GeForce GTX 480M vs Radeon HD 8870M

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GTX 480M is positioned at rank 199 and the Radeon HD 8870M is on rank 241, so the GeForce GTX 480M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 480M

#189

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

394%

#191

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

357%

#192

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

356%

#196

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

324%

#197

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

322%

#199

GeForce GTX 480M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#203

GeForce GT 730M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $45

98%

#206

Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

95%

#208

Radeon RX Vega M GL

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

95%

#212

GeForce GTX 780M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $60

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 8870M

#54

Radeon RX 6800S

MSRP: $800|Avg: $800

97%

#231

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

530%

#233

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

481%

#234

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

479%

#238

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

436%

#239

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

433%

#241

Radeon HD 8870M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#242

GeForce GT 645

MSRP: $99|Avg: $15

99%

#252

GeForce 720A

MSRP: $30|Avg: $30

94%

#253

GeForce GT 520M

MSRP: $60|Avg: N/A

92%

#254

Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 3 3200GE

MSRP: $99|Avg: $60

92%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The GeForce GTX 480M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.9% higher G3D Mark score. This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon HD 8870M.

Insight	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+0.9%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.9%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2010 / Fermi (2010−2014))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+0%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	—	—

💎 Value Proposition

While current pricing data is unavailable, the GeForce GTX 480M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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 480M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 8870M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 480M and Radeon HD 8870M

GeForce GTX 480M

The GeForce GTX 480M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 25 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 425 MHz. It has 352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,653 points.

Radeon HD 8870M

The Radeon HD 8870M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,638 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 480M scores 1,653 and the Radeon HD 8870M reaches 1,638 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 480M is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 352 (GeForce GTX 480M) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8870M). Raw compute: 0.5984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 480M) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8870M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
G3D Mark Score	1,653	1,638
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	352	640+82%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5984 TFLOPS	0.992 TFLOPS+66%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	44+10%	40
L1 Cache	704 KB+340%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
Upscaling Tech	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	FSR 3 (Compatible)	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 2 GB of video memory. Bus width: 128-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 480M) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8870M) — the GeForce GTX 480M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 480M) vs 11.1 (Radeon HD 8870M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
DirectX	12 (11_0)+8%	11.1
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.0	4.6+15%
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 480M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 8870M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 480M) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 8870M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 480M	Radeon HD 8870M
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 480M draws 100W versus the Radeon HD 8870M's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 8870M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 480M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8870M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 85.