Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon Pro

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 5970 vs Radeon Pro 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 5970 vs Radeon Pro: 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 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Pro 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.
❌17.6% higher power demand at 294W vs 250W.
❌26.6% longer card at 305mm vs 241mm.

Radeon Pro

2020

Why buy it

✅33.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Radeon HD 5970 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Pro is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 250W instead of 294W, a 44W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 305mm, a 64mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 3.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Pro is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 33.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3% in PassMark G3D (2,366 vs 2,297), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon Pro is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2020 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 5970 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Pro has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon Pro Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon Pro

The Radeon Pro is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 13 2020. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1400 MHz to 1700 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,366 points. Launch price was $1,899.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5970 scores 2,297 and the Radeon Pro reaches 2,366 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5970 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon Pro uses GCN 5.1, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 3,840 (Radeon Pro). Raw compute: 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 13.06 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro).

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
G3D Mark Score	2,297	2,366+3%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 5.1
Process Node	40 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1600 ×2	3840+140%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.32 TFLOPS ×2	13.06 TFLOPS+463%
ROPs	32 ×2	64+100%
TMUs	80 ×2	240+200%
L1 Cache	320 KB	960 KB+200%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5970 and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) vs 4 MB (Radeon Pro) — the Radeon Pro has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 12_0 (Radeon Pro). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
DirectX	11.2	12_0+7%
Max Displays	3	4+33%

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 5970) vs Unified Video Decoder (Radeon Pro). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs Unified Video Decoder.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
Encoder	None	Unified Video Decoder
Decoder	UVD 2.2	Unified Video Decoder
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	—

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5970 draws 294W versus the Radeon Pro's 250W — a 16.2% difference. The Radeon Pro is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (Radeon HD 5970) vs 350W (Radeon Pro). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 305mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
TDP	294W	250W-15%
Recommended PSU	650W	350W-46%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	305mm	241mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	90	—
Perf/Watt	7.8	9.5+22%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5970 came in at $699, while the Radeon Pro launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon Pro was 100+% cheaper ($699 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) vs Infinity (Radeon Pro) — the Radeon Pro offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro (2020 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon Pro
MSRP	$699	$0-100%
Performance per Dollar	3.3	Infinity
Codename	Hemlock	Vega 20
Release	November 18 2009	May 13 2020
Ranking	#651	#194

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