GRID M60-1B vs Radeon HD 5970

GRID M60-1B

2015Core: 557 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5970

2009Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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GRID M60-1B vs Radeon HD 5970 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.

GRID M60-1B vs Radeon HD 5970: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GRID M60-1B

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 225W instead of 294W, a 69W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 305mm, a 304mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 257.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$699 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.9 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

  • Costs $1,801 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 264.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 0.9 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 30.7% higher power demand at 294W vs 225W.
  • 30400% longer card at 305mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5970 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (2,297 vs 2,256), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GRID M60-1B is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 5970 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,801 cheaper on MSRP at $699 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 264.2% (3.3 vs 0.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GRID M60-1B has the stronger long-term case.

GRID M60-1B vs Radeon HD 5970 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GRID M60-1B

The GRID M60-1B is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,256 points.

AMD

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

The GRID M60-1B scores 2,256 and the Radeon HD 5970 reaches 2,297 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID M60-1B is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GRID M60-1B) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID M60-1B) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score
2,256
2,297+2%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
2048+28%
1600 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.825 TFLOPS+108%
2.32 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs
64+100%
32 ×2
TMUs
128+60%
80 ×2
L1 Cache
768 KB+140%
320 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GRID M60-1B and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5970. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GRID M60-1B) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) — the GRID M60-1B has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GRID M60-1B) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 3.

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
DirectX
12_1+7%
11.2
Max Displays
0
3
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID M60-1B draws 225W versus the Radeon HD 5970's 294W — a 26.6% difference. The GRID M60-1B is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID M60-1B) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 305mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
TDP
225W-23%
294W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
1mm
305mm
Height
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
90
Perf/Watt
10.0+28%
7.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID M60-1B came in at $2500, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5970 was 72% cheaper ($1801 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.9 (GRID M60-1B) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the Radeon HD 5970 offers 266.7% better value. The newer card here is GRID M60-1B (2015 vs 2009).

FeatureGRID M60-1BRadeon HD 5970
MSRP
$2500
$699-72%
Performance per Dollar
0.9
3.3+267%
Codename
GM204
Hemlock
Release
August 30 2015
November 18 2009
Ranking
#525
#651

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