Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire vs Tesla K80

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 Tesla K80 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 Tesla K80: 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

✅Costs $4,700 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1609.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 18.3 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅Draws 200W instead of 300W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla K80

2014

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Kepler 2.0 (2013−2015) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
1566.7% HIGHER MSRP
$5,000 MSRPvs$300 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 18.3 G3D/$ ($5,000 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 300W vs 200W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (5,500 vs 5,363), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That still leaves it as the safer long-term option on hardware alone.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire makes the most sense to buy today. It is $4,700 cheaper on MSRP at $300 vs $5,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1609.2% (18.3 vs 1.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire vs Tesla K80 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.

Tesla K80

The Tesla K80 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 17 2014. It features the Kepler 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 562 MHz to 824 MHz. It has 2496 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,363 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire scores 5,500 and the Tesla K80 reaches 5,363 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is built on GCN while the Tesla K80 uses Kepler 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) vs 2,496 (Tesla K80). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 824 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Tesla K80
G3D Mark Score	5,500+3%	5,363
Architecture	GCN	Kepler 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+3%	2496 ×2
Boost Clock	900 MHz+9%	824 MHz

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Tesla K80
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	Standard

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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 Tesla K80.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Tesla K80
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 Tesla K80's 300W — a 40% difference. The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) vs 350W (Tesla K80). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Tesla K80
TDP	200W-33%	300W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt	27.5+54%	17.9

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire came in at $300, while the Tesla K80 launched at $5000. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire was 94% cheaper ($4700 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 18.3 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) vs 1.1 (Tesla K80) — the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire offers 1563.6% better value. The newer card here is Tesla K80 (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire	Tesla K80
MSRP	$300-94%	$5000
Performance per Dollar	18.3+1564%	1.1
Codename	Neptune CF	GK210
Release	May 1 2012	November 17 2014
Ranking	#350	#419

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