GeForce GTX 590
Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
GeForce GTX 590 vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 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 590 vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
GeForce GTX 590 vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 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 590
2011Why buy it
- ✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 15.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.8 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌2011 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌204.2% higher power demand at 365W vs 120W.
Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
2010Why buy it
- ✅Draws 120W instead of 365W, a 245W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌14.4% HIGHER MSRP$800 MSRPvs$699 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 4.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
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GeForce GTX 590 vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 590
The GeForce GTX 590 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 24 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 1024 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 365W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,341 points. Launch price was $699.
Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,311 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 590 scores 3,341 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 590 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 590) vs 1,600 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 3,341 | 3,311 |
| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | Terascale 2 |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 1024 ×2 | 1600+56% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 590 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 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)
The GeForce GTX 590 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 590 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 590 and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 3 GB+50% | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+100% | 128-bit |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 590) vs 11.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_0)+9% | 11.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP5) vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 590) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | — | UVD 2.3 |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD (VP5) | UVD 2.3 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 590 draws 365W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire's 120W — a 101% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 700W (GeForce GTX 590) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 365W | 120W-67% |
| Recommended PSU | 700W | 350W-50% |
| Power Connector | 2x 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Slots | 2 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 90°C-5% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 9.2 | 27.6+200% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 590 came in at $699, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 590 was 12.6% cheaper ($101 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.8 (GeForce GTX 590) vs 4.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire) — the GeForce GTX 590 offers 17.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 590 (2011 vs 2010).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 590 | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $699-13% | $800 |
| Performance per Dollar | 4.8+17% | 4.1 |
| Codename | GF110 | Broadway-XT |
| Release | March 24 2011 | January 7 2010 |
| Ranking | #555 | #688 |
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