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FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro M5950

2011Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 4870 X2

2008Core: 700 MHz
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Buy on Amazon

FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2 Performance Spectrum

FirePro M5950
1 GB 35
1,314
+0.4%
brand logoRadeon HD 7550M/7650M
brand logoRadeon R7 G
brand logoRadeon R9 A375
brand logoRadeon HD 5750
brand logoRadeon RX 5500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 6700S
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
Radeon HD 4870 X2
1 GB 286
1,309
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 7550M/7650M
brand logoRadeon R7 G
brand logoRadeon HD 6700M
brand logoRadeon HD 7730
brand logoRadeon RX 5500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 6700S
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT

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 M5950 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2: 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 M5950

2011

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $350 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 176.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.6 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 35W instead of 286W, a 251W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 4870 X2

2008

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • ❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    175% HIGHER MSRP
    $550 MSRPvs$200 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • ❌717.1% higher power demand at 286W vs 35W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
FirePro M5950 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (1,314 vs 1,309), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro M5950 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2011 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
FirePro M5950 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $350 cheaper on MSRP at $200 vs $550, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 176.1% (6.6 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro M5950 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro M5950

The FirePro M5950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,314 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 4870 X2

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 12 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 286W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,309 points. Launch price was $550.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro M5950 scores 1,314 and the Radeon HD 4870 X2 reaches 1,309 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M5950 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 4870 X2 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 480 (FirePro M5950) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4870 X2). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (FirePro M5950) vs 1.12 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 4870 X2).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
G3D Mark Score
1,314
1,309
Architecture
TeraScale 2
TeraScale
Process Node
40 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
480
800 ×2+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
1.12 TFLOPS ×2+61%
ROPs
8
16 ×2+100%
TMUs
24
40 ×2+67%
L1 Cache
48 KB
160 KB+233%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
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)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro M5950 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870 X2.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro M5950) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4870 X2). OpenGL: 4.1 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 2.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
DirectX
11.2+11%
10.1
OpenGL
4.1+24%
3.3
Max Displays
5+150%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M5950) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX (Radeon HD 4870 X2).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
Encoder
None
—
Decoder
UVD 3
UVD 2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M5950 draws 35W versus the Radeon HD 4870 X2's 286W — a 156.4% difference. The FirePro M5950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M5950) vs 650W (Radeon HD 4870 X2). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90°C.

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
TDP
35W-88%
286W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Length
0mm
267mm
Height
0mm
—
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-17%
90°C
Perf/Watt
37.5+715%
4.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M5950 came in at $200, while the Radeon HD 4870 X2 launched at $550. On MSRP, FirePro M5950 was 63.6% cheaper ($350 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.6 (FirePro M5950) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4870 X2) — the FirePro M5950 offers 175% better value. The newer card here is FirePro M5950 (2011 vs 2008).

FeatureFirePro M5950Radeon HD 4870 X2
MSRP
$200-64%
$550
Performance per Dollar
6.6+175%
2.4
Codename
Whistler
R700
Release
January 4 2011
August 12 2008
Ranking
#795
#796
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