GeForce GTX 1050 vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1050

2016Core: 1290 MHzBoost: 1392 MHz
GTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 1050 vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire 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 GTX 1050 vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire 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 GTX 1050 vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire: 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 GTX 1050

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($110 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 60W instead of 200W, a 140W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

  • 0.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 2 GB 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 45.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $110 MSRP).
  • 233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 60W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 1050 instead at 5,033 vs 5,000, 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 GTX 1050 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1050 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1050 vs Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1050

The GeForce GTX 1050 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 25 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1290 MHz to 1392 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,033 points. Launch price was $109.

AMD

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.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 scores 5,033 and the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire reaches 5,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire uses GCN, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 2,560 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1050Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score
5,033
5,000
Architecture
Pascal
GCN
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
640
2560+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1050Radeon 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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 153.6 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) — a 37.2% advantage for the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 and 256-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1050Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
112 GB/s
153.6 GB/s x2+37%
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit x2+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 draws 60W versus the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire's 200W — a 107.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1050Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
TDP
60W-70%
200W
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Length
145mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
65 C
Perf/Watt
83.9+236%
25.0
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1050 (2016 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1050Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire
MSRP
$110
Codename
GP107
Wimbledon XT
Release
October 25 2016
May 1 2012
Ranking
#443
#395

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