Radeon HD 7870 vs GeForce GTX 1050

Place in performance ranking	359	373
Place by popularity	18	not in top-100
Value for money	4.05	2.74
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	GCN (2011−2017)
GPU code name	N17P-G1	Pitcairn XT
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	25 October 2016 (7 years ago)	5 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$109	$412.83
Current price	$211 (1.9x MSRP)	$200 (0.5x MSRP)

Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1050 has 48% better value for money than HD 7870.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	640	1280
CUDA cores	640	no data
Core clock speed	1290 MHz	1000 MHz
Boost clock speed	1392 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	3,300 million	2800 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 performance	1,862 gflops	no data

Size and 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	5.7" (14.5 cm)	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 options	-	no data
SLI	-	no data

Memory

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	7008 MHz	4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth	112 GB/s	153.6 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Video outputs and ports

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	no data	+
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	2.2	no data
G-SYNC support	+	no data

Technologies

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

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

API support

List of supported graphics 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	+	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance 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 13.04
+8.8%

HD 7870 11.98

GeForce GTX 1050 outperforms Radeon HD 7870 by 9% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GTX 1050 5049
+8.9%

HD 7870 4637

GeForce GTX 1050 outperforms Radeon HD 7870 by 9% in Passmark.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1050 32463
+52.1%

HD 7870 21348

GeForce GTX 1050 outperforms Radeon HD 7870 by 52% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1050 8571
+38.4%

HD 7870 6194

GeForce GTX 1050 outperforms Radeon HD 7870 by 38% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

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	45 −46.7%	66 +46.7%
1440p	24 +14.3%	21−24 −14.3%
4K	22 +22.2%	18−21 −22.2%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

20−22
+11.1%

18−20

−11.1%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	38 +52%	24−27 −52%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +10.5%	18−20 −10.5%
Battlefield 5	56 +36.6%	40−45 −36.6%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	34 +9.7%	30−35 −9.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +11.1%	18−20 −11.1%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +9.7%	30−35 −9.7%
Far Cry New Dawn	41 +28.1%	30−35 −28.1%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 +9.5%	40−45 −9.5%
Hitman 3	35−40 +9.4%	30−35 −9.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +8%	24−27 −8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	31 +55%	20−22 −55%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27 +8%	24−27 −8%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	26 +4%	24−27 −4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +10.5%	18−20 −10.5%
Battlefield 5	43 +4.9%	40−45 −4.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	24 −29.2%	30−35 +29.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +11.1%	18−20 −11.1%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +9.7%	30−35 −9.7%
Far Cry New Dawn	38 +18.8%	30−35 −18.8%
Forza Horizon 4	49 +16.7%	40−45 −16.7%
Hitman 3	35−40 +9.4%	30−35 −9.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +8%	24−27 −8%
Metro Exodus	17 −5.9%	18−20 +5.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	9 −122%	20−22 +122%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	24 −4.2%	24−27 +4.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	38 +5.6%	36 −5.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	15 −66.7%	24−27 +66.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +10.5%	18−20 −10.5%
Battlefield 5	36 −13.9%	40−45 +13.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +11.1%	18−20 −11.1%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +9.7%	30−35 −9.7%
Far Cry New Dawn	35 +9.4%	30−35 −9.4%
Forza Horizon 4	34 −23.5%	40−45 +23.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	20 +0%	20 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +9.1%	21−24 −9.1%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +11.8%	16−18 −11.8%
Hitman 3	20−22 +5.3%	18−20 −5.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	18−20 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Metro Exodus	10−12 +10%	10−11 −10%
Red Dead Redemption 2	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 +13.3%	14−16 −13.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12−14 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−11 +25%	8−9 −25%
Battlefield 5	27 +17.4%	21−24 −17.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +16.7%	6−7 −16.7%
Far Cry 5	21−24 +10.5%	18−20 −10.5%
Far Cry New Dawn	25 +19%	21−24 −19%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 +8.7%	21−24 −8.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	7−8 +16.7%	6−7 −16.7%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 +12.5%	8−9 −12.5%
Hitman 3	12−14 +9.1%	10−12 −9.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Metro Exodus	6−7 +20%	5−6 −20%
Red Dead Redemption 2	7−8 +16.7%	6−7 −16.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	15 +50%	10−11 −50%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	8−9 +14.3%	7−8 −14.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	6−7 +20%	5−6 −20%
Battlefield 5	12−14 +18.2%	10−12 −18.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +0%	2−3 +0%
Far Cry 5	10−11 +11.1%	9−10 −11.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	11 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 +12.5%	16−18 −12.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	5−6 +25%	4−5 −25%

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

GTX 1050 is 7.1% faster than HD 7870 in 900p
HD 7870 is 46.7% faster than GTX 1050 in 1080p
GTX 1050 is 14.3% faster than HD 7870 in 1440p
GTX 1050 is 22.2% faster than HD 7870 in 4K

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

in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 1050 is 55% faster than the HD 7870.
in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the HD 7870 is 122% faster than the GTX 1050.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1050 is ahead in 55 tests (81%)
HD 7870 is ahead in 8 tests (12%)
there's a draw in 5 tests (7%)

Advantages and disadvantages

Performance score	13.04	11.98
Recency	25 October 2016	5 March 2012
Cost	$109	$412.83
Chip lithography	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	175 Watt