Radeon HD 6970M 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 6970M 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 6970M 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 6970M

2011

Why buy it

✅33.8% 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.
❌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 6.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M470

2016

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) 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.
❌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 6970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 33.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M470 instead at 2,331 vs 2,270, 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 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 R9 M470 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 R9 M470 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 R9 M470 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 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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6970M scores 2,270 and the Radeon R9 M470 reaches 2,331 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6970M is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R9 M470 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 960 (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 768 (Radeon R9 M470). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M470).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R9 M470
G3D Mark Score	2,270	2,331+3%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	960+25%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS+18%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	48	48
L1 Cache	192 KB	192 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 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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6970M 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 System on the Radeon HD 6970M and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M470. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M470) — the Radeon HD 6970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R9 M470
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	Unknown
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 R9 M470's 75W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 M470 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6970M) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M470). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R9 M470
TDP	75W	75W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	Mobile
Perf/Watt	30.3	31.1+3%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R9 M470 (2016 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6970M	Radeon R9 M470
MSRP	—	$350
Codename	Blackcomb	Emerald
Release	January 4 2011	May 15 2016
Ranking	#654	#649

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