Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 6870

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 6870 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 6870: 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 $160 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
✅Delivers 193.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 27.1 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 151W, a 101W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6870 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 6870

2010

Why buy it

✅93.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
202.5% HIGHER MSRP
$239 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 27.1 G3D/$ ($239 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
❌202% higher power demand at 151W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 93.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (2,206 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 2010. 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 $160 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $239, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 193.5% (27.1 vs 9.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 6870 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon 550 vs Radeon HD 6870 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 6870

The Radeon HD 6870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,206 points. Launch price was $239.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 550 scores 2,140 and the Radeon HD 6870 reaches 2,206 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 550 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon HD 6870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 550) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6870). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 550) vs 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6870). Boost clocks: 1183 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 6870
G3D Mark Score	2,140	2,206+3%
Architecture	GCN 4.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	14 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	512	1120+119%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.211 TFLOPS	2.016 TFLOPS+66%
Boost Clock	1183 MHz+31%	900 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	56+75%
L1 Cache	128 KB	224 KB+75%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 6870
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 6870. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon 550) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6870) — the Radeon HD 6870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 6870
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 6870's 151W — a 100.5% difference. The Radeon 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon 550) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6870). Power connectors: None vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 6870
TDP	50W-67%	151W
Recommended PSU	300W-40%	500W
Power Connector	None	2x 6-pin
Length	—	247mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	42.8+193%	14.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 550 came in at $79, while the Radeon HD 6870 launched at $239. On MSRP, Radeon 550 was 66.9% cheaper ($160 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 27.1 (Radeon 550) vs 9.2 (Radeon HD 6870) — the Radeon 550 offers 194.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 550 (2017 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon 550	Radeon HD 6870
MSRP	$79-67%	$239
Performance per Dollar	27.1+195%	9.2
Codename	Lexa	Barts
Release	April 20 2017	October 21 2010
Ranking	#668	#661

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