Radeon E8870PCIe vs Radeon HD8970M

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 E8870PCIe vs Radeon HD8970M 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 E8870PCIe vs Radeon HD8970M: 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 E8870PCIe

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 37W instead of 100W, a 63W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD8970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD8970M

2013

Why buy it

✅137.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 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 13.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
❌170.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 37W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD8970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 137.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0% in PassMark G3D (3,369 vs 3,368), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon E8870PCIe is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon E8870PCIe makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD8970M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon E8870PCIe vs Radeon HD8970M Technical Specifications

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

Radeon E8870PCIe

The Radeon E8870PCIe is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 575 MHz to 625 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 37W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,368 points.

Radeon HD8970M

The Radeon HD8970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,369 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon E8870PCIe scores 3,368 and the Radeon HD8970M reaches 3,369 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon E8870PCIe is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD8970M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (Radeon E8870PCIe) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD8970M). Raw compute: 0.8 TFLOPS (Radeon E8870PCIe) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD8970M). Boost clocks: 625 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon E8870PCIe	Radeon HD8970M
G3D Mark Score	3,368	3,369
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1280+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.8 TFLOPS	2.304 TFLOPS+188%
Boost Clock	625 MHz	900 MHz+44%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	80+100%
L1 Cache	160 KB	320 KB+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon E8870PCIe	Radeon HD8970M
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon E8870PCIe and System on the Radeon HD8970M. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon E8870PCIe) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD8970M) — the Radeon HD8970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon E8870PCIe	Radeon HD8970M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Bus Width	64-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon E8870PCIe draws 37W versus the Radeon HD8970M's 100W — a 92% difference. The Radeon E8870PCIe is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon E8870PCIe) vs 350W (Radeon HD8970M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon E8870PCIe	Radeon HD8970M
TDP	37W-63%	100W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt	91.0+170%	33.7

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon E8870PCIe (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon E8870PCIe	Radeon HD8970M
MSRP	$250	—
Codename	Venus	Neptune
Release	January 25 2014	May 14 2013
Ranking	#734	#507

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