GeForce GTX 670 vs Radeon HD 8990

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 670

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 157.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.4 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 170W instead of 375W, a 205W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
150.4% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.2 vs 13.4 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌120.6% higher power demand at 375W vs 170W.

GeForce GTX 670

2012

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 157.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.4 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 170W instead of 375W, a 205W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
150.4% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.2 vs 13.4 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌120.6% higher power demand at 375W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 670 better than Radeon HD 8990?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,361 vs 5,214 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 670 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (170W vs 375W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 670 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 670 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $399 MSRP. GeForce GTX 670 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 670 is about $600 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and you are getting 2.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 8990 is the newer 2013 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon HD 8990 make more sense than GeForce GTX 670?

Yes. Radeon HD 8990 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture and staying closer to $999 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 670. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 670 currently gives you 2.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 157.4%.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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 670 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 8990 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	100 FPS	100 FPS
medium	86 FPS	82 FPS
high	68 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	83 FPS
medium	77 FPS	70 FPS
high	53 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	27 FPS
medium	26 FPS	26 FPS
high	17 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 670 Open Radeon HD 8990

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	123 FPS	143 FPS
medium	88 FPS	118 FPS
high	65 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	88 FPS
medium	45 FPS	66 FPS
high	32 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	37 FPS
medium	17 FPS	28 FPS
high	13 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	16 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 670 Open Radeon HD 8990

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	241 FPS	235 FPS
medium	193 FPS	188 FPS
high	161 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	117 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	176 FPS
medium	145 FPS	141 FPS
high	121 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	88 FPS
4K
low	121 FPS	117 FPS
medium	96 FPS	94 FPS
high	80 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	59 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 670 Open Radeon HD 8990

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	181 FPS	179 FPS
medium	136 FPS	145 FPS
high	122 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	127 FPS
medium	106 FPS	105 FPS
high	95 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	75 FPS
medium	59 FPS	58 FPS
high	48 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 670 Open Radeon HD 8990

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 670 and Radeon HD 8990

GeForce GTX 670

The GeForce GTX 670 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 10 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 980 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,361 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon HD 8990

The Radeon HD 8990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,214 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 670 scores 5,361 and the Radeon HD 8990 reaches 5,214 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 670 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 8990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce GTX 670) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 8990). Raw compute: 2.634 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 670) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 8990). Boost clocks: 980 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
G3D Mark Score	5,361+3%	5,214
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1344	2048 ×2+52%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.634 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+56%
Boost Clock	980 MHz	1000 MHz+2%
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	112	128 ×2+14%
L1 Cache	112 KB	512 KB+357%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 670 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 8990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
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 670 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8990 has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 670 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 670) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 8990) — a 1401% advantage for the Radeon HD 8990. Bus width: 256-bit vs 384-bit x2. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 670) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 8990) — the Radeon HD 8990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+50%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit x2+50%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 670 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 8990's 375W — a 75.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 670 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 670) vs 750W (Radeon HD 8990). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 8990
TDP	170W-55%	375W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	241mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	82 C	—
Perf/Watt	31.5+127%	13.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 670 launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 8990 launched at $999. The GeForce GTX 670 costs 60.1% less ($600 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.4 (GeForce GTX 670) vs 5.2 (Radeon HD 8990) — the GeForce GTX 670 offers 157.7% better value. The Radeon HD 8990 is the newer GPU (2013 vs 2012).