Quadro M520 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire with Quadro M520, including specs and performance data.
HD 6970M Crossfire outperforms M520 by an impressive 84% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 539 | 694 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | no data | 14.04 |
| Architecture | Terascale 2 (2009−2015) | Maxwell (2014−2017) |
| GPU code name | Blackcomb XT | GM108 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Mobile workstation |
| Release date | 6 January 2011 (14 years ago) | 11 January 2017 (8 years ago) |
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 | 1920 | 384 |
| Core clock speed | 680 MHz | 1041 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1019 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 2x1700 Million | no data |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | no data | 25 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | no data | 16.66 |
| Floating-point processing power | no data | 0.7995 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | no data | 8 |
| TMUs | no data | 16 |
| L1 Cache | no data | 128 KB |
| L2 Cache | no data | 1024 KB |
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 | medium sized |
| Interface | no data | MXM-A (3.0) |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | None |
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 | 2x2 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 64 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 900 MHz | 1253 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | no data | 40 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | no data | No outputs |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| Optimus | - | + |
| 3D Stereo | no data | + |
| nView Display Management | no data | + |
| Optimus | no data | + |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11 | 12 |
| Shader Model | no data | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
| OpenCL | no data | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | - | 1.1.126 |
| CUDA | - | 5.0 |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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.
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 | 94
+88%
| 50−55
−88%
|
| Full HD | 102
+410%
| 20
−410%
|
| 4K | 21−24
+75%
| 12
−75%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 45−50
+125%
|
20−22
−125%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16−18
+88.9%
|
9−10
−88.9%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+100%
|
18−20
−100%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 45−50
+125%
|
20−22
−125%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16−18
+88.9%
|
9−10
−88.9%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
+94.4%
|
18−20
−94.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
+92.9%
|
14−16
−92.9%
|
| Fortnite | 50−55
+92.6%
|
27−30
−92.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 35−40
+68.2%
|
21−24
−68.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 24−27
+100%
|
12−14
−100%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+72.2%
|
18−20
−72.2%
|
| Valorant | 85−90
+45.8%
|
55−60
−45.8%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+100%
|
18−20
−100%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 45−50
+125%
|
20−22
−125%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 130−140
+65%
|
80−85
−65%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16−18
+88.9%
|
9−10
−88.9%
|
| Dota 2 | 60−65
+60%
|
40−45
−60%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
+94.4%
|
18−20
−94.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
+92.9%
|
14−16
−92.9%
|
| Fortnite | 50−55
+92.6%
|
27−30
−92.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 35−40
+68.2%
|
21−24
−68.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 24−27
+100%
|
12−14
−100%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 30−35
+107%
|
14−16
−107%
|
| Metro Exodus | 16−18
+88.9%
|
9−10
−88.9%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+72.2%
|
18−20
−72.2%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+69.2%
|
12−14
−69.2%
|
| Valorant | 85−90
+45.8%
|
55−60
−45.8%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+100%
|
18−20
−100%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 16−18
+88.9%
|
9−10
−88.9%
|
| Dota 2 | 60−65
+60%
|
40−45
−60%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
+94.4%
|
18−20
−94.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
+92.9%
|
14−16
−92.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 35−40
+68.2%
|
21−24
−68.2%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+72.2%
|
18−20
−72.2%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+69.2%
|
12−14
−69.2%
|
| Valorant | 85−90
+45.8%
|
55−60
−45.8%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 50−55
+92.6%
|
27−30
−92.6%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 16−18
+77.8%
|
9−10
−77.8%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 65−70
+85.7%
|
35−40
−85.7%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 10−12
+267%
|
3−4
−267%
|
| Metro Exodus | 9−10
+200%
|
3−4
−200%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 45−50
+28.6%
|
35−40
−28.6%
|
| Valorant | 95−100
+90%
|
50−55
−90%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 20−22
+567%
|
3−4
−567%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+133%
|
3−4
−133%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 16−18
+77.8%
|
9−10
−77.8%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 18−20
+100%
|
9−10
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 20−22
+81.8%
|
10−12
−81.8%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 12−14
+71.4%
|
7−8
−71.4%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 18−20
+100%
|
9−10
−100%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 18−20
+18.8%
|
16−18
−18.8%
|
| Metro Exodus | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10 | 0−1 |
| Valorant | 40−45
+91.3%
|
21−24
−91.3%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 10−11
+900%
|
1−2
−900%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
| Dota 2 | 30−35
+93.8%
|
16−18
−93.8%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 7−8
+133%
|
3−4
−133%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 8−9
+100%
|
4−5
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 14−16
+133%
|
6−7
−133%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 8−9
+60%
|
5−6
−60%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 8−9
+60%
|
5−6
−60%
|
This is how HD 6970M Crossfire and Quadro M520 compete in popular games:
- HD 6970M Crossfire is 88% faster in 900p
- HD 6970M Crossfire is 410% faster in 1080p
- HD 6970M Crossfire is 75% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Battlefield 5, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 6970M Crossfire is 900% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, HD 6970M Crossfire surpassed Quadro M520 in all 60 of our tests.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 8.38 | 4.55 |
| Recency | 6 January 2011 | 11 January 2017 |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 28 nm |
HD 6970M Crossfire has a 84.2% higher aggregate performance score.
Quadro M520, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 6 years, and a 42.9% more advanced lithography process.
The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is our recommended choice as it beats the Quadro M520 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is a notebook graphics card while Quadro M520 is a mobile workstation one.
Other comparisons
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