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 4060

2023

Why buy it

✅+337.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 294.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $270 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).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $29 less on MSRP ($270 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (4,470 vs 19,548).
❌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).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4060

2023

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅+337.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 294.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $270 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).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $29 less on MSRP ($270 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (4,470 vs 19,548).
❌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).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 better than Radeon HD 7870 XT?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 19,548 vs 4,470 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon HD 7870 XT is a 2012 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 4060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2012, 337.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 2 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4060 is about 10.7% more expensive on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $270 MSRP, and you are getting 337.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7870 XT really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 7870 XT still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 7870 XT is 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 4,470 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 4060 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7870 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	167 FPS	77 FPS
medium	152 FPS	63 FPS
high	134 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	65 FPS
medium	114 FPS	54 FPS
high	99 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	24 FPS
medium	74 FPS	23 FPS
high	62 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	392 FPS	126 FPS
medium	334 FPS	93 FPS
high	268 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	240 FPS	70 FPS
medium	209 FPS	48 FPS
high	169 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	119 FPS	25 FPS
medium	98 FPS	17 FPS
high	82 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	10 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	812 FPS	201 FPS
medium	642 FPS	161 FPS
high	551 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	151 FPS
medium	443 FPS	121 FPS
high	379 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	101 FPS
medium	297 FPS	80 FPS
high	234 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	746 FPS	168 FPS
medium	613 FPS	138 FPS
high	536 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	594 FPS	120 FPS
medium	486 FPS	101 FPS
high	421 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	358 FPS	71 FPS
medium	308 FPS	55 FPS
high	285 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon HD 7870 XT

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 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 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 4,470 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 337.3%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 7870 XT uses GCN 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 975 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
G3D Mark Score	19,548+337%	4,470
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 1.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072+100%	1536
Compute (TFLOPS)	15.11 TFLOPS+405%	2.995 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2460 MHz+152%	975 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	96	96
L1 Cache	3 MB+689%	0.38 MB
L2 Cache	24 MB+4700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon HD 7870 XT lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7870 XT relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 192 GB/s (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — a 41.7% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	272 GB/s+42%	192 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	24 MB+4700%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
Encoder	NVENC 8th gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 185W — a 46.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 80.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 7870 XT
TDP	115W-38%	185W
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	240mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	73°C-9%	80
Perf/Watt	170.0+602%	24.2

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 launched at $299 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT launched at $270. The Radeon HD 7870 XT costs 9.7% less ($29 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 294% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2012).