GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 6870
GeForce RTX 4060
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Radeon HD 6870
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce RTX 4060
Performance Per Dollar
Why is GeForce RTX 4060 better than Radeon HD 6870?
Comparing the Radeon HD 6870 to the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB showcases the monumental distance covered in 13 years of graphics development. The Radeon HD 6870 was a formidable mid-to-high-end card in 2010, based on the Barts architecture. The RTX 4060 Ti 16GB is a modern, highly efficient Ada Lovelace card built for serious 1080p and 1440p gaming.\n\nIn raw performance, the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB is nearly 25 times more powerful and introduces features like hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing and AI-driven Frame Generation that didn't exist when the HD 6870 was released. The older card is no longer supported by modern drivers, making it incapable of running many current titles. The RTX 4060 Ti 16GB comfortably runs modern games at ultra settings with its 16GB buffer, providing a level of accessibility and performance that was science fiction in 2010.\n\nUltimately, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB is the superior choice for any modern gaming or work environment. The Radeon HD 6870 represents the respectable performance of over a decade ago, but for today's standards, it is completely outmatched by even modern entry-level desktop solutions. The transition to the 40-series provides a night-and-day difference in resolution, fidelity, and system speed.
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
⚠️ Generational Difference
The GeForce RTX 4060 is significantly newer (2023 vs 2010). The GeForce RTX 4060 likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon HD 6870 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce RTX 4060 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 786.1% higher G3D Mark score and 300% more VRAM (8 GB vs 2 GB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon HD 6870.
| Insight | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+786.1%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-786.1%) |
| Longevity | 🏆Elite Architecture (Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) / 5nm) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2010 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)) |
| Ecosystem | ✨ DLSS 3/4 + Frame Gen Support | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | 🎮 High Capacity (8 GB) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly | Standard Size (247mm) |
💎 Value Proposition
The GeForce RTX 4060 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Although it costs $299 (vs $50), its significant performance lead justifies the premium, offering 48.2% better value per dollar than the Radeon HD 6870.
| Insight | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ✅Better overall value (+48.2%) | ❌Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️Higher upfront cost ($299) | ✅More affordable ($50) |
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon HD 6870
GeForce RTX 4060
The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.
Radeon HD 6870
The Radeon HD 6870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,206 points. Launch price was $239.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon HD 6870's 2,206 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 786.1%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 6870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 5 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6870). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6870). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 900 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 19,548+786% | 2,206 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 3072+174% | 1120 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 15.11 TFLOPS+650% | 2.016 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 2460 MHz+173% | 900 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 96+71% | 56 |
| L1 Cache | 3 MB+1264% | 0.22 MB |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+4700% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3 Frame Gen. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon HD 6870 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 6870 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | DLSS 3.5 | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | DLSS 3.0 (Native) | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | Yes (DLSS 3.5) | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce RTX 4060 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6870 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6870) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+300% | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 272 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+4700% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6870). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+9% | 11.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | N/A |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs None (Radeon HD 6870). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6870).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 8th gen | None |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD 3.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 | MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon HD 6870's 151W — a 27.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6870). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 247mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 85.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 115W-24% | 151W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 500W-9% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 240mm | 247mm |
| Height | 111mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 73°C-14% | 85 |
| Perf/Watt | 170.0+1064% | 14.6 |
Value Analysis
The GeForce RTX 4060 launched at $299 MSRP and currently averages $299, while the Radeon HD 6870 launched at $239 and now averages $50. The Radeon HD 6870 costs 83.3% less ($249 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 44.1 (Radeon HD 6870) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 48.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2010).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $299 | $239-20% |
| Avg Price (30d) | $299 | $50-83% |
| Performance per Dollar | 65.4+48% | 44.1 |
| Codename | AD107 | Barts |
| Release | May 18 2023 | October 21 2010 |
| Ranking | #84 | #661 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
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