Radeon HD 6970M vs Radeon R7 250X

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 6970M vs Radeon R7 250X 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 6970M vs Radeon R7 250X: 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 6970M

2011

Why buy it

✅57.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 2 GB 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 22.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Radeon R7 250X

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 22.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 2 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 6970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 57.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0% in PassMark G3D (2,270 vs 2,269), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 6970M 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 R7 250X 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 R7 250X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6970M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6970M vs Radeon R7 250X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6970M

The Radeon HD 6970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,270 points.

Radeon R7 250X

The Radeon R7 250X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,269 points. Launch price was $99.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6970M scores 2,270 and the Radeon R7 250X reaches 2,269 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6970M is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R7 250X uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 960 (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 640 (Radeon R7 250X). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 250X).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R7 250X
G3D Mark Score	2,270	2,269
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	960+50%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS+7%	1.216 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	48+20%	40
L1 Cache	192 KB+20%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R7 250X
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 video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD 6970M and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 250X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 250X) — the Radeon HD 6970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R7 250X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	72 GB/s
Bus Width	System	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6970M draws 75W versus the Radeon R7 250X's 80W — a 6.5% difference. The Radeon HD 6970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 400W (Radeon R7 250X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R7 250X
TDP	75W-6%	80W
Recommended PSU	350W-13%	400W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	210mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	70°C
Perf/Watt	30.3+7%	28.4

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R7 250X (2014 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R7 250X
MSRP	—	$99
Codename	Blackcomb	Cape Verde
Release	January 4 2011	February 13 2014
Ranking	#654	#655

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