GeForce 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 6970
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce 9800 GX2, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
HD 6970 outperforms 9800 GX2 by a whopping 362% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 613 | 1045 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.94 | 0.03 |
| Power efficiency | 2.10 | 0.58 |
| Architecture | TeraScale 3 (2010−2013) | Tesla (2006−2010) |
| GPU code name | Cayman | G92 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Design | reference | no data |
| Release date | 14 December 2010 (15 years ago) | 18 March 2008 (18 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $369 | $599 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
HD 6970 has 3033% better value for money than 9800 GX2.
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 cores | 1536 | 256 (128 per GPU) ×2 |
| Core clock speed | no data | 600 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 880 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,640 million | 754 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 65 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 550 Watt | 197 Watt |
| Maximum GPU temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| Texture fill rate | 84.48 | 38.40 ×2 |
| Floating-point processing power | 2.703 TFLOPS | 0.384 TFLOPS ×2 |
| ROPs | 32 | 16 ×2 |
| TMUs | 96 | 64 ×2 |
| L1 Cache | 192 KB | no data |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 64 KB |
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).
| Bus support | PCIe 2.0 x16 | no data |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Length | 286 mm | 267 mm |
| Height | no data | 2-slot |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| SLI options | - | + |
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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 512 MB ×2 |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 512 Bit ×2 |
| Memory clock speed | 1375 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | no data | 128 (64 per GPU) ×2 |
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 Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | HDMIDual Link DVI |
| Multi monitor support | no data | + |
| Eyefinity | + | - |
| HDMI | + | + |
| Maximum VGA resolution | no data | 2048x1536 |
| Audio input for HDMI | no data | S/PDIF |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| CrossFire | + | - |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | DirectX® 11 | 11.1 (10_0) |
| Shader Model | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 2.1 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | - | N/A |
| CUDA | - | + |
Synthetic benchmarks
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Atomic Heart | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+386%
|
7−8
−386%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Atomic Heart | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 30−33
+400%
|
6−7
−400%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+386%
|
7−8
−386%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 21−24
+450%
|
4−5
−450%
|
| Fortnite | 40−45
+367%
|
9−10
−367%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 30−35
+417%
|
6−7
−417%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 20−22
+400%
|
4−5
−400%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 24−27
+400%
|
5−6
−400%
|
| Valorant | 70−75
+421%
|
14−16
−421%
|
Full HD
High
| Atomic Heart | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 30−33
+400%
|
6−7
−400%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+386%
|
7−8
−386%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 110−120
+363%
|
24−27
−363%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
| Dota 2 | 50−55
+440%
|
10−11
−440%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 21−24
+450%
|
4−5
−450%
|
| Fortnite | 40−45
+367%
|
9−10
−367%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 30−35
+417%
|
6−7
−417%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 20−22
+400%
|
4−5
−400%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 24−27
+380%
|
5−6
−380%
|
| Metro Exodus | 12−14
+550%
|
2−3
−550%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 24−27
+400%
|
5−6
−400%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 18−20
+500%
|
3−4
−500%
|
| Valorant | 70−75
+421%
|
14−16
−421%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 30−33
+400%
|
6−7
−400%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
| Dota 2 | 50−55
+440%
|
10−11
−440%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 21−24
+450%
|
4−5
−450%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 30−35
+417%
|
6−7
−417%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 24−27
+400%
|
5−6
−400%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 18−20
+500%
|
3−4
−500%
|
| Valorant | 70−75
+421%
|
14−16
−421%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 40−45
+367%
|
9−10
−367%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 12−14
+550%
|
2−3
−550%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 50−55
+420%
|
10−11
−420%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 7−8
+600%
|
1−2
−600%
|
| Metro Exodus | 6−7
+500%
|
1−2
−500%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 40−45
+400%
|
8−9
−400%
|
| Valorant | 65−70
+393%
|
14−16
−393%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 12−14
+550%
|
2−3
−550%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 12−14
+550%
|
2−3
−550%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
+433%
|
3−4
−433%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10
+800%
|
1−2
−800%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 14−16
+367%
|
3−4
−367%
|
4K
High
| Atomic Heart | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 16−18
+467%
|
3−4
−467%
|
| Metro Exodus | 2−3 | 0−1 |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Valorant | 27−30
+383%
|
6−7
−383%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
+500%
|
1−2
−500%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3 | 0−1 |
| Dota 2 | 24−27
+400%
|
5−6
−400%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 6−7
+500%
|
1−2
−500%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 10−12
+450%
|
2−3
−450%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 7−8
+600%
|
1−2
−600%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 7−8
+600%
|
1−2
−600%
|
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 6.79 | 1.47 |
| Recency | 14 December 2010 | 18 March 2008 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 512 MB |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 65 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 550 Watt | 197 Watt |
HD 6970 has a 362% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 63% more advanced lithography process.
9800 GX2, on the other hand, has 179% lower power consumption.
The Radeon HD 6970 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 9800 GX2 in performance tests.
Other comparisons
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