Radeon HD 7870 vs Radeon Sky 500

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 7870 vs Radeon Sky 500 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 7870 vs Radeon Sky 500: 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 7870

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $151 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 38.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.1 vs 9.4 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Sky 500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Radeon Sky 500

2013

Why buy it

✅1.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
43.3% HIGHER MSRP
$500 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.4 vs 13.1 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Sky 500 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.4% in PassMark G3D (4,723 vs 4,568), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 7870 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 7870 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $151 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 38.6% (13.1 vs 9.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon Sky 500 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 7870 vs Radeon Sky 500 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon HD 7870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,568 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon Sky 500

The Radeon Sky 500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 27 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 950 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,723 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7870 scores 4,568 and the Radeon Sky 500 reaches 4,723 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7870 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Sky 500 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 7870) vs 1,280 (Radeon Sky 500). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870) vs 2.432 TFLOPS (Radeon Sky 500).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon Sky 500
G3D Mark Score	4,568	4,723+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+5%	2.432 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	80
L1 Cache	320 KB	320 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon Sky 500
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870 and 64-bit on the Radeon Sky 500.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon Sky 500
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7870 draws 200W versus the Radeon Sky 500's 150W — a 28.6% difference. The Radeon Sky 500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7870) vs 350W (Radeon Sky 500). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon Sky 500
TDP	200W	150W-25%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	241mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	22.8	31.5+38%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7870 came in at $349, while the Radeon Sky 500 launched at $500. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7870 was 30.2% cheaper ($151 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.1 (Radeon HD 7870) vs 9.4 (Radeon Sky 500) — the Radeon HD 7870 offers 39.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Sky 500 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon Sky 500
MSRP	$349-30%	$500
Performance per Dollar	13.1+39%	9.4
Codename	Pitcairn	Pitcairn
Release	March 5 2012	March 27 2013
Ranking	#460	#455

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