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.

GeForce GTX 870M vs Radeon HD 7970M 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 870M vs Radeon HD 7970M: 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 870M

2014

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅13.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.6% in PassMark G3D (3,663 vs 3,536), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 870M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2012. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7970M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7970M is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 870M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 870M vs Radeon HD 7970M Technical Specifications

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

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)

The GeForce GTX 870M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7970M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	Radeon HD 7970M
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 870M has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 870M gives you 50% 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 870M and System on the Radeon HD 7970M. 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.