GeForce GTX 690
Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 6970M 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 690 vs Radeon HD 6970M 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
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 6970M 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 690
2012Why buy it
- ✅26.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌566% HIGHER MSRP$999 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 37.6 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
- ❌500% higher power demand at 300W vs 50W.
Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
2011Why buy it
- ✅Costs $849 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 578.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.6 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
- ✅Draws 50W instead of 300W, a 250W reduction.
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 279mm, a 278mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 690 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌2011 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
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GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 690
The GeForce GTX 690 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 3 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 3072 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,536 points. Launch price was $999.
Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2011. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,637 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 690 scores 5,536 and the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire reaches 5,637 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 690 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 1,920 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 5,536 | 5,637+2% |
| Architecture | Kepler | Terascale 2 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 3072 ×2+60% | 1920 |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 690 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M 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 690 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire carries 4 GB. Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s x2 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 115.2 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire) — a 66.8% advantage for the GeForce GTX 690. Memory bus width is 256-bit x2 on the GeForce GTX 690 and 256-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 4 GB+100% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s x2+67% | 115.2 GB/s x2 |
| Bus Width | 256-bit x2 | 256-bit x2 |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12_0 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 11_0 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12_0+9% | 11_0 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 690) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Decoder: VP5 vs UVD 3.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 1st Gen | UVD 3 |
| Decoder | VP5 | UVD 3 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 690 draws 300W versus the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire's 50W — a 142.9% difference. The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce GTX 690) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 300W | 50W-83% |
| Recommended PSU | 650W | 350W-46% |
| Power Connector | 2x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 279mm | 1mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Perf/Watt | 18.5 | 112.7+509% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 690 came in at $999, while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire was 85% cheaper ($849 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 37.6 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire) — the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire offers 583.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 690 (2012 vs 2011).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 690 | Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $999 | $150-85% |
| Performance per Dollar | 5.5 | 37.6+584% |
| Codename | GK104 | Blackcomb XT |
| Release | May 3 2012 | January 6 2011 |
| Ranking | #414 | #537 |
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