GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 4060

2023Core: 1830 MHzBoost: 2460 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon HD 6870

2010Boost: 900 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 4060

8 GB 115

19,548

+786.1%

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU

RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

Radeon HD 6870

2 GB 151

2,206

0.0%

Radeon HD 8670D + HD 6670 Dual

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 RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870 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 RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870: 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 4060

2023

Why buy it

✅335.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 608.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon HD 6870

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $60 less on MSRP ($239 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌2010 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 9.2 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($239 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 4060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 335.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 786.1% in PassMark G3D (19,548 vs 2,206), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce RTX 4060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, native frame generation with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon HD 6870 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 40nm, and 24 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 4060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $60 more expensive on MSRP at $299 vs $239, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 608.3% (65.4 vs 9.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 4060

The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.

Radeon HD 6870

The Radeon HD 6870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,206 points. Launch price was $239.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon HD 6870's 2,206 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 786.1%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 6870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 5 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6870). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6870). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
G3D Mark Score	19,548+786%	2,206
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	TeraScale 2
Process Node	5 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	3072+174%	1120
Compute (TFLOPS)	15.11 TFLOPS+650%	2.016 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2460 MHz+173%	900 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	96+71%	56
L1 Cache	3 MB+1264%	0.22 MB
L2 Cache	24 MB+4700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 6870 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6870 carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 4060 gives you 300% 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 RTX 4060 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6870. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6870) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	272 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	24 MB+4700%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6870). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
DirectX	12 Ultimate+9%	11.0
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs None (Radeon HD 6870). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6870).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
Encoder	NVENC 8th gen	None
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon HD 6870's 151W — a 27.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6870). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 247mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 85.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
TDP	115W-24%	151W
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	240mm	247mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	73°C-14%	85
Perf/Watt	170.0+1064%	14.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 6870 launched at $239. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6870 was 20.1% cheaper ($60 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 9.2 (Radeon HD 6870) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 610.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 (2023 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 6870
MSRP	$299	$239-20%
Performance per Dollar	65.4+611%	9.2
Codename	AD107	Barts
Release	May 18 2023	October 21 2010
Ranking	#84	#661

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