Radeon HD 7870 vs GeForce GTX 1050

Place in the ranking	389	407
Place by popularity	20	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	11.38	3.00
Power efficiency	12.03	4.74
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)
GPU code name	GP107	Pitcairn
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	25 October 2016 (8 years ago)	5 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$109	$349

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1050 has 279% better value for money than HD 7870.

Detailed specifications

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

Pipelines / CUDA cores	640	1280
Core clock speed	1290 MHz	1000 MHz
Boost clock speed	1392 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	3,300 million	2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	175 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	97 °C	no data
Texture fill rate	58.20	80.00
Floating-point processing power	1.862 TFLOPS	2.56 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	40	80

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 3.0	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	145 mm	241 mm
Height	4.38" (11.1 cm)	no data
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	300 Watt	no data
Supplementary power connectors	None	2x 6-pin
SLI	-	no 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 type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	2 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1752 MHz	1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth	112 GB/s	153.6 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, Dual Link-DVI	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Multi monitor support	+	no data
Eyefinity	-	+
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	2.2	-
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream	+	-
GPU Boost	3.0	no data
VR Ready	+	no data
Ansel	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (11_1)
Shader Model	6.4	5.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2.131
CUDA	+	-

Synthetic benchmark performance

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. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1050 13.08
+8.9%

HD 7870 12.01

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.

GTX 1050 5030
+8.9%

HD 7870 4620

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 1050 8571
+38.4%

HD 7870 6194

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 1050 32463
+52.1%

HD 7870 21348

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:

900p	90−95 +7.1%	84 −7.1%
Full HD	42 −57.1%	66 +57.1%
1440p	21 +16.7%	18−20 −16.7%
4K	23 +9.5%	21−24 −9.5%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.60 +104%	5.29 −104%
1440p	5.19 +274%	19.39 −274%
4K	4.74 +251%	16.62 −251%

GTX 1050 has 104% lower cost per frame in 1080p
GTX 1050 has 274% lower cost per frame in 1440p
GTX 1050 has 251% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	11 −100%	21−24 +100%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 +13%	21−24 −13%
Elden Ring	35−40 +11.4%	35−40 −11.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	40−45 +10.3%	35−40 −10.3%
Counter-Strike 2	6 −267%	21−24 +267%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 +13%	21−24 −13%
Forza Horizon 4	53 +10.4%	45−50 −10.4%
Metro Exodus	41 +24.2%	30−35 −24.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 +6.5%	30−35 −6.5%
Valorant	39 −20.5%	45−50 +20.5%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	36 −8.3%	35−40 +8.3%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 +4.5%	21−24 −4.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 +13%	21−24 −13%
Dota 2	77 +79.1%	40−45 −79.1%
Elden Ring	35−40 +11.4%	35−40 −11.4%
Far Cry 5	56 +19.1%	45−50 −19.1%
Fortnite	70−75 +7.2%	65−70 −7.2%
Forza Horizon 4	35 −37.1%	45−50 +37.1%
Grand Theft Auto V	53 +23.3%	40−45 −23.3%
Metro Exodus	26 −26.9%	30−35 +26.9%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	95−100 +7.8%	90−95 −7.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	9 −244%	30−35 +244%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	40−45 +11.1%	35−40 −11.1%
Valorant	50−55 +8.5%	45−50 −8.5%
World of Tanks	250 +50.6%	160−170 −50.6%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	29 −34.5%	35−40 +34.5%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 +4.5%	21−24 −4.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 +13%	21−24 −13%
Dota 2	112 +160%	40−45 −160%
Far Cry 5	50−55 +6.4%	45−50 −6.4%
Forza Horizon 4	31 −54.8%	45−50 +54.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	95−100 +7.8%	90−95 −7.8%
Valorant	28 −67.9%	45−50 +67.9%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	7 −129%	16−18 +129%
Elden Ring	20−22 +11.1%	18−20 −11.1%
Grand Theft Auto V	7 −143%	16−18 +143%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 +36.2%	65−70 −36.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−12 +10%	10−11 −10%
World of Tanks	90−95 +8.2%	85−90 −8.2%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 +8.3%	24−27 −8.3%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 +9.1%	10−12 −9.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 +11.1%	9−10 −11.1%
Far Cry 5	30−33 +11.1%	27−30 −11.1%
Forza Horizon 4	18 −55.6%	27−30 +55.6%
Metro Exodus	25 +0%	24−27 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	16−18 +6.7%	14−16 −6.7%
Valorant	30−35 +6.7%	30−33 −6.7%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	8−9 +14.3%	7−8 −14.3%
Dota 2	24 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%
Elden Ring	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Grand Theft Auto V	24 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%
Metro Exodus	8−9 +14.3%	7−8 −14.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	35−40 +8.6%	35−40 −8.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	24 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	12−14 +9.1%	10−12 −9.1%
Counter-Strike 2	8−9 +14.3%	7−8 −14.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 +0%	3−4 +0%
Dota 2	47 +114%	21−24 −114%
Far Cry 5	16−18 +6.7%	14−16 −6.7%
Fortnite	14−16 +7.7%	12−14 −7.7%
Forza Horizon 4	11 −45.5%	16−18 +45.5%
Valorant	14−16 +16.7%	12−14 −16.7%

This is how GTX 1050 and HD 7870 compete in popular games:

GTX 1050 is 7% faster in 900p
HD 7870 is 57% faster in 1080p
GTX 1050 is 17% faster in 1440p
GTX 1050 is 10% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Dota 2, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1050 is 160% faster.
in Counter-Strike 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the HD 7870 is 267% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1050 is ahead in 45 tests (71%)
HD 7870 is ahead in 14 tests (22%)
there's a draw in 4 tests (6%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	13.08	12.01
Recency	25 October 2016	5 March 2012
Chip lithography	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	175 Watt

GTX 1050 has a 8.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 133.3% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 1050 and Radeon HD 7870.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.