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FirePro S7000 vs Radeon HD 7870

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro S7000

2012Core: 950 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7870

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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Buy on Amazon

FirePro S7000 vs Radeon HD 7870 Performance Spectrum

FirePro S7000
4 GB 150
4,524
0.0%
brand logoRadeon RX 550X
brand logoRadeon HD 6990
brand logoRadeon RX 550 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon RX Vega M GL / 870
brand logoRadeon RX 580
brand logoRadeon RX 6600S
brand logoRadeon RX 7600 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800
Radeon HD 7870
2 GB 200
4,568
+1.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6850 X2
brand logoRadeon R9 260
brand logoRadeon RX 550 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon HD 7800-serie
brand logoRadeon RX 580
brand logoRadeon RX 6600S
brand logoRadeon RX 7600 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800

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 S7000 vs Radeon HD 7870: 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 S7000

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
  • ✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    257.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,249 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.6 vs 13.1 G3D/$ ($1,249 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • ❌21.2% longer card at 292mm vs 241mm.

Radeon HD 7870

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $900 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $1,249 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 261.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.1 vs 3.6 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $1,249 MSRP).
  • ✅Measures 241mm instead of 292mm, a 51mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7870 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1% in PassMark G3D (4,568 vs 4,524), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro S7000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $900 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $1,249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 261.4% (13.1 vs 3.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro S7000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro S7000 vs Radeon HD 7870 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro S7000

The FirePro S7000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 27 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 950 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,524 points. Launch price was $1,249.

AMD

Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon HD 7870 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: 4,568 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro S7000 scores 4,524 and the Radeon HD 7870 reaches 4,568 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro S7000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 7870 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro S7000) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7870). Raw compute: 2.432 TFLOPS (FirePro S7000) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
G3D Mark Score
4,524
4,568
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.432 TFLOPS
2.56 TFLOPS+5%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
80
80
L1 Cache
320 KB
320 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
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 S7000 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7870 carries 2 GB. FirePro S7000 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 S7000 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870.

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (FirePro S7000) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
DirectX
12 (11_1)
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6
6
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro S7000) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro S7000) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
Encoder
VCE 1.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 4.0
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro S7000 draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 7870's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The FirePro S7000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro S7000) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 292mm vs 241mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 80°C.

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
TDP
150W-25%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
292mm
241mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
85
80°C-6%
Perf/Watt
30.2+32%
22.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro S7000 came in at $1249, while the Radeon HD 7870 launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7870 was 72.1% cheaper ($900 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.6 (FirePro S7000) vs 13.1 (Radeon HD 7870) — the Radeon HD 7870 offers 263.9% better value.

FeatureFirePro S7000Radeon HD 7870
MSRP
$1249
$349-72%
Performance per Dollar
3.6
13.1+264%
Codename
Pitcairn
Pitcairn
Release
August 27 2012
March 5 2012
Ranking
#462
#460
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