GeForce GTX 1050 3GB vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

2018

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2018-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 39.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

2018

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2018-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 39.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1050 3GB better than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,116 vs 5,000 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 200W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 generation instead of 2012, more VRAM at 3 GB instead of 2 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 14nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $129 MSRP. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $129 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $129 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (75W vs 200W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below an unclear MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	43 FPS	98 FPS
medium	28 FPS	81 FPS
high	21 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	30 FPS	84 FPS
medium	19 FPS	69 FPS
high	11 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	8 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	15 FPS	27 FPS
medium	10 FPS	26 FPS
high	6 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	78 FPS	95 FPS
medium	48 FPS	66 FPS
high	36 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	33 FPS	53 FPS
medium	23 FPS	31 FPS
high	15 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	16 FPS
4K
low	10 FPS	18 FPS
medium	7 FPS	11 FPS
high	6 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	230 FPS	225 FPS
medium	184 FPS	180 FPS
high	153 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	112 FPS
1440p
low	173 FPS	169 FPS
medium	138 FPS	135 FPS
high	115 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	115 FPS	112 FPS
medium	92 FPS	90 FPS
high	77 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
1080p
low	230 FPS	159 FPS
medium	175 FPS	130 FPS
high	153 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	173 FPS	116 FPS
medium	136 FPS	96 FPS
high	115 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	66 FPS
medium	71 FPS	52 FPS
high	62 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 3GB Open Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1050 3GB and Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

GeForce GTX 1050 3GB

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1392 MHz to 1518 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,116 points.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,000 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB scores 5,116 and the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire reaches 5,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire uses GCN, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 2,560 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	5,116+2%	5,000
Architecture	Pascal	GCN
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	2560+233%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
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 GTX 1050 3GB comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 84 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 153.6 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) — a 82.9% advantage for the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire. Bus width: 96-bit vs 256-bit x2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 3GB	Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+50%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	84 GB/s	153.6 GB/s x2+83%
Bus Width	96-bit	256-bit x2+167%

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire's 200W — a 90.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 3GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1050 3GB) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.