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.

GRID RTX6000-8Q

2015

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-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 0 vs 16.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
❌21.6% higher power demand at 225W vs 185W.

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 185W instead of 225W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GRID RTX6000-8Q

2015

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 185W instead of 225W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-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 0 vs 16.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
❌21.6% higher power demand at 225W vs 185W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GRID RTX6000-8Q better than Radeon HD 7870 XT?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 4,514 vs 4,470 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GRID RTX6000-8Q is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

GRID RTX6000-8Q is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2012 and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

GRID RTX6000-8Q is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GRID RTX6000-8Q is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $270 MSRP, and you are getting 1.0% 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.

GRID RTX6000-8Q Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7870 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	103 FPS	77 FPS
medium	85 FPS	63 FPS
high	67 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	86 FPS	65 FPS
medium	72 FPS	54 FPS
high	51 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	24 FPS
medium	26 FPS	23 FPS
high	17 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	12 FPS

Open GRID RTX6000-8Q Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	128 FPS	117 FPS
medium	101 FPS	87 FPS
high	82 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	88 FPS	66 FPS
medium	65 FPS	45 FPS
high	53 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	23 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	24 FPS
medium	32 FPS	17 FPS
high	29 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	9 FPS

Open GRID RTX6000-8Q Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	203 FPS	201 FPS
medium	163 FPS	161 FPS
high	135 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	151 FPS
medium	122 FPS	121 FPS
high	102 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	102 FPS	101 FPS
medium	81 FPS	80 FPS
high	68 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	50 FPS

Open GRID RTX6000-8Q Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
1080p
low	181 FPS	137 FPS
medium	148 FPS	111 FPS
high	132 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	102 FPS
medium	110 FPS	84 FPS
high	99 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	61 FPS
medium	60 FPS	46 FPS
high	49 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	25 FPS

Open GRID RTX6000-8Q Open Radeon HD 7870 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GRID RTX6000-8Q and Radeon HD 7870 XT

GRID RTX6000-8Q

The GRID RTX6000-8Q 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: 4,514 points.

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

The GRID RTX6000-8Q scores 4,514 and the Radeon HD 7870 XT reaches 4,470 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID RTX6000-8Q is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 7870 XT uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Raw compute: 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 975 MHz.

Feature	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
G3D Mark Score	4,514	4,470
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048+33%	1536
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.825 TFLOPS+61%	2.995 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1178 MHz+21%	975 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+33%	96
L1 Cache	768 KB+100%	384 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GRID RTX6000-8Q 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	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 64-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GRID RTX6000-8Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	256-bit+300%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_2 (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

Feature	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
DirectX	12_2	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	0	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 4th Gen vs UVD 3.2.

Feature	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 4th Gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID RTX6000-8Q draws 225W versus the Radeon HD 7870 XT's 185W — a 19.5% difference. The Radeon HD 7870 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GRID RTX6000-8Q	Radeon HD 7870 XT
TDP	225W	185W-18%
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	267mm	267mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	20.1	24.2+20%

💰

Value Analysis

The GRID RTX6000-8Q launched at $0 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7870 XT launched at $270. The GRID RTX6000-8Q costs 100+% less ($270 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GRID RTX6000-8Q) vs 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) — the GRID RTX6000-8Q offers Infinity% better value. The GRID RTX6000-8Q is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2012).