GeForce GTX 480 vs Radeon HD 7970

Place in performance ranking	351	395
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Value for money	4.00	1.27
Architecture	GCN (2011−2017)	Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code name	Tahiti XT	GF100
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Design	reference	no data
Release date	22 December 2011 (12 years old)	7 December 2010 (13 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)	$549	$499
Current price	$89 (0.2x MSRP)	$15.99 (0x MSRP)

Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

HD 7970 has 215% better value for money than GTX 480.

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	2048	480
CUDA cores	no data	480
Core clock speed	no data	700 MHz
Boost clock speed	925 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	4,313 million	3,100 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	300 Watt	295 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	no data	105 °C
Texture fill rate	118.4	42 billion/sec
Floating-point performance	3,789 gflops	1,345.0 gflops

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 2.1 x16	16x PCI-E 2.0
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	274 mm	10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Height	no data	4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin	6-pin & 8-pin
SLI options	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	6 GB	1536 MB
Memory bus width	384 Bit	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	1375 MHz	1848 MHz (3696 data rate)
Memory bandwidth	264 GB/s	177.4 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	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort	Two Dual Link DVI, Mini HDMI
Multi monitor support	no data	+
Eyefinity	+	no data
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	no data	+
Maximum VGA resolution	no data	2048x1536
DisplayPort support	-	no data
Audio input for HDMI	no data	Internal

Technologies

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

AppAcceleration	-	no data
CrossFire	1	no data
Enduro	-	no data
FreeSync	1	no data
HD3D	-	no data
PowerTune	-	no data
TrueAudio	-	no data
ZeroCore	-	no data

API support

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

DirectX	DirectX® 11	12 (11_0)
Shader Model	5.1	5.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.2
OpenCL	1.2	1.1
Vulkan	no data	N/A
Mantle	-	no data
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.

HD 7970 13.55
+28%

GTX 480 10.59

Radeon HD 7970 outperforms GeForce GTX 480 by 28% 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%

HD 7970 5248
+27.9%

GTX 480 4102

Radeon HD 7970 outperforms GeForce GTX 480 by 28% in Passmark.

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%

HD 7970 7770
+55%

GTX 480 5014

Radeon HD 7970 outperforms GeForce GTX 480 by 55% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

HD 7970 6862
+88%

GTX 480 3650

Radeon HD 7970 outperforms GeForce GTX 480 by 88% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

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	105 +31.3%	80−85 −31.3%
Full HD	93 +32.9%	70−75 −32.9%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

21−24
+31.3%

16−18

−31.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +37.5%	16−18 −37.5%
Battlefield 5	45−50 +27.8%	35−40 −27.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 +25%	27−30 −25%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
Far Cry 5	35−40 +29.6%	27−30 −29.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +32.1%	27−30 −32.1%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 +29.7%	35−40 −29.7%
Hitman 3	35−40 +37%	27−30 −37%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 +27.8%	18−20 −27.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +31.6%	18−20 −31.6%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +37.5%	16−18 −37.5%
Battlefield 5	45−50 +27.8%	35−40 −27.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 +25%	27−30 −25%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
Far Cry 5	35−40 +29.6%	27−30 −29.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +32.1%	27−30 −32.1%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 +29.7%	35−40 −29.7%
Hitman 3	35−40 +37%	27−30 −37%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Metro Exodus	21−24 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 +27.8%	18−20 −27.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +31.6%	18−20 −31.6%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +37.5%	16−18 −37.5%
Battlefield 5	45−50 +27.8%	35−40 −27.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
Far Cry 5	35−40 +29.6%	27−30 −29.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +32.1%	27−30 −32.1%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 +29.7%	35−40 −29.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	27−30 +27.3%	21−24 −27.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 +31.6%	18−20 −31.6%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	20−22 +33.3%	14−16 −33.3%
Hitman 3	21−24 +31.3%	16−18 −31.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	18−20 +18.8%	16−18 −18.8%
Metro Exodus	12−14 +33.3%	9−10 −33.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 +42.9%	7−8 −42.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 +21.4%	14−16 −21.4%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	14−16 +40%	10−11 −40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−11 +42.9%	7−8 −42.9%
Battlefield 5	27−30 +42.1%	18−20 −42.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +40%	5−6 −40%
Far Cry 5	21−24 +29.4%	16−18 −29.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 +33.3%	18−20 −33.3%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 +36.8%	18−20 −36.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14 +30%	10−11 −30%
Watch Dogs: Legion	8−9 +60%	5−6 −60%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 +28.6%	7−8 −28.6%
Hitman 3	12−14 +20%	10−11 −20%
Horizon Zero Dawn	10−11 +11.1%	9−10 −11.1%
Metro Exodus	6−7 +50%	4−5 −50%
Red Dead Redemption 2	7−8 +16.7%	6−7 −16.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	8−9 +33.3%	6−7 −33.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14 +50%	8−9 −50%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	8−9 +33.3%	6−7 −33.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	6−7 +20%	5−6 −20%
Battlefield 5	14−16 +55.6%	9−10 −55.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +100%	1−2 −100%
Far Cry 5	10−12 +22.2%	9−10 −22.2%
Far Cry New Dawn	12−14 +18.2%	10−12 −18.2%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 +38.5%	12−14 −38.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%

This is how HD 7970 and GTX 480 compete in popular games:

900p resolution:

HD 7970 is 31.3% faster than GTX 480

1080p resolution:

HD 7970 is 32.9% faster than GTX 480

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

in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970 is 100% faster than the GTX 480.

All in all, in popular games:

Without exception, HD 7970 surpassed GTX 480 in all 68 of our tests.

Advantages and disadvantages

Performance score	13.55	10.59
Recency	22 December 2011	7 December 2010
Cost	$549	$499
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	1536 MB
Chip lithography	28 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	300 Watt	295 Watt