GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon R5E

NVIDIA

GeForce 9700M GTS

2008Core: 500 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R5E

2013Core: 800 MHz

GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon R5E 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.

GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon R5E 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 9700M GTS vs Radeon R5E: 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 9700M GTS

2008

Why buy it

  • 38.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 900% higher power demand at 150W vs 15W.

Radeon R5E

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 15W instead of 150W, a 135W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 9700M GTS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB 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?
GeForce 9700M GTS is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 38.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5E instead at 315 vs 312, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9700M GTS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5E 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 R5E is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9700M GTS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon R5E Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9700M GTS

The GeForce 9700M GTS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 15 2008. It features the G9x architecture. The core clock speed is 500 MHz. It has 224 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 312 points.

AMD

Radeon R5E

The Radeon R5E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 20 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 315 points. Launch price was $109.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9700M GTS scores 312 and the Radeon R5E reaches 315 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9700M GTS is built on G9x while the Radeon R5E uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 512 (Radeon R5E).

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
G3D Mark Score
312
315
Architecture
G9x
GCN 1.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
224
512+129%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9700M GTS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5E leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce 9700M GTS and 64-bit on the Radeon R5E.

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R5E). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.2. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
12 (12_0)+8%
Vulkan
N/A
1.2
OpenGL
3.3
4.6+39%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R5E). Decoder: VP2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs H.264,MPEG-4 (Radeon R5E).

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
Encoder
None
VCE 2.0
Decoder
VP2
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9700M GTS draws 150W versus the Radeon R5E's 15W — a 163.6% difference. The Radeon R5E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 0W (Radeon R5E). Power connectors: Legacy vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 90 vs 75.

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
TDP
150W
15W-90%
Recommended PSU
350W
0W-100%
Power Connector
Legacy
None
Length
0mm
0mm
Height
0mm
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
90
75-17%
Perf/Watt
2.1
21.0+900%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9700M GTS came in at $0, while the Radeon R5E launched at $0. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs Infinity (Radeon R5E) — the Radeon R5E offers NaN% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5E (2013 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 9700M GTSRadeon R5E
MSRP
$0
$0
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
Infinity
Codename
NB9E-GTX
Cape Verde
Release
July 15 2008
December 20 2013
Ranking
#825
#738

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