Radeon HD 7870 vs GeForce GTX 980M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce GTX 980M with Radeon HD 7870, including specs and performance data.
GTX 980M outperforms HD 7870 by an impressive 59% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 300 | 415 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 2.97 |
| Power efficiency | 13.16 | 4.72 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) | GCN 1.0 (2011−2020) |
| GPU code name | GM204 | Pitcairn |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 7 October 2014 (10 years ago) | 5 March 2012 (12 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $349 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.
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 | 1536 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 1038 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1127 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 5,200 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | unknown | 175 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 51.84 | 80.00 |
| Floating-point processing power | 1.659 TFLOPS | 2.56 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 64 | 32 |
| TMUs | 96 | 80 |
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 | large | no data |
| Bus support | PCI Express 3.0 | no data |
| Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 241 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | 2x 6-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 | 8 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 2500 MHz | 1200 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 160 GB/s | 153.6 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 | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort |
| Eyefinity | - | + |
| VGA аnalog display support | + | no data |
| DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support | + | no data |
| HDMI | + | + |
| G-SYNC support | + | - |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| GameStream | + | - |
| GeForce ShadowPlay | + | - |
| GPU Boost | 2.0 | no data |
| GameWorks | + | - |
| H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder | + | - |
| Optimus | + | - |
| BatteryBoost | + | - |
| Ansel | + | - |
API and SDK compatibility
List of supported 3D 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 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.1.126 | 1.2.131 |
| 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.
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 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.
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.
Unigine Heaven 4.0
This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013.
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 | 173
+106%
| 84
−106%
|
| Full HD | 72
+9.1%
| 66
−9.1%
|
| 1440p | 36
+71.4%
| 21−24
−71.4%
|
| 4K | 27
+68.8%
| 16−18
−68.8%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | no data | 5.29 |
| 1440p | no data | 16.62 |
| 4K | no data | 21.81 |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Atomic Heart | 45−50
+67.9%
|
27−30
−67.9%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+65%
|
20−22
−65%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+65.2%
|
21−24
−65.2%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Atomic Heart | 45−50
+67.9%
|
27−30
−67.9%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 82
+67.3%
|
45−50
−67.3%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+65%
|
20−22
−65%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+65.2%
|
21−24
−65.2%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 58
+52.6%
|
35−40
−52.6%
|
| Fortnite | 178
+170%
|
65−70
−170%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 74
+54.2%
|
45−50
−54.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 50−55
+66.7%
|
30−33
−66.7%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 85
+113%
|
40−45
−113%
|
| Valorant | 130−140
+34.3%
|
100−110
−34.3%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Atomic Heart | 45−50
+67.9%
|
27−30
−67.9%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 68
+38.8%
|
45−50
−38.8%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+65%
|
20−22
−65%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 230
+40.2%
|
160−170
−40.2%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+65.2%
|
21−24
−65.2%
|
| Dota 2 | 100−110
+36.4%
|
75−80
−36.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 53
+39.5%
|
35−40
−39.5%
|
| Fortnite | 86
+30.3%
|
65−70
−30.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 68
+41.7%
|
45−50
−41.7%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 50−55
+66.7%
|
30−33
−66.7%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 60
+39.5%
|
40−45
−39.5%
|
| Metro Exodus | 31
+34.8%
|
21−24
−34.8%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 79
+97.5%
|
40−45
−97.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 61
+69.4%
|
36
−69.4%
|
| Valorant | 130−140
+34.3%
|
100−110
−34.3%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 61
+24.5%
|
45−50
−24.5%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 30−35
+65%
|
20−22
−65%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+65.2%
|
21−24
−65.2%
|
| Dota 2 | 100−110
+36.4%
|
75−80
−36.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 50
+31.6%
|
35−40
−31.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 47
−2.1%
|
45−50
+2.1%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 50−55
+66.7%
|
30−33
−66.7%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 49
+22.5%
|
40−45
−22.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 33
+65%
|
20
−65%
|
| Valorant | 130−140
+34.3%
|
100−110
−34.3%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 63
−4.8%
|
65−70
+4.8%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 130−140
+52.9%
|
85−90
−52.9%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 30−33
+76.5%
|
16−18
−76.5%
|
| Metro Exodus | 19
+46.2%
|
12−14
−46.2%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 160−170
+151%
|
65−70
−151%
|
| Valorant | 170−180
+40.7%
|
120−130
−40.7%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 45
+50%
|
30−33
−50%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 20−22
+66.7%
|
12−14
−66.7%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16−18
+70%
|
10−11
−70%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 34
+41.7%
|
24−27
−41.7%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 39
+44.4%
|
27−30
−44.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 30−35
+60%
|
20−22
−60%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 27−30
+61.1%
|
18−20
−61.1%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 40
+66.7%
|
24−27
−66.7%
|
4K
High Preset
| Atomic Heart | 14−16
+55.6%
|
9−10
−55.6%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 8−9
+100%
|
4−5
−100%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 41
+86.4%
|
21−24
−86.4%
|
| Metro Exodus | 12
+71.4%
|
7−8
−71.4%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 22
+57.1%
|
14−16
−57.1%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
+68.3%
|
60−65
−68.3%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 23
+53.3%
|
14−16
−53.3%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 8−9
+100%
|
4−5
−100%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+75%
|
4−5
−75%
|
| Dota 2 | 60−65
+51.2%
|
40−45
−51.2%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 16
+33.3%
|
12−14
−33.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 26
+36.8%
|
18−20
−36.8%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 16−18
+77.8%
|
9−10
−77.8%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 17
+54.5%
|
10−12
−54.5%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 19
+72.7%
|
10−12
−72.7%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
This is how GTX 980M and HD 7870 compete in popular games:
- GTX 980M is 106% faster in 900p
- GTX 980M is 9% faster in 1080p
- GTX 980M is 71% faster in 1440p
- GTX 980M is 69% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Fortnite, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 980M is 170% faster.
- in Fortnite, with 1080p resolution and the Epic Preset, the HD 7870 is 5% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- GTX 980M is ahead in 64 tests (96%)
- HD 7870 is ahead in 2 tests (3%)
- there's a draw in 1 test (1%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 18.88 | 11.86 |
| Recency | 7 October 2014 | 5 March 2012 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 8 GB | 2 GB |
GTX 980M has a 59.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount.
The GeForce GTX 980M is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870 in performance tests.
Be aware that GeForce GTX 980M is a notebook card while Radeon HD 7870 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
