Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon RX 560 (móvel)

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 XT vs Radeon RX 560 (móvel) 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 XT vs Radeon RX 560 (móvel): 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 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅16.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
172.7% HIGHER MSRP
$270 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 45.5 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌184.6% higher power demand at 185W vs 65W.

Radeon RX 560 (móvel)

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $171 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Delivers 174.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.5 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon HD 7870 XT is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon RX 560 (móvel) is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 65W instead of 185W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7870 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 560 (móvel) instead at 4,500 vs 4,470, 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 RX 560 (móvel) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon HD 7870 XT has no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 560 (móvel) makes the most sense to buy today. It is $171 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $270, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 174.6% (45.5 vs 16.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7870 XT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon RX 560 (móvel) Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7870 XT

The Radeon HD 7870 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,470 points. Launch price was $270.

Radeon RX 560 (móvel)

The Radeon RX 560 (móvel) is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 5 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1175 MHz to 1275 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,500 points. Launch price was $99.99.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7870 XT scores 4,470 and the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) reaches 4,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7870 XT is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 560 (móvel)). Raw compute: 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 2.462 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 560 (móvel)). Boost clocks: 975 MHz vs 1275 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon RX 560 (móvel)
G3D Mark Score	4,470	4,500
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	1536+50%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.995 TFLOPS+22%	2.462 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	975 MHz	1275 MHz+31%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	96+50%	64
L1 Cache	384 KB+50%	256 KB
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 7870 XT does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon RX 560 (móvel)
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
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 XT and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 560 (móvel). L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 560 (móvel)) — the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon RX 560 (móvel)
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7870 XT draws 185W versus the Radeon RX 560 (móvel)'s 65W — a 96% difference. The Radeon RX 560 (móvel) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 350W (Radeon RX 560 (móvel)). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon RX 560 (móvel)
TDP	185W	65W-65%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	24.2	69.2+186%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7870 XT came in at $270, while the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon RX 560 (móvel) was 63.3% cheaper ($171 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 45.5 (Radeon RX 560 (móvel)) — the Radeon RX 560 (móvel) offers 174.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 560 (móvel) (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon RX 560 (móvel)
MSRP	$270	$99-63%
Performance per Dollar	16.6	45.5+174%
Codename	Tahiti	Baffin
Release	November 19 2012	January 5 2017
Ranking	#469	#478

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