GeForce GTX 680M
Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
GeForce GTX 680M 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 680M 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 680M 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 680M
2012Why buy it
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
- ✅Draws 100W instead of 120W, a 20W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌2012 hardware with 4 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 4.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
2010Why buy it
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 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.
- ❌20% higher power demand at 120W vs 100W.
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GeForce GTX 680M vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 680M
The GeForce GTX 680M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 4 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 719 MHz to 758 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,277 points. Launch price was $310.50.
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 680M scores 3,277 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680M is built on Kepler while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce GTX 680M) vs 1,600 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 3,277 | 3,311+1% |
| Architecture | Kepler | Terascale 2 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 1344 | 1600+19% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 680M 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 680M | 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 680M has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 680M 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 680M and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB+100% | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 680M) vs 11.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Vulkan: 1.2 vs No. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_0)+9% | 11.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2 | No |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: 1st Gen NVENC (Kepler) (GeForce GTX 680M) vs UVD 2.3 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | 1st Gen NVENC (Kepler) | 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 680M draws 100W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire's 120W — a 18.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 680M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 680M) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 81°C vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 100W-17% | 120W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Slots | 0 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 81°C-15% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 32.8+19% | 27.6 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce GTX 680M (2012 vs 2010).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 680M | Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $800 |
| Codename | GK104 | Broadway-XT |
| Release | June 4 2012 | January 7 2010 |
| Ranking | #561 | #688 |
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