GeForce GTX 745 vs Radeon HD 5870

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 745

2014Core: 1020 MHzBoost: 1085 MHz

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Radeon HD 5870

2009Core: 850 MHz

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GeForce GTX 745 vs Radeon HD 5870 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 745

4 GB 55

2,126

0.0%

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

RTX 500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2,180

+2.5%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

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 745 vs Radeon HD 5870 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 745 vs Radeon HD 5870: 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 745

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $319 less on MSRP ($80 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 386.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.6 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 55W instead of 188W, a 133W reduction.
✅Measures 145mm instead of 280mm, a 135mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5870

2009

Why buy it

✅51.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
398.8% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$80 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 26.6 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).
❌241.8% higher power demand at 188W vs 55W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 51.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.5% in PassMark G3D (2,180 vs 2,126), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 745 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 745 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $319 cheaper on MSRP at $80 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 386.4% (26.6 vs 5.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5870 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 745 vs Radeon HD 5870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 745

The GeForce GTX 745 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 18 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1020 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,126 points. Launch price was $119.

Radeon HD 5870

The Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 23 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 188W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,180 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 745 scores 2,126 and the Radeon HD 5870 reaches 2,180 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 745 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 5870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (GeForce GTX 745) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870). Raw compute: 1.111 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 745) vs 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
G3D Mark Score	2,126	2,180+3%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	512	1600+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.111 TFLOPS	2.72 TFLOPS+145%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L1 Cache	256 KB+60%	160 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 745 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
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 745 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5870 carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 745 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 745 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 745) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5870) — the GeForce GTX 745 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	80 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 745) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
DirectX	12 (11_0)+7%	11.2
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4th Gen (GeForce GTX 745) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 745) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
Encoder	NVENC 4th Gen	UVD 2.2
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 745 draws 55W versus the Radeon HD 5870's 188W — a 109.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 745 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 745) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5870). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 280mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
TDP	55W-71%	188W
Recommended PSU	300W-40%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	145mm	280mm
Height	69mm	—
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	38.7+234%	11.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 745 came in at $80, while the Radeon HD 5870 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 745 was 79.9% cheaper ($319 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.6 (GeForce GTX 745) vs 5.5 (Radeon HD 5870) — the GeForce GTX 745 offers 383.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 745 (2014 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce GTX 745	Radeon HD 5870
MSRP	$80-80%	$399
Performance per Dollar	26.6+384%	5.5
Codename	GM107	Cypress
Release	February 18 2014	September 23 2009
Ranking	#559	#663

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