Radeon HD 5970
Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U
Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U Performance Spectrum
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 5970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U: 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
2009Why buy it
- ✅1.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs Unknown).
Trade-offs
- ❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌1860% higher power demand at 294W vs 15W.
Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U
2020Why buy it
- ✅Draws 15W instead of 294W, a 279W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: Vega (2017−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2020 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 3.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
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Radeon HD 5970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U 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 RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U
The Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2020. It features the Vega architecture. The boost clock speed is 2100 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,356 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 5970 scores 2,297 and the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U reaches 2,356 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5970 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U uses Vega, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 512 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 2,297 | 2,356+3% |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | Vega |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 1600 ×2+213% | 512 |
| Frame Generation | FSR upscaling | FSR upscaling |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| 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 RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U carries 0 MB. Radeon HD 5970 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 System on the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | Shared System RAM |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | System |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | System |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs 12 (12_1) (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2 | 12 (12_1)+7% |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.3 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.6+5% |
| Max Displays | 3 | 3 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 5970) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | VCE 4.0 |
| Decoder | UVD 2.2 | UVD 7.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,H.265,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 5970 draws 294W versus the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U's 15W — a 180.6% difference. The Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (Radeon HD 5970) vs 1W (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 305mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 90 vs 80.
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 294W | 15W-95% |
| Recommended PSU | 650W | 1W-100% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | Integrated |
| Length | 305mm | 0mm |
| Height | 111mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 90 | 80-11% |
| Perf/Watt | 7.8 | 157.1+1914% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the Radeon HD 5970 came in at $699, while the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U was 100+% cheaper ($699 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) vs Infinity (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U) — the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U (2020 vs 2009).
| Feature | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5500U |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $699 | $0-100% |
| Performance per Dollar | 3.3 | Infinity |
| Codename | Hemlock | Vega |
| Release | November 18 2009 | January 7 2020 |
| Ranking | #651 | #545 |
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