Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5300M

AMD

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

2012Core: 850 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5300M

2019Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1445 MHz
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Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5300M Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5300M 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 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5300M: 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 7970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5300M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 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.
  • 135.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 85W.

Radeon RX 5300M

2019

Why buy it

  • 6.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 85W instead of 200W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 5300M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (5,044 vs 5,000), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 5300M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 3 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire has no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2012. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 5300M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5300M Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,000 points.

AMD

Radeon RX 5300M

The Radeon RX 5300M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 13 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1445 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,044 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire scores 5,000 and the Radeon RX 5300M reaches 5,044 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is built on GCN while the Radeon RX 5300M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5300M).

FeatureRadeon HD 7970M CrossfireRadeon RX 5300M
G3D Mark Score
5,000
5,044
Architecture
GCN
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560+82%
1408
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5300M is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureRadeon HD 7970M CrossfireRadeon RX 5300M
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
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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5300M carries 3 GB. Radeon RX 5300M gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 153.6 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) vs 168 GB/s (Radeon RX 5300M) — a 9.4% advantage for the Radeon RX 5300M. Memory bus width is 256-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire and 96-bit on the Radeon RX 5300M.

FeatureRadeon HD 7970M CrossfireRadeon RX 5300M
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
3 GB+50%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
153.6 GB/s x2
168 GB/s+9%
Bus Width
256-bit x2+167%
96-bit
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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire draws 200W versus the Radeon RX 5300M's 85W — a 80.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5300M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5300M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon HD 7970M CrossfireRadeon RX 5300M
TDP
200W
85W-57%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt
25.0
59.3+137%