Radeon HD 7970M vs Radeon RX 560

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 vs Radeon RX 560 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 vs Radeon RX 560: 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

2012

Why buy it

✅10.1% 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 4 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 37.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

Radeon RX 560

2017

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon HD 7970M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon RX 560 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 560 instead at 3,682 vs 3,663, 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 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 7970M 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 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7970M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 7970M vs Radeon RX 560 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

Radeon RX 560

The Radeon RX 560 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 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 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,682 points. Launch price was $99.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7970M scores 3,663 and the Radeon RX 560 reaches 3,682 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7970M is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon RX 560 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 560). Raw compute: 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M) vs 2.611 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 560).

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
G3D Mark Score	3,663	3,682
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	1280+25%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.176 TFLOPS	2.611 TFLOPS+20%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+25%	64
L1 Cache	320 KB+25%	256 KB
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 560 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 7970M does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD 7970M and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 560. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7970M) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 560) — the Radeon RX 560 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	Unknown
Bus Width	System	256-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon RX 560). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+100%	3

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 560). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M) vs HEVC,H.264,VP9,MPEG-4 (Radeon RX 560).

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 3	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	HEVC,H.264,VP9,MPEG-4

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7970M draws 100W versus the Radeon RX 560's 75W — a 28.6% difference. The Radeon RX 560 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7970M) vs 450W (Radeon RX 560). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 70 C.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
TDP	100W	75W-25%
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	None
Length	—	170mm
Height	—	112mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	70 C-18%
Perf/Watt	36.6	49.1+34%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 560 (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7970M	Radeon RX 560
MSRP	—	$99
Codename	Wimbledon	Polaris 21
Release	April 24 2012	April 18 2017
Ranking	#531	#527

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