GeForce GTX 555 vs Radeon HD 8870M

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 555

2011Core: 720 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8870M

2013Core: 725 MHzBoost: 775 MHz

GeForce GTX 555 vs Radeon HD 8870M 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 555 vs Radeon HD 8870M 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 555 vs Radeon HD 8870M: 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 555

2011

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8870M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 40% higher power demand at 70W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8870M

2013

Why buy it

  • 13.5% 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).
  • Draws 50W instead of 70W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2013 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 10.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 8870M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (1,638 vs 1,604), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 555 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 555 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 8870M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 555 vs Radeon HD 8870M Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 555

The GeForce GTX 555 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 14 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 144 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,604 points. Launch price was $149.

AMD

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 555 scores 1,604 and the Radeon HD 8870M reaches 1,638 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 555 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Radeon HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 144 (GeForce GTX 555) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8870M). Raw compute: 0.4147 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 555) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8870M).

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
G3D Mark Score
1,604
1,638+2%
Architecture
Fermi 2.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
144
640+344%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.4147 TFLOPS
0.992 TFLOPS+139%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
24
40+67%
L1 Cache
192 KB+20%
160 KB
L2 Cache
384 KB+50%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 555 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8870M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
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)

The GeForce GTX 555 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8870M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8870M 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 GTX 555 and System on the Radeon HD 8870M. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 555) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8870M) — the GeForce GTX 555 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
2 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
L2 Cache
384 KB+50%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 555) vs 11.1 (Radeon HD 8870M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
DirectX
12 (11_0)+8%
11.1
Vulkan
1.2+9%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
2
4+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 555) 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 555) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 8870M).

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon 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 555 draws 70W versus the Radeon HD 8870M's 50W — a 33.3% difference. The Radeon HD 8870M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 555) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8870M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
TDP
70W
50W-29%
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
210mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85
Perf/Watt
22.9
32.8+43%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 8870M (2013 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GTX 555Radeon HD 8870M
MSRP
$150
Codename
GF116
Venus
Release
May 14 2011
April 1 2013
Ranking
#849
#745

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