Radeon HD 4870 X2 vs Radeon HD 8790M

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 4870 X2 vs Radeon HD 8790M 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 4870 X2 vs Radeon HD 8790M: 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 4870 X2

2008

Why buy it

✅22.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌472% higher power demand at 286W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8790M

2013

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 286W, a 236W 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 HD 4870 X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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 2.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $550 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 22.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.2% in PassMark G3D (1,309 vs 1,306), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4870 X2 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Radeon HD 4870 X2 vs Radeon HD 8790M Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 4870 X2

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 12 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 286W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,309 points. Launch price was $550.

Radeon HD 8790M

The Radeon HD 8790M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,306 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 scores 1,309 and the Radeon HD 8790M reaches 1,306 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 8790M uses GCN 1.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4870 X2) vs 384 (Radeon HD 8790M). Raw compute: 1.12 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 4870 X2) vs 0.6912 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8790M).

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
G3D Mark Score	1,309	1,306
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 1.0
Process Node	55 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	800 ×2+108%	384
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.12 TFLOPS ×2+62%	0.6912 TFLOPS
ROPs	16 ×2+100%	8
TMUs	40 ×2+67%	24
L1 Cache	160 KB+67%	96 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
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)

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8790M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8790M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and System on the Radeon HD 8790M.

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	64-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (Radeon HD 4870 X2) vs 11.1 (11_1) (Radeon HD 8790M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
DirectX	10.1	11.1 (11_1)+10%
OpenGL	3.3	4.6+39%
Max Displays	2	0

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD 2 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX (Radeon HD 4870 X2) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 8790M).

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
Encoder	—	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 2	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 draws 286W versus the Radeon HD 8790M's 50W — a 140.5% difference. The Radeon HD 8790M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (Radeon HD 4870 X2) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8790M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 75.

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
TDP	286W	50W-83%
Recommended PSU	650W	350W-46%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	90°C	75-17%
Perf/Watt	4.6	26.1+467%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 8790M (2013 vs 2008).

Feature	Radeon HD 4870 X2	Radeon HD 8790M
MSRP	$550	—
Codename	R700	Mars
Release	August 12 2008	April 1 2013
Ranking	#796	#797

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