Radeon HD 7970 vs GeForce GTX 950

Place in the ranking	376	380
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	8.75	2.45
Power efficiency	10.54	3.73
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)
GPU code name	GM206	Tahiti
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Design	no data	reference
Release date	20 August 2015 (9 years ago)	22 December 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$159	$549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 950 has 257% better value for money than HD 7970.

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	768	2048
Core clock speed	1024 MHz	no data
Boost clock speed	1188 MHz	925 MHz
Number of transistors	2,940 million	4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	90 Watt	300 Watt
Texture fill rate	57.02	118.4
Floating-point processing power	1.825 TFLOPS	3.789 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	128

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	PCI Express 3.0	PCIe 2.1 x16
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	202 mm	274 mm
Height	4.376" (11.1 cm)	no data
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	350 Watt	no data
Supplementary power connectors	1x 6-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	2 GB	6 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	6.6 GB/s	1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth	105.6 GB/s	264 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	Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Multi monitor support	4 displays	no data
Eyefinity	-	+
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	+	-
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536	no data
G-SYNC support	+	-
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	-	+
FreeSync	-	+
GameStream	+	-
GeForce ShadowPlay	+	-
GPU Boost	2.0	no data
GameWorks	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	DirectX® 11
Shader Model	6.4	5.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	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 950 13.85
+1.7%

HD 7970 13.62

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 950 5335
+1.7%

HD 7970 5248

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 950 8351
+7.5%

HD 7970 7770

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 950 6208

HD 7970 6862
+10.5%

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 950 37454

HD 7970 43795
+16.9%

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	100−110 −5%	105 +5%
Full HD	50 −82%	91 +82%
4K	21 +16.7%	18−21 −16.7%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	3.18	6.03
4K	7.57	30.50

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

21−24

+0%

21−24

+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	30−35 +3.2%	30−35 −3.2%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Battlefield 5	45−50 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 +3.7%	27−30 −3.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +0%	30−35 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +2.7%	35−40 −2.7%
Forza Horizon 4	90−95 +1.1%	85−90 −1.1%
Hitman 3	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	70−75 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%
Metro Exodus	45−50 +0%	45−50 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	45−50 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	75−80 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	30−35 +3.2%	30−35 −3.2%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Battlefield 5	45−50 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 +3.7%	27−30 −3.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +0%	30−35 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +2.7%	35−40 −2.7%
Forza Horizon 4	90−95 +1.1%	85−90 −1.1%
Hitman 3	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	70−75 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%
Metro Exodus	45−50 +0%	45−50 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	45−50 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	108 +227%	30−35 −227%
Watch Dogs: Legion	75−80 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	30−35 +3.2%	30−35 −3.2%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 +3.7%	27−30 −3.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Far Cry 5	30−35 +0%	30−35 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	90−95 +1.1%	85−90 −1.1%
Hitman 3	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	70−75 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	45−50 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21 −57.1%	30−35 +57.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	75−80 +1.4%	70−75 −1.4%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

35−40

+0%

35−40

+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	27−30 +3.8%	24−27 −3.8%
Far Cry New Dawn	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−12 +10%	10−11 −10%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 +7.1%	14−16 −7.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%
Far Cry 5	16−18 +0%	16−18 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	70−75 +1.4%	65−70 −1.4%
Hitman 3	16−18 +6.3%	16−18 −6.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
Metro Exodus	24−27 +4.3%	21−24 −4.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	24−27 +4.3%	21−24 −4.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	85−90 +2.4%	80−85 −2.4%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

21−24
+4.5%

21−24

−4.5%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
Hitman 3	10−11 +11.1%	9−10 −11.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn	65−70 +3%	65−70 −3%
Metro Exodus	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	13 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +0%	2−3 +0%
Far Cry 5	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

12−14
+8.3%

12−14

−8.3%

This is how GTX 950 and HD 7970 compete in popular games:

HD 7970 is 5% faster in 900p
HD 7970 is 82% faster in 1080p
GTX 950 is 17% 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 High Preset, the GTX 950 is 227% faster.
in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970 is 57% faster.

All in all, in popular games: