Radeon HD 5870 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 HD 5870 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 HD 5870 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 HD 5870

2009

Why buy it

✅5.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$239 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
❌24.5% higher power demand at 188W vs 151W.
❌13.4% longer card at 280mm vs 247mm.

Radeon HD 6870

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $160 less on MSRP ($239 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.2 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($239 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 151W instead of 188W, a 37W reduction.
✅Measures 247mm instead of 280mm, a 33mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5870 across 50 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 6870 instead at 2,206 vs 2,180, 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 5870 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 6870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $160 cheaper on MSRP at $239 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 68.9% (9.2 vs 5.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. 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 HD 5870 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon HD 6870 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 5870

The Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 23 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 188W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,180 points. Launch price was $399.

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 HD 5870 scores 2,180 and the Radeon HD 6870 reaches 2,206 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5870 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 6870 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6870). Raw compute: 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870) vs 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6870).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
G3D Mark Score	2,180	2,206+1%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1600+43%	1120
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.72 TFLOPS+35%	2.016 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80+43%	56
L1 Cache	160 KB	224 KB+40%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6870.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6870). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
DirectX	11.2+2%	11.0
Max Displays	3	6+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5870) vs None (Radeon HD 6870). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 5870) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6870).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
Encoder	UVD 2.2	None
Decoder	UVD 2.2	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5870 draws 188W versus the Radeon HD 6870's 151W — a 21.8% difference. The Radeon HD 6870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 5870) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6870). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 280mm vs 247mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
TDP	188W	151W-20%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	280mm	247mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	11.6	14.6+26%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5870 came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 6870 launched at $239. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6870 was 40.1% cheaper ($160 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 9.2 (Radeon HD 6870) — the Radeon HD 6870 offers 67.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6870 (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 6870
MSRP	$399	$239-40%
Performance per Dollar	5.5	9.2+67%
Codename	Cypress	Barts
Release	September 23 2009	October 21 2010
Ranking	#663	#661

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