GeForce GTX 275 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 GTX 275 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 GTX 275 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 GTX 275

2009

Why buy it

✅39.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 16.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.4 vs 4.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 896 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2009 hardware with 896 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌46% higher power demand at 219W vs 150W.

Radeon HD 4870

2008

Why buy it

✅128.6% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 896 MB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 219W, a 69W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 275 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.6 vs 5.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 275 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 39.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4870 instead at 1,386 vs 1,349, 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 275 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2009 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 275 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 16.9% (5.4 vs 4.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 275 vs Radeon HD 4870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 275

The GeForce GTX 275 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 15 2009. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 633 MHz. It has 240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 219W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,349 points. Launch price was $249.

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 GTX 275 scores 1,349 and the Radeon HD 4870 reaches 1,386 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 275 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 4870 uses TeraScale, both on a 55 nm process. Shader units: 240 (GeForce GTX 275) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4870). Raw compute: 0.6739 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 275) vs 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 275	Radeon HD 4870
G3D Mark Score	1,349	1,386+3%
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	TeraScale
Process Node	55 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	240	800+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6739 TFLOPS	1.2 TFLOPS+78%
ROPs	28+75%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L2 Cache	224 KB	256 KB+14%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 275 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 GTX 275	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 GTX 275 has 896 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4870 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 4870 gives you 128.6% 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 GTX 275 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870. L2 Cache: 224 KB (GeForce GTX 275) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 4870) — the Radeon HD 4870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 275	Radeon HD 4870
VRAM Capacity	0.875 GB	2 GB+129%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	224 KB	256 KB+14%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GTX 275) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 275	Radeon HD 4870
Encoder	No	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	—
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264	H.264

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 275 draws 219W versus the Radeon HD 4870's 150W — a 37.4% difference. The Radeon HD 4870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 275) vs 500W (Radeon HD 4870). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 275	Radeon HD 4870
TDP	219W	150W-32%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	267mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	6.2	9.2+48%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 275 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 4870 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 275 was 16.7% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.4 (GeForce GTX 275) vs 4.6 (Radeon HD 4870) — the GeForce GTX 275 offers 17.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 275 (2009 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTX 275	Radeon HD 4870
MSRP	$249-17%	$299
Performance per Dollar	5.4+17%	4.6
Codename	GT200B	RV770
Release	January 15 2009	June 25 2008
Ranking	#789	#784

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