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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅387.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1252.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
40.1% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$499 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅387.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1252.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
40.1% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$499 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon HD 5970?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3070 averages 387.0% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 2,297 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 5970 is a 2009 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2009, 865.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is about $200 cheaper on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 387.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 865.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1252.1%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 5970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 5970 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $699 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3070 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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 RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 5970 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	158 FPS	80 FPS
medium	140 FPS	65 FPS
high	123 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	67 FPS
medium	109 FPS	55 FPS
high	96 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	24 FPS
medium	67 FPS	23 FPS
high	52 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 5970

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	470 FPS	85 FPS
medium	405 FPS	62 FPS
high	327 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	294 FPS	49 FPS
medium	246 FPS	32 FPS
high	213 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	141 FPS	18 FPS
medium	120 FPS	12 FPS
high	105 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 5970

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	885 FPS	103 FPS
medium	712 FPS	83 FPS
high	619 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	499 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	692 FPS	78 FPS
medium	557 FPS	62 FPS
high	473 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	374 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	52 FPS
medium	388 FPS	41 FPS
high	330 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 5970

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	600 FPS	103 FPS
medium	527 FPS	83 FPS
high	433 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	489 FPS	78 FPS
medium	433 FPS	62 FPS
high	339 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	297 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	292 FPS	52 FPS
medium	270 FPS	41 FPS
high	238 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 5970

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon HD 5970

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon HD 5970

The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon HD 5970's 2,297 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 865.3%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score	22,172+865%	2,297
Architecture	Ampere	TeraScale 2
Process Node	8 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	5888+268%	1600 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS+775%	2.32 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	96+200%	32 ×2
TMUs	184+130%	80 ×2
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+1771%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 5970 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5970 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Vulkan: 1.4 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
DirectX	12 Ultimate+7%	11.2
Vulkan	1.4	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs None (Radeon HD 5970). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	None
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon HD 5970's 294W — a 28.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 5970
TDP	220W-25%	294W
Recommended PSU	650W	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	242mm	305mm
Height	112mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-17%	90
Perf/Watt	100.8+1192%	7.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. The GeForce RTX 3070 costs 28.6% less ($200 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 1245.5% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2009).