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 6970 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170 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 6970 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170: 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 6970

2010

Why buy it

✅11.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $31 less on MSRP ($369 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

Radeon Pro WX 4170

2016

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6970 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.
❌
8.4% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$369 MSRP

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6970 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 11.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon Pro WX 4170 instead at 2,870 vs 2,831, 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 6970 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 HD 6970 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $31 cheaper on MSRP at $369 vs $400, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 6.9% (7.7 vs 7.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 6970 vs Radeon Pro WX 4170 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6970

The Radeon HD 6970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,831 points. Launch price was $369.

Radeon Pro WX 4170

The Radeon Pro WX 4170 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 10 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1125 MHz to 1201 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,870 points. Launch price was $399.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6970 scores 2,831 and the Radeon Pro WX 4170 reaches 2,870 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6970 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 uses GCN 4.0, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 6970) vs 1,024 (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Raw compute: 2.703 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970) vs 2.46 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Boost clocks: 880 MHz vs 1201 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
G3D Mark Score	2,831	2,870+1%
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 4.0
Process Node	40 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	1536+50%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.703 TFLOPS+10%	2.46 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	880 MHz	1201 MHz+36%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	96+50%	64
L1 Cache	192 KB	256 KB+33%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
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)

The Radeon HD 6970 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 carries 4 GB. Radeon Pro WX 4170 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 6970 and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro WX 4170. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6970) vs 1 MB (Radeon Pro WX 4170) — the Radeon Pro WX 4170 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (Radeon HD 6970) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
DirectX	11.0	12 (12_0)+9%
Vulkan	N/A	1.3
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	6+50%	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6970) vs VCE 3.4 (Polaris) (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6970) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only),AV1 (Decode Only) (Radeon Pro WX 4170).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
Encoder	None	VCE 3.4 (Polaris)
Decoder	UVD 3.0	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only),AV1 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6970 draws 250W versus the Radeon Pro WX 4170's 50W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon Pro WX 4170 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (Radeon HD 6970) vs 350W (Radeon Pro WX 4170). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 90 vs 80°C.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
TDP	250W	50W-80%
Recommended PSU	550W	350W-36%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	286mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	90	80°C-11%
Perf/Watt	11.3	57.4+408%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6970 came in at $369, while the Radeon Pro WX 4170 launched at $400. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6970 was 7.8% cheaper ($31 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.7 (Radeon HD 6970) vs 7.2 (Radeon Pro WX 4170) — the Radeon HD 6970 offers 6.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro WX 4170 (2016 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970	Radeon Pro WX 4170
MSRP	$369-8%	$400
Performance per Dollar	7.7+7%	7.2
Codename	Cayman	Baffin
Release	December 14 2010	November 10 2016
Ranking	#596	#526

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