Radeon 820M 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 820M 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 820M 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 820M

2024

Why buy it

✅1.7% more average FPS across 32 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3+ (2024) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 30W instead of 151W, a 121W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $239 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6870

2010

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($239 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon 820M across 32 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌403.3% higher power demand at 151W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon 820M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.7% in average FPS across 32 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 6870 instead at 2,206 vs 2,143, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

Radeon 820M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6870 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 6870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 820M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 820M vs Radeon HD 6870 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 820M

The Radeon 820M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 2 2024. It features the RDNA 3+ architecture. The boost clock speed is 2900 MHz. It has 128 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,143 points.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 820M scores 2,143 and the Radeon HD 6870 reaches 2,206 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 820M is built on RDNA 3+ while the Radeon HD 6870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 4 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 128 (Radeon 820M) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6870). Boost clocks: 2900 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
G3D Mark Score	2,143	2,206+3%
Architecture	RDNA 3+	TeraScale 2
Process Node	4 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	128	1120+775%
Boost Clock	2900 MHz+222%	900 MHz
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 820M	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 820M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6870.

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	Unknown
Bus Width	System	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (Radeon 820M) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6870). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
DirectX	12 Ultimate+9%	11.0
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 4.0 (Radeon 820M) vs None (Radeon HD 6870). Decoder: VCN 4.0 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9 (Radeon 820M) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6870).

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
Encoder	VCN 4.0	None
Decoder	VCN 4.0	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 820M draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 6870's 151W — a 133.7% difference. The Radeon 820M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 820M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6870). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 247mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 85.

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
TDP	30W-80%	151W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	0mm	247mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	80-6%	85
Perf/Watt	71.4+389%	14.6

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 820M (2024 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon 820M	Radeon HD 6870
MSRP	—	$239
Codename	Krackan Point	Barts
Release	June 2 2024	October 21 2010
Ranking	#669	#661

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