GeForce RTX 3070
Radeon HD 7870 XT
GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT 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 RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT 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 RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT: 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 RTX 3070
2020Why buy it
- ✅255.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 168.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌18.9% higher power demand at 220W vs 185W.
Radeon HD 7870 XT
2012Why buy it
- ✅Costs $229 less on MSRP ($270 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 185W instead of 220W, a 35W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 7870 XT Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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 7870 XT
The Radeon HD 7870 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,470 points. Launch price was $270.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 4,470 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 396%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7870 XT uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 975 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 22,172+396% | 4,470 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 5888+283% | 1536 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 20.31 TFLOPS+578% | 2.995 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1725 MHz+77% | 975 MHz |
| ROPs | 96+200% | 32 |
| TMUs | 184+92% | 96 |
| L1 Cache | 5.8 MB+1426% | 0.38 MB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+700% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7870 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 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 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 192 GB/s (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — a 133.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870 XT. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+300% | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s+133% | 192 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+700% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 (11_1) |
| Vulkan | 1.4+17% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870 XT).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th gen | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD 3.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 185W — a 17.3% difference. The Radeon HD 7870 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 220W | 185W-16% |
| Recommended PSU | 650W | 500W-23% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 267mm |
| Height | 112mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-6% | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 100.8+317% | 24.2 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT launched at $270. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7870 XT was 45.9% cheaper ($229 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 167.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 7870 XT |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $499 | $270-46% |
| Performance per Dollar | 44.4+167% | 16.6 |
| Codename | GA104 | Tahiti |
| Release | September 1 2020 | November 19 2012 |
| Ranking | #63 | #469 |
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