FirePro 3D V5700 vs Radeon HD 3870

FirePro 3D V5700

2014Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 3870

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro 3D V5700 vs Radeon HD 3870 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro 3D V5700 vs Radeon HD 3870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro 3D V5700

2014

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 173.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $599 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.9 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
  • 37% higher power demand at 274W vs 200W.

Radeon HD 3870

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $380 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 176% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0.9 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 200W instead of 274W, a 74W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 3870 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (552 vs 547), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro 3D V5700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 3870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $380 cheaper on MSRP at $219 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 176% (2.5 vs 0.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro 3D V5700 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro 3D V5700 vs Radeon HD 3870 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro 3D V5700

The FirePro 3D V5700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 18 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 274W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 547 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 3870

The Radeon HD 3870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 552 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro 3D V5700 scores 547 and the Radeon HD 3870 reaches 552 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro 3D V5700 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 3870 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (FirePro 3D V5700) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870). Raw compute: 3.482 TFLOPS (FirePro 3D V5700) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870).

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
G3D Mark Score
547
552
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2048+60%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.482 TFLOPS+36%
2.56 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+60%
80
L1 Cache
512 KB+60%
320 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro 3D V5700 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3870 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 3870 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro 3D V5700 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3870. L2 Cache: 768 KB (FirePro 3D V5700) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3870) — the FirePro 3D V5700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (FirePro 3D V5700) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 3870).

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
Encoder
UVD 2
Decoder
UVD 2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro 3D V5700 draws 274W versus the Radeon HD 3870's 200W — a 31.2% difference. The Radeon HD 3870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro 3D V5700) vs 300W (Radeon HD 3870). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
TDP
274W
200W-27%
Recommended PSU
350W
300W-14%
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
170mm
Height
112mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
2.0
2.8+40%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro 3D V5700 came in at $599, while the Radeon HD 3870 launched at $219. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3870 was 63.4% cheaper ($380 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.9 (FirePro 3D V5700) vs 2.5 (Radeon HD 3870) — the Radeon HD 3870 offers 177.8% better value. The newer card here is FirePro 3D V5700 (2014 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro 3D V5700Radeon HD 3870
MSRP
$599
$219-63%
Performance per Dollar
0.9
2.5+178%
Codename
Tahiti
Pitcairn
Release
January 18 2014
March 5 2012
Ranking
#423
#460

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