Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon RX 540

When comparing Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon RX 540, 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 7870 XT and Radeon RX 540 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.
Radeon HD 7870 XT

Radeon RX 540 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon RX 540 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 RX 540 here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 7870 XT Radeon RX 540
Power consumption (TDP) 185 Watt 65 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 7870 XT has 184% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 540.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon RX 540 has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870 XT.
  • Radeon HD 7870 XT is used in Desktops, and Radeon RX 540 - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 7870 XT is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon RX 540 - with Polaris.
  • Radeon HD 7870 XT is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7870 XT and Radeon RX 540 is 6000 MHz.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 14−16
ultra / 1080p 21−24 8−9
QHD / 1440p 16−18 3−4
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 30−33
medium / 1080p 40−45 18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7870 XT in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 140% more, than Radeon RX 540.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 7870 XT Radeon RX 540
Architecture GCN 1.0 Polaris
Code name Tahiti Polaris 12
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 19 November 2012 21 March 2017
Pipelines 1536 512
Core clock speed 925 MHz
Boost Clock 975 MHz 1219 MHz
Transistor count 4,313 million 1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 93.60 39.01
Floating-point performance 2,995 gflops 1,248 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 6000 MHz 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 192.0 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) 346 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 14.5 Mh/s
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