Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016, $199
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
23.01
+56.6%

1060 3 GB outperforms HD 7970M Crossfire by an impressive 57% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking280405
Place by popularity32not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation20.08no data
Power efficiency14.845.68
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)GCN (2012−2015)
GPU code nameGP106Wimbledon XT
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date18 August 2016 (10 years ago)1 May 2012 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.

no data

Performance to price scatter graph

Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Real power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially if overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores11522560
Core clock speed1506 MHz850 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHzno data
Number of transistors4,400 millionno data
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt200 Watt
Texture fill rate123.0no data
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPSno data
ROPs48no data
TMUs72no data
L1 Cache432 KBno data
L2 Cache1536 KBno data

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16no data
Length250 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pinno data

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3 GBno data
Memory bus width192 Bit2x 256 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/sno data
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortno data
HDMI+-

API and SDK support

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)11.1
Shader Model6.4no data
OpenGL4.6no data
OpenCL1.2no data
Vulkan+-
CUDA6.1-

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p200−210
+51.5%
132
−51.5%
Full HD150−160
+47.1%
102
−47.1%

Cost per frame, $

1080p1.33no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low

Atomic Heart 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%

Full HD
Medium

Atomic Heart 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Battlefield 5 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Fortnite 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Valorant 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%

Full HD
High

Atomic Heart 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Battlefield 5 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 190−200
+0%
190−200
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Dota 2 90−95
+0%
90−95
+0%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Fortnite 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Valorant 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%

Full HD
Ultra

Battlefield 5 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Dota 2 90−95
+0%
90−95
+0%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Valorant 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%

Full HD
Epic

Fortnite 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%

1440p
High

Counter-Strike 2 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Metro Exodus 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Valorant 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%

1440p
Ultra

Battlefield 5 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Far Cry 5 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

1440p
Epic

Fortnite 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%

4K
High

Atomic Heart 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Metro Exodus 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Valorant 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%

4K
Ultra

Battlefield 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Dota 2 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Far Cry 5 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

4K
Epic

Fortnite 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and HD 7970M Crossfire compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 52% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 47% faster in 1080p

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 23.01 14.69
Recency 18 August 2016 1 May 2012
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 200 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 57% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 67% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is a desktop graphics card while Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire is a notebook one.

Other comparisons

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.1 10711 votes

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2.1 19 votes

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