Quadro P1000 vs Radeon HD 7870

NVIDIA

Quadro P1000

2017Core: 1493 MHzBoost: 1519 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7870

2012Core: 1000 MHz
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Quadro P1000 vs Radeon HD 7870 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.

Quadro P1000 vs Radeon HD 7870 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.

Quadro P1000 vs Radeon HD 7870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro P1000

2017

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 40W instead of 200W, a 160W reduction.
  • Measures 145mm instead of 241mm, a 96mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2017 hardware with 4 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 0 vs 13.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7870

2012

Why buy it

  • 34.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 400% higher power demand at 200W vs 40W.
  • 66.2% longer card at 241mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 34.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.6% in PassMark G3D (4,568 vs 4,495), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro P1000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2012. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7870 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro P1000 has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro P1000 vs Radeon HD 7870 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro P1000

The Quadro P1000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 7 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1493 MHz to 1519 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 40W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,495 points. Launch price was $375.

AMD

Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon HD 7870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,568 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro P1000 scores 4,495 and the Radeon HD 7870 reaches 4,568 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro P1000 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7870 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 640 (Quadro P1000) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7870). Raw compute: 1.555 TFLOPS (Quadro P1000) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
G3D Mark Score
4,495
4,568+2%
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
640
1280+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.555 TFLOPS
2.56 TFLOPS+65%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
32
80+150%
L1 Cache
192 KB
320 KB+67%
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
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)

The Quadro P1000 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7870 carries 2 GB. Quadro P1000 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro P1000 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Quadro P1000) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870) — the Quadro P1000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro P1000) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.4+17%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 6th Gen NVENC (Pascal) (Quadro P1000) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870). Decoder: 3rd Gen NVDEC vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC (Quadro P1000) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870).

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
Encoder
6th Gen NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 1.0
Decoder
3rd Gen NVDEC
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro P1000 draws 40W versus the Radeon HD 7870's 200W — a 133.3% difference. The Quadro P1000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro P1000) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7870). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 241mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 80°C.

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
TDP
40W-80%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
145mm
241mm
Height
69mm
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
70°C-13%
80°C
Perf/Watt
112.4+393%
22.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro P1000 came in at $0, while the Radeon HD 7870 launched at $349. On MSRP, Quadro P1000 was 100+% cheaper ($349 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Quadro P1000) vs 13.1 (Radeon HD 7870) — the Quadro P1000 offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Quadro P1000 (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureQuadro P1000Radeon HD 7870
MSRP
$0-100%
$349
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
13.1
Codename
GP107
Pitcairn
Release
February 7 2017
March 5 2012
Ranking
#466
#460

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