Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7470

AMD

Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7470

2012Boost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7470 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.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7470 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 HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7470: 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 HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 25W instead of 250W, a 225W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7470 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 240% HIGHER MSRP
    $170 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7470

2012

Why buy it

  • 45.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $120 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
  • Delivers 236.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.8 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Measures 168mm instead of 241mm, a 73mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 900% higher power demand at 250W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7470 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 45.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 2900 GT instead at 292 vs 289, 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 HD 2900 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7470 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $120 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 236.5% (5.8 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7470 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 2900 GT has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7470 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 7470

The Radeon HD 7470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 925 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 289 points. Launch price was $549.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 2900 GT scores 292 and the Radeon HD 7470 reaches 289 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 7470 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7470). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 3.789 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7470).

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
G3D Mark Score
292+1%
289
Architecture
TeraScale 2
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
480
2048+327%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
3.789 TFLOPS+444%
ROPs
8
32+300%
TMUs
24
128+433%
L1 Cache
48 KB
512 KB+967%
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
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)

The Radeon HD 2900 GT has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7470 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 7470 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7470. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7470) — the Radeon HD 7470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 7470). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
DirectX
10
11.2 (11_0)+12%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs None (Radeon HD 7470). Decoder: UVD vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
Encoder
UVD
None
Decoder
UVD
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2900 GT draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 7470's 250W — a 163.6% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7470). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
TDP
25W-90%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
241mm
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
11.7+875%
1.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2900 GT came in at $170, while the Radeon HD 7470 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7470 was 70.6% cheaper ($120 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 5.8 (Radeon HD 7470) — the Radeon HD 7470 offers 241.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 2900 GT (2013 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon HD 2900 GTRadeon HD 7470
MSRP
$170
$50-71%
Performance per Dollar
1.7
5.8+241%
Codename
Thames
Tahiti
Release
January 7 2013
January 9 2012
Ranking
#883
#431

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