GeForce 945M vs Radeon HD 5870

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.

GeForce 945M vs Radeon HD 5870 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 945M vs Radeon HD 5870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 945M

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 188W, a 113W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5870

2009

Why buy it

✅46.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌150.7% higher power demand at 188W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 46.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.4% in PassMark G3D (2,180 vs 2,109), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce 945M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5870 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 945M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 945M vs Radeon HD 5870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 945M

The GeForce 945M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,109 points.

Radeon HD 5870

The Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 23 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 188W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,180 points. Launch price was $399.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce 945M scores 2,109 and the Radeon HD 5870 reaches 2,180 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 945M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 5870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 945M) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 945M) vs 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
G3D Mark Score	2,109	2,180+3%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	640	1600+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS	2.72 TFLOPS+108%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	80+100%
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 945M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 945M has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5870 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5870 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 945M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 945M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5870) — the GeForce 945M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	2 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	80 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 945M) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
DirectX	12 (11_0)+7%	11.2
Max Displays	2	3+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 945M) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP6) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,MPEG-2 (GeForce 945M) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	UVD 2.2
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP6)	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 945M draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 5870's 188W — a 85.9% difference. The GeForce 945M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 945M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5870). Power connectors: Legacy vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 280mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
TDP	75W-60%	188W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	Legacy	2x 6-pin
Length	0mm	280mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	28.1+142%	11.6

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce 945M (2015 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon HD 5870
MSRP	—	$399
Codename	GM107	Cypress
Release	October 27 2015	September 23 2009
Ranking	#671	#663

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