Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon R9 M470

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 R9 M470 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 R9 M470: 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

✅80.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
99.7% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$350 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 6.7 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
❌292% higher power demand at 294W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M470

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $349 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 102.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.7 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 294W, a 219W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 4 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 5970 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 80.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M470 instead at 2,331 vs 2,297, 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 5970 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 R9 M470 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $349 cheaper on MSRP at $350 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 102.7% (6.7 vs 3.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M470 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 5970 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon R9 M470 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 R9 M470

The Radeon R9 M470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,331 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5970 scores 2,297 and the Radeon R9 M470 reaches 2,331 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5970 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R9 M470 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 768 (Radeon R9 M470). Raw compute: 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M470).

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon R9 M470
G3D Mark Score	2,297	2,331+1%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1600 ×2+108%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.32 TFLOPS ×2+51%	1.536 TFLOPS
ROPs	32 ×2+100%	16
TMUs	80 ×2+67%	48
L1 Cache	320 KB+67%	192 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon R9 M470
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)

The Radeon HD 5970 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M470 carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 M470 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5970 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M470. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5970) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M470) — the Radeon HD 5970 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon R9 M470
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5970 draws 294W versus the Radeon R9 M470's 75W — a 118.7% difference. The Radeon R9 M470 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (Radeon HD 5970) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M470). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon R9 M470
TDP	294W	75W-74%
Recommended PSU	650W	350W-46%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	Mobile
Length	305mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	90	—
Perf/Watt	7.8	31.1+299%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5970 came in at $699, while the Radeon R9 M470 launched at $350. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M470 was 49.9% cheaper ($349 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 6.7 (Radeon R9 M470) — the Radeon R9 M470 offers 103% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M470 (2016 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5970	Radeon R9 M470
MSRP	$699	$350-50%
Performance per Dollar	3.3	6.7+103%
Codename	Hemlock	Emerald
Release	November 18 2009	May 15 2016
Ranking	#651	#649

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