Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 5870

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.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 5870 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.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 5870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon 550

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $320 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 395.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 27.1 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 188W, a 138W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5870

2009

Why buy it

✅104.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
❌
405.1% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 27.1 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
❌276% higher power demand at 188W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 104.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (2,180 vs 2,140), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon 550 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon 550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $320 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 395.8% (27.1 vs 5.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5870 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 5870 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 550

The Radeon 550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,140 points. Launch price was $79.

Radeon HD 5870

The Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 23 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 188W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,180 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 550 scores 2,140 and the Radeon HD 5870 reaches 2,180 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 550 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon HD 5870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 550) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 550) vs 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 5870
G3D Mark Score	2,140	2,180+2%
Architecture	GCN 4.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	14 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	512	1600+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.211 TFLOPS	2.72 TFLOPS+125%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L1 Cache	128 KB	160 KB+25%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 5870
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon 550 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon 550) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5870) — the Radeon HD 5870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 5870
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 550 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 5870's 188W — a 116% difference. The Radeon 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon 550) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5870). Power connectors: None vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 5870
TDP	50W-73%	188W
Recommended PSU	300W-40%	500W
Power Connector	None	2x 6-pin
Length	—	280mm
Slots	—	2
Perf/Watt	42.8+269%	11.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 550 came in at $79, while the Radeon HD 5870 launched at $399. On MSRP, Radeon 550 was 80.2% cheaper ($320 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 27.1 (Radeon 550) vs 5.5 (Radeon HD 5870) — the Radeon 550 offers 392.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 550 (2017 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 5870
MSRP	$79-80%	$399
Performance per Dollar	27.1+393%	5.5
Codename	Lexa	Cypress
Release	April 20 2017	September 23 2009
Ranking	#668	#663

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