
1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology
28 nm
14 nm
Texture fill rate
72.00
39.01
Floating-point performance
2,304 gflops
1,248 gflops
Memory bus width
256 Bit
128 Bit
Memory clock speed
4800 MHz
6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth
153.6 GB/s
96 GB/s
Shared memory
-
-
DirectX
12 (11_1)
12.0
Shader Model
5.1
5.0
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
OpenCL
1.2
1.2
Vulkan
1.2.131
FreeSync
+
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
273 Mh/s
Laptop size
large
large
Check Price
Check Price