Radeon HD 6970 vs GeForce GTX 480
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce GTX 480 and Radeon HD 6970, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
GTX 480 outperforms HD 6970 by a considerable 45% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 431 | 538 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.64 | 1.05 |
| Power efficiency | 2.95 | 2.04 |
| Architecture | Fermi (2010−2014) | TeraScale 3 (2010−2013) |
| GPU code name | GF100 | Cayman |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Design | no data | reference |
| Release date | 26 March 2010 (14 years ago) | 14 December 2010 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $499 | $369 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
GTX 480 has 56% better value for money than HD 6970.
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 | 480 | 1536 |
| Core clock speed | 700 MHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 880 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 3,100 million | 2,640 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 40 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 550 Watt |
| Maximum GPU temperature | 105 °C | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 42.06 | 84.48 |
| Floating-point processing power | 1.345 TFLOPS | 2.703 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48 | 32 |
| TMUs | 60 | 96 |
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 | 16x PCI-E 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Length | 267 mm | 267 mm |
| Height | 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm) | no data |
| 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 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1536 MB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 384 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1848 MHz (3696 data rate) | 1375 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 177.4 GB/s | no data |
| 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 DVI, Mini HDMI | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort |
| Multi monitor support | + | no data |
| Eyefinity | - | + |
| HDMI | + | + |
| HDCP | + | - |
| Maximum VGA resolution | 2048x1536 | no data |
| Audio input for HDMI | Internal | no data |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| CrossFire | - | + |
API compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | DirectX® 11 |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | N/A | - |
| 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.
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.
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.
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 Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 20−22
+33.3%
|
14−16
−33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+50%
|
14−16
−50%
|
| Elden Ring | 30−35
+55%
|
20−22
−55%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+52.2%
|
21−24
−52.2%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 20−22
+33.3%
|
14−16
−33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+50%
|
14−16
−50%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+43.3%
|
30−33
−43.3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 27−30
+52.6%
|
18−20
−52.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 27−30
+33.3%
|
21−24
−33.3%
|
| Valorant | 40−45
+70.8%
|
24−27
−70.8%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+52.2%
|
21−24
−52.2%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 20−22
+33.3%
|
14−16
−33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+50%
|
14−16
−50%
|
| Dota 2 | 35−40
+46.2%
|
24−27
−46.2%
|
| Elden Ring | 30−35
+55%
|
20−22
−55%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 40−45
+30.3%
|
30−35
−30.3%
|
| Fortnite | 60−65
+40.9%
|
40−45
−40.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+43.3%
|
30−33
−43.3%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 35−40
+46.2%
|
24−27
−46.2%
|
| Metro Exodus | 27−30
+52.6%
|
18−20
−52.6%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 80−85
+39%
|
55−60
−39%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 27−30
+33.3%
|
21−24
−33.3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 30−35
+39.1%
|
21−24
−39.1%
|
| Valorant | 40−45
+70.8%
|
24−27
−70.8%
|
| World of Tanks | 150−160
+34.5%
|
110−120
−34.5%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+52.2%
|
21−24
−52.2%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 20−22
+33.3%
|
14−16
−33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+50%
|
14−16
−50%
|
| Dota 2 | 35−40
+46.2%
|
24−27
−46.2%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 40−45
+30.3%
|
30−35
−30.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+43.3%
|
30−33
−43.3%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 80−85
+39%
|
55−60
−39%
|
| Valorant | 40−45
+70.8%
|
24−27
−70.8%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Dota 2 | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| Elden Ring | 14−16
+66.7%
|
9−10
−66.7%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 50−55
+28.2%
|
35−40
−28.2%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 9−10
+50%
|
6−7
−50%
|
| World of Tanks | 75−80
+45.3%
|
50−55
−45.3%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
+61.5%
|
12−14
−61.5%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 10−12
+10%
|
10−11
−10%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 8−9
+60%
|
5−6
−60%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 24−27
+60%
|
14−16
−60%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 24−27
+71.4%
|
14−16
−71.4%
|
| Metro Exodus | 21−24
+90.9%
|
10−12
−90.9%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 12−14
+44.4%
|
9−10
−44.4%
|
| Valorant | 24−27
+36.8%
|
18−20
−36.8%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Dota 2 | 21−24
+16.7%
|
18−20
−16.7%
|
| Elden Ring | 7−8
+75%
|
4−5
−75%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 21−24
+16.7%
|
18−20
−16.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 6−7
+100%
|
3−4
−100%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+47.6%
|
21−24
−47.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 7−8
+40%
|
5−6
−40%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+16.7%
|
18−20
−16.7%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 9−10
+50%
|
6−7
−50%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 5−6
+400%
|
1−2
−400%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
| Dota 2 | 21−24
+16.7%
|
18−20
−16.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 12−14
+44.4%
|
9−10
−44.4%
|
| Fortnite | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| Valorant | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Counter-Strike 2, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 480 is 400% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, GTX 480 surpassed HD 6970 in all 63 of our tests.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 10.70 | 7.38 |
| Recency | 26 March 2010 | 14 December 2010 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1536 MB | 2 GB |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 550 Watt |
GTX 480 has a 45% higher aggregate performance score, and 120% lower power consumption.
HD 6970, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 8 months, and a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount.
The GeForce GTX 480 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6970 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Other comparisons
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