Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Pro 460

AMD

Radeon HD8970M

2013Core: 850 MHzBoost: 900 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Pro 460

2016Core: 850 MHzBoost: 907 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Pro 460 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 HD8970M vs Radeon Pro 460 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 HD8970M vs Radeon Pro 460: 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 HD8970M

2013

Why buy it

  • 14.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 2 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 6.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
  • 185.7% higher power demand at 100W vs 35W.

Radeon Pro 460

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 35W instead of 100W, a 65W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD8970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD8970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon Pro 460 instead at 3,453 vs 3,369, 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 HD8970M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Pro 460 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 Pro 460 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD8970M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Pro 460 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD8970M

The Radeon HD8970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,369 points.

AMD

Radeon Pro 460

The Radeon Pro 460 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 30 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 907 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,453 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD8970M scores 3,369 and the Radeon Pro 460 reaches 3,453 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD8970M is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Pro 460 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD8970M) vs 1,024 (Radeon Pro 460). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD8970M) vs 1.858 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro 460). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 907 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Pro 460
G3D Mark Score
3,369
3,453+2%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1280+25%
1024
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.304 TFLOPS+24%
1.858 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
900 MHz
907 MHz
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

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Pro 460
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 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD8970M and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro 460. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD8970M) vs 1 MB (Radeon Pro 460) — the Radeon Pro 460 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Pro 460
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Bus Width
System
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1 MB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD8970M draws 100W versus the Radeon Pro 460's 35W — a 96.3% difference. The Radeon Pro 460 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD8970M) vs 350W (Radeon Pro 460). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Pro 460
TDP
100W
35W-65%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt
33.7
98.7+193%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon Pro 460 (2016 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Pro 460
MSRP
$500
Codename
Neptune
Baffin
Release
May 14 2013
October 30 2016
Ranking
#507
#547

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