Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U

Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U Performance Spectrum

Radeon HD 5870

2 GB 188

2,180

0.0%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U

2 GB 180

2,219

+1.8%

Radeon HD 8670D + HD 6670 Dual

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

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 5870 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U 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 Ryzen 7 5700U: 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

✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅Delivers 10.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.5 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U

2019

Why buy it

✅22.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Radeon HD 5870 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U is the less risky modern option long term.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌
12.8% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U 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 1.8% in PassMark G3D (2,219 vs 2,180), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $51 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $450, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 10.8% (5.5 vs 4.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5870 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 5870 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U 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 Ryzen 7 5700U

The Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1465 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,219 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5870 scores 2,180 and the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U reaches 2,219 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5870 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U uses RDNA 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 2,304 (Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U). Raw compute: 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870) vs 7.949 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
G3D Mark Score	2,180	2,219+2%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1600	2304+44%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.72 TFLOPS	7.949 TFLOPS+192%
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	80	144+80%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870 and System on the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5870) vs 4 MB (Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5870 draws 188W versus the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U's 180W — a 4.3% difference. The Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 5870) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None.

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
TDP	188W	180W-4%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	None
Length	280mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	11.6	12.3+6%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5870 came in at $399, while the Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U launched at $450. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5870 was 11.3% cheaper ($51 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (Radeon HD 5870) vs 4.9 (Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U) — the Radeon HD 5870 offers 12.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U (2019 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5870	Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
MSRP	$399-11%	$450
Performance per Dollar	5.5+12%	4.9
Codename	Cypress	Navi 10
Release	September 23 2009	July 7 2019
Ranking	#663	#167

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