GeForce GTX 870M vs GTX 470

Place in the ranking	513	483
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.28	no data
Power efficiency	2.75	6.56
Architecture	Fermi (2010−2014)	Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code name	GF100	GK104
Market segment	Desktop	Laptop
Release date	26 March 2010 (14 years ago)	12 March 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$349	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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	448	1344
CUDA cores	448	1344
Core clock speed	607 MHz	941 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	967 MHz
Number of transistors	3,100 million	3,540 million
Manufacturing process technology	40 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	215 Watt	100 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	105 °C	no data
Texture fill rate	34.05	108.3
Floating-point processing power	1.089 TFLOPS	2.599 TFLOPS
ROPs	40	24
TMUs	56	112

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 size	no data	large
Bus support	16x PCI-E 2.0	PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0
Interface	PCIe 2.0 x16	MXM-B (3.0)
Length	241 mm	no data
Height	4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)	no data
Width	2-slot	no data
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pin	None
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	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	1280 MB	3 GB
Standard memory configuration	no data	GDDR5
Memory bus width	320 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	1674 MHz (3348 data rate)	Up to 2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	133.9 GB/s	120.0 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	Two Dual Link DVIMini HDMI	No outputs
Multi monitor support	+	no data
eDP 1.2 signal support	no data	Up to 3840x2160
LVDS signal support	no data	Up to 1920x1200
VGA аnalog display support	no data	Up to 2048x1536
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	no data	Up to 3840x2160
HDMI	+	+
HDCP content protection	-	+
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536	no data
Audio input for HDMI	Internal	no data
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI	-	+
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming	-	+

Supported technologies

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

H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	-	+
Optimus	-	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Shader Model	5.1	5.1
OpenGL	4.2	4.5
OpenCL	1.1	1.1
Vulkan	N/A	1.1.126
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 470 8.05

GTX 870M 8.94
+11.1%

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 470 3106

GTX 870M 3449
+11%

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 470 16753

GTX 870M 24035
+43.5%

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 470 4342

GTX 870M 7156
+64.8%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 470 2758

GTX 870M 4694
+70.2%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 470 25757

GTX 870M 31322
+21.6%

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 470 10961

GTX 870M 12598
+14.9%

Octane Render OctaneBench

This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists.

GTX 470 44
+29.4%

GTX 870M 34

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	52 −5.8%	55−60 +5.8%
Full HD	67 +48.9%	45 −48.9%
1200p	53 −3.8%	55−60 +3.8%
4K	16−18 −18.8%	19 +18.8%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

12−14

−7.7%

14−16
+7.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	20−22 −10%	21−24 +10%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−12 −18.2%	12−14 +18.2%
Battlefield 5	24−27 −12.5%	27−30 +12.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	16−18 −12.5%	18−20 +12.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	12−14 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
Far Cry 5	18−20 −11.1%	20−22 +11.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	21−24 −8.7%	24−27 +8.7%
Forza Horizon 4	50−55 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%
Hitman 3	16−18 −6.3%	16−18 +6.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	45−50 −8.7%	50−55 +8.7%
Metro Exodus	24−27 −16.7%	27−30 +16.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 −13.6%	24−27 +13.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 −7.4%	27−30 +7.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion	55−60 −5.3%	60−65 +5.3%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	20−22 −10%	21−24 +10%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−12 −18.2%	12−14 +18.2%
Battlefield 5	24−27 −12.5%	27−30 +12.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	16−18 −12.5%	18−20 +12.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	12−14 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
Far Cry 5	18−20 −11.1%	20−22 +11.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	21−24 −8.7%	24−27 +8.7%
Forza Horizon 4	50−55 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%
Hitman 3	16−18 −6.3%	16−18 +6.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	45−50 −8.7%	50−55 +8.7%
Metro Exodus	24−27 −16.7%	27−30 +16.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 −13.6%	24−27 +13.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 −7.4%	27−30 +7.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 −283%	88 +283%
Watch Dogs: Legion	55−60 −5.3%	60−65 +5.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	20−22 −10%	21−24 +10%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−12 −18.2%	12−14 +18.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	16−18 −12.5%	18−20 +12.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	12−14 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
Far Cry 5	18−20 −11.1%	20−22 +11.1%
Forza Horizon 4	50−55 −11.1%	60−65 +11.1%
Hitman 3	16−18 −6.3%	16−18 +6.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	45−50 −8.7%	50−55 +8.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 −7.4%	27−30 +7.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 +53.3%	15 −53.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	55−60 −5.3%	60−65 +5.3%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

21−24

−13.6%

24−27
+13.6%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	16−18 −6.3%	16−18 +6.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	12−14 −16.7%	14−16 +16.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	8−9 −12.5%	9−10 +12.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 −25%	5−6 +25%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −12.5%	9−10 +12.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Far Cry 5	9−10 −11.1%	10−11 +11.1%
Forza Horizon 4	30−35 −19.4%	35−40 +19.4%
Hitman 3	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn	16−18 −11.8%	18−20 +11.8%
Metro Exodus	10−11 −20%	12−14 +20%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	7−8 −42.9%	10−11 +42.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	7−8 −14.3%	8−9 +14.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	50−55 −11.8%	55−60 +11.8%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

14−16

−7.1%

14−16
+7.1%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	7−8 −14.3%	8−9 +14.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%
Hitman 3	4−5 −25%	5−6 +25%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 −24.1%	35−40 +24.1%
Metro Exodus	6−7 −16.7%	7−8 +16.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	5−6 −20%	6−7 +20%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −33.3%	4−5 +33.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	1−2 +0%	1−2 +0%
Far Cry 5	4−5 −25%	5−6 +25%
Forza Horizon 4	9−10 −22.2%	10−12 +22.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	3−4 −66.7%	5−6 +66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	3−4 +0%	3−4 +0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

8−9

−12.5%

9−10
+12.5%

This is how GTX 470 and GTX 870M compete in popular games:

GTX 870M is 6% faster in 900p
GTX 470 is 49% faster in 1080p
GTX 870M is 4% faster in 1200p
GTX 870M is 19% faster in 4K

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

in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 470 is 53% faster.
in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 870M is 283% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 470 is ahead in 1 test (1%)
GTX 870M is ahead in 65 tests (90%)
there's a draw in 6 tests (8%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	8.05	8.94
Recency	26 March 2010	12 March 2014
Maximum RAM amount	1280 MB	3 GB
Chip lithography	40 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	215 Watt	100 Watt

GTX 870M has a 11.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 140% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 115% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 870M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 470 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 470 is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 870M is a notebook one.

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