Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Pro W5500M

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 W5500M 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 W5500M: 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

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Pro W5500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌17.6% higher power demand at 100W vs 85W.

Radeon Pro W5500M

2020

Why buy it

✅2.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Radeon HD8970M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Pro W5500M is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 85W instead of 100W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Pro W5500M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3% in PassMark G3D (3,470 vs 3,369), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon Pro W5500M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon Pro W5500M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Pro W5500M Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon Pro W5500M

The Radeon Pro W5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 10 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1450 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,470 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD8970M scores 3,369 and the Radeon Pro W5500M reaches 3,470 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD8970M is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Pro W5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD8970M) vs 1,408 (Radeon Pro W5500M). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD8970M) vs 4.083 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro W5500M). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1450 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD8970M	Radeon Pro W5500M
G3D Mark Score	3,369	3,470+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1280	1408+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.304 TFLOPS	4.083 TFLOPS+77%
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1450 MHz+61%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	88+10%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD8970M	Radeon Pro W5500M
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)

The Radeon HD8970M has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro W5500M carries 4 GB. Radeon Pro W5500M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD8970M and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro W5500M. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD8970M) vs 2 MB (Radeon Pro W5500M) — the Radeon Pro W5500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD8970M	Radeon Pro W5500M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Bus Width	System	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD8970M draws 100W versus the Radeon Pro W5500M's 85W — a 16.2% difference. The Radeon Pro W5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD8970M) vs 350W (Radeon Pro W5500M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.