Radeon HD 5970 vs FirePro D500
Radeon HD 5970
Popular choices:
FirePro D500
Popular choices:
Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
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.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar
Performance Per Dollar FirePro D500
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon HD 5970 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.1% higher G3D Mark score. However, the FirePro D500 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+1.1%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.1%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ❌ Less VRAM capacity | ✅ More VRAM (+100%) |
| Efficiency | Normal Efficiency | Normal Efficiency |
| Case Fit | Standard Size (305mm) | Standard Size (279mm) |
💎 Value Proposition
The Radeon HD 5970 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 5970 holds the technical lead. Priced at $100 (vs $150), it costs 33% less, resulting in a 51.7% higher cost efficiency score.
| Insight | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ✅Better overall value (+51.7%) | ❌Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅More affordable ($100) | ⚠️Higher upfront cost ($150) |
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.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 5970 and FirePro D500
Radeon HD 5970
The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.
FirePro D500
The FirePro D500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 18 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 274W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,272 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 5970 scores 2,297 and the FirePro D500 reaches 2,272 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5970 is built on TeraScale 2 while the FirePro D500 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 1,536 (FirePro D500). Raw compute: 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 2.227 TFLOPS (FirePro D500).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 2,297+1% | 2,272 |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1600 ×2+4% | 1536 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 2.32 TFLOPS ×2+4% | 2.227 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32 ×2 | 32 |
| TMUs | 80 ×2 | 96+20% |
| L1 Cache | 320 KB | 384 KB+20% |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 768 KB+50% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Standard |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The Radeon HD 5970 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the FirePro D500 has 4 GB. The FirePro D500 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5970) vs 768 KB (FirePro D500) — the FirePro D500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 4 GB+100% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Bus Width | 128-bit+100% | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 768 KB+50% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 12 (FirePro D500). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 6.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2 | 12+7% |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.6+5% |
| Max Displays | 3 | 6+100% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 5970) vs VCE 1.0 (FirePro D500). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro D500).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | UVD 2.2 | UVD 3.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 5970 draws 294W versus the FirePro D500's 274W — a 7% difference. The FirePro D500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (Radeon HD 5970) vs 350W (FirePro D500). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 305mm vs 279mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 90 vs 75°C.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 294W | 274W-7% |
| Recommended PSU | 650W | 350W-46% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 305mm | 279mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 90 | 75°C-17% |
| Perf/Watt | 7.8 | 8.3+6% |
Value Analysis
The Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699 MSRP and currently averages $100, while the FirePro D500 launched at $500 and now averages $150. The Radeon HD 5970 costs 33.3% less ($50 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 23.0 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 15.1 (FirePro D500) — the Radeon HD 5970 offers 52.3% better value. The FirePro D500 is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2009).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | FirePro D500 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $699 | $500-28% |
| Avg Price (30d) | $100-33% | $150 |
| Performance per Dollar | 23.0+52% | 15.1 |
| Codename | Hemlock | Tahiti |
| Release | November 18 2009 | January 18 2014 |
| Ranking | #651 | #484 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on Radeon HD 5970 and FirePro D500
