Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire vs Radeon TM

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 8970M Crossfire vs Radeon TM 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 8970M Crossfire vs Radeon TM: 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 8970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 18.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon TM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 15W.

Radeon TM

2024

Why buy it

✅26.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 200W, a 185W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 18.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon TM is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.2% in PassMark G3D (5,564 vs 5,500), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon TM is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 28nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire 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 HD 8970M Crossfire is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon TM has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire vs Radeon TM Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,500 points.

Radeon TM

The Radeon TM is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 15 2024. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 400 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,564 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire scores 5,500 and the Radeon TM reaches 5,564 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is built on GCN while the Radeon TM uses RDNA 3.5, both on 28 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) vs 1,024 (Radeon TM). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 2900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Radeon TM
G3D Mark Score	5,500	5,564+1%
Architecture	GCN	RDNA 3.5
Process Node	28 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	2560+150%	1024
Boost Clock	900 MHz	2900 MHz+222%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Radeon TM
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 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire and 128-bit on the Radeon TM.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Radeon TM
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit x2+100%	128-bit

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire draws 200W versus the Radeon TM's 15W — a 172.1% difference. The Radeon TM is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) vs 350W (Radeon TM). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Radeon TM
TDP	200W	15W-93%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt	27.5	370.9+1249%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon TM (2024 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Radeon TM
MSRP	$300	—
Codename	Neptune CF	Strix Point
Release	May 1 2012	July 15 2024
Ranking	#350	#312

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