Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon Sky 500

When comparing Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon Sky 500, 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 5870 and Radeon Sky 500 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 5870 Radeon Sky 500
Power consumption (TDP) 188 Watt 150 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort 1x DisplayPort
  Check Price
  • Radeon HD 5870 has 25% more power consumption, than Radeon Sky 500.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon Sky 500 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon Sky 500 has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 5870.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon Sky 500 - with GCN 1.0.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon Sky 500 is 100 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 5870.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon Sky 500 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Radeon HD 5870 is 40 mm longer, than Radeon Sky 500.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon Sky 500 is 4800 MHz.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 10−12 35−40
ultra / 1080p 6−7 21−24
QHD / 1440p 1−2 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 24−27 60−65
medium / 1080p 14−16 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon Sky 500 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 227% more, than Radeon HD 5870.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 5870 Radeon Sky 500
Architecture TeraScale 2 GCN 1.0
Code name Cypress Pitcairn
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 23 September 2009 27 March 2013
Pipelines 1600 1280
Core clock speed 850 MHz 950 MHz
Transistor count 2,154 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 68.00 76.00
Floating-point performance 2,720.0 gflops 2,432 gflops
Length 282 mm 242 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 4800 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s 154 GB/s
DirectX 11.2 (11_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.0 5.1
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
Bus support PCIe 3.0
Form factor full height / full length
DisplayPort count 1
Dual-link DVI support +
  Check Price