Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H

AMD

Radeon HD8970M

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

Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H

2021Core: 1626 MHzBoost: 2491 MHz
Similar parts
·······

Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H 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 Ryzen 5 6600H 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 Ryzen 5 6600H: 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

  • Draws 100W instead of 132W, a 32W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H

2021

Why buy it

  • 47.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 32% higher power demand at 132W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 47.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (3,448 vs 3,369), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 28nm, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Radeon HD8970M vs Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H 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 Ryzen 5 6600H

The Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 13 2021. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1626 MHz to 2491 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 132W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,448 points. Launch price was $329.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD8970M scores 3,369 and the Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H reaches 3,448 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD8970M is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD8970M) vs 1,792 (Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD8970M) vs 8.928 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 2491 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Ryzen 5 6600H
G3D Mark Score
3,369
3,448+2%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
1280
1792+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.304 TFLOPS
8.928 TFLOPS+288%
Boost Clock
900 MHz
2491 MHz+177%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
80
112+40%
L1 Cache
320 KB
512 KB+60%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Ryzen 5 6600H
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 Shared. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD8970M and System on the Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD8970M) vs 2 MB (Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H) — the Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Ryzen 5 6600H
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
Shared
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
System
System
Bus Width
System
System
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD8970M draws 100W versus the Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H's 132W — a 27.6% difference. The Radeon HD8970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD8970M) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None.

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Ryzen 5 6600H
TDP
100W-24%
132W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Perf/Watt
33.7+29%
26.1
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 5 6600H (2021 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon HD8970MRadeon Ryzen 5 6600H
MSRP
$350
Codename
Neptune
Navi 23
Release
May 14 2013
October 13 2021
Ranking
#507
#150

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.