GeForce GTX 870M vs Radeon HD 7970M

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GTX 870M is positioned at rank 143 and the Radeon HD 7970M is on rank 133, so the Radeon HD 7970M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 870M

#39

Radeon RX 7700S

MSRP: $449|Avg: $350

98%

#133

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

307%

#135

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

278%

#136

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

278%

#140

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

252%

#141

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

251%

#143

GeForce GTX 870M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#145

Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

MSRP: $229|Avg: $65

99%

#147

GeForce GT 630M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $35

98%

#150

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

96%

#157

GeForce 830M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $30

95%

#158

GeForce GT 750M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 7970M

#39

Radeon RX 7700S

MSRP: $449|Avg: $350

94%

#123

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

296%

#125

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

269%

#126

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

268%

#130

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

244%

#131

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

242%

#133

Radeon HD 7970M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#139

Iris Xe MAX Graphics

MSRP: $55|Avg: $40

98%

#145

Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

MSRP: $229|Avg: $65

95%

#147

GeForce GT 630M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $35

95%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 7970M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 3.6% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 870M offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-3.6%)	✅Leading raw performance (+3.6%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / Kepler (2012−2018))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	✅ More VRAM (+50%)	❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency	Normal Efficiency	Normal Efficiency
Case Fit	—	—

💎 Value Proposition

While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon HD 7970M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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 870M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7970M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 870M and Radeon HD 7970M

GeForce GTX 870M

The GeForce GTX 870M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 941 MHz to 967 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,536 points.

Radeon HD 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 870M scores 3,536 and the Radeon HD 7970M reaches 3,663 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 870M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M). Raw compute: 2.599 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	3,536	3,663+4%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1344+5%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.599 TFLOPS+19%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	24	32+33%
TMUs	112+40%	80
L1 Cache	112 KB	320 KB+186%
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
Upscaling Tech	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	FSR 3 (Compatible)	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 870M comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 870M offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 7970M) — the Radeon HD 7970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 1st Gen NVENC (Kepler) (GeForce GTX 870M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 870M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
Encoder	1st Gen NVENC (Kepler)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 870M draws 100W versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 100W — a 0% difference. The Radeon HD 7970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.