Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon HD 7770

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 5870 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.3% higher G3D Mark score. This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon HD 7770.

Insight	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+0.3%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.3%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+0%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	Standard Size (280mm)	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly

💎 Value Proposition

The Radeon HD 5870 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 5870 holds the technical lead. Priced at $50 (vs $50), it costs 0% less, resulting in a 0.3% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
Cost Efficiency	✅Better overall value (+0.3%)	❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon HD 5870 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7770 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon HD 7770

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 7770

The Radeon HD 7770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 15 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,173 points. Launch price was $159.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5870 scores 2,180 and the Radeon HD 7770 reaches 2,173 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5870 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 7770 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7770). Raw compute: 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870) vs 1.28 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7770).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
G3D Mark Score	2,180	2,173
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1600+150%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.72 TFLOPS+113%	1.28 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L1 Cache	160 KB	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5870) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 7770) — the Radeon HD 5870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	72 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 12_0 (Radeon HD 7770). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
DirectX	11.2	12_0+7%
Max Displays	3	4+33%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5870) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7770). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 5870) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 7770).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
Encoder	UVD 2.2	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 2.2	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5870 draws 188W versus the Radeon HD 7770's 80W — a 80.6% difference. The Radeon HD 7770 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 5870) vs 450W (Radeon HD 7770). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 280mm vs 210mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon HD 7770
TDP	188W	80W-57%
Recommended PSU	500W	450W-10%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	280mm	210mm
Slots	2	2
Perf/Watt	11.6	27.2+134%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 5870 launched at $399 MSRP and currently averages $50, while the Radeon HD 7770 launched at $159 and now averages $50. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 43.6 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 43.5 (Radeon HD 7770) — the Radeon HD 5870 offers 0.2% better value. The Radeon HD 7770 is the newer GPU (2012 vs 2009).