GeForce GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 4870

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 GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 4870 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 GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 4870: 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 GTS 450

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 123.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.4 vs 4.6 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Draws 106W instead of 150W, a 44W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 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

2008

Why buy it

✅7.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
131.8% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$129 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.6 vs 10.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌41.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 106W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 7.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.7% in PassMark G3D (1,386 vs 1,337), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTS 450 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTS 450 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $129 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 123.6% (10.4 vs 4.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 4870 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 4870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTS 450

The GeForce GTS 450 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,337 points. Launch price was $129.

Radeon HD 4870

The Radeon HD 4870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 25 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,386 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 450 scores 1,337 and the Radeon HD 4870 reaches 1,386 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 450 is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 4870 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 450) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4870). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 450) vs 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
G3D Mark Score	1,337	1,386+4%
Architecture	Fermi	TeraScale
Process Node	40 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	192	800+317%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	1.2 TFLOPS+100%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	256 KB+60%	160 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 450 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
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 GTS 450 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4870 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 4870 gives you 100% 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 GTS 450 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTS 450) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
Codecs	H.264	H.264

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 450 draws 106W versus the Radeon HD 4870's 150W — a 34.4% difference. The GeForce GTS 450 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTS 450) vs 500W (Radeon HD 4870). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
TDP	106W-29%	150W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Perf/Watt	12.6+37%	9.2

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTS 450 came in at $129, while the Radeon HD 4870 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTS 450 was 56.9% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.4 (GeForce GTS 450) vs 4.6 (Radeon HD 4870) — the GeForce GTS 450 offers 126.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTS 450 (2010 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 4870
MSRP	$129-57%	$299
Performance per Dollar	10.4+126%	4.6
Codename	GF106	RV770
Release	September 13 2010	June 25 2008
Ranking	#791	#784

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