GeForce GTX 660M 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 660M 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 660M 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 660M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 150W, a 100W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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 4.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Radeon HD 4870

2008

Why buy it

✅27.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌200% higher power demand at 150W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 27.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 660M instead at 1,452 vs 1,386, 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 660M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4870 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 660M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 660M vs Radeon HD 4870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 660M

The GeForce GTX 660M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 835 MHz to 950 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,452 points.

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 660M scores 1,452 and the Radeon HD 4870 reaches 1,386 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 660M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 4870 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GTX 660M) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4870). Raw compute: 0.7296 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 660M) vs 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 660M	Radeon HD 4870
G3D Mark Score	1,452+5%	1,386
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384	800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7296 TFLOPS	1.2 TFLOPS+64%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	32 KB	160 KB+400%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 660M 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 660M	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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 660M and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660M	Radeon HD 4870
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 660M) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 4870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 660M	Radeon HD 4870
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	—
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 660M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 4870's 150W — a 100% difference. The GeForce GTX 660M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 660M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 4870). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660M	Radeon HD 4870
TDP	50W-67%	150W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	60°C	—
Perf/Watt	29.0+215%	9.2

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 660M (2012 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTX 660M	Radeon HD 4870
MSRP	—	$299
Codename	GK107	RV770
Release	March 22 2012	June 25 2008
Ranking	#774	#784

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