GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile vs Radeon HD 7870

Place in the ranking	408	237
Place by popularity	not in top-100	38
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.96	no data
Power efficiency	4.74	21.82
Architecture	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	Pitcairn	GA107
Market segment	Desktop	Laptop
Release date	5 March 2012 (12 years ago)	11 May 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$349	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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	1280	2048
Core clock speed	1000 MHz	712 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	1057 MHz
Number of transistors	2,800 million	no data
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	175 Watt	75 Watt
Texture fill rate	80.00	67.65
Floating-point processing power	2.56 TFLOPS	4.329 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	40
TMUs	80	64
Tensor Cores	no data	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

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	no data	large
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	241 mm	no data
Width	2-slot	no data
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pin	no data

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	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1200 MHz	1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	153.6 GB/s	192.0 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	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort	No outputs
Eyefinity	+	-
HDMI	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	5.1	6.6
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2
CUDA	-	8.6

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.

HD 7870 12.02

RTX 3050 Mobile 23.72
+97.3%

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.

HD 7870 4620

RTX 3050 Mobile 9122
+97.4%

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.

HD 7870 6194

RTX 3050 Mobile 21358
+245%

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.

HD 7870 21348

RTX 3050 Mobile 77234
+262%

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	84 −90.5%	160−170 +90.5%
Full HD	66 −40.9%	93 +40.9%
1440p	24−27 −117%	52 +117%
4K	16−18 −106%	33 +106%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	5.29	no data
1440p	14.54	no data
4K	21.81	no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −100%	40−45 +100%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 −361%	106 +361%
Elden Ring	35−40 −171%	95 +171%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −87.2%	70−75 +87.2%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −100%	40−45 +100%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 −217%	73 +217%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −225%	156 +225%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −233%	110 +233%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −67.7%	50−55 +67.7%
Valorant	45−50 −102%	95−100 +102%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −87.2%	70−75 +87.2%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −100%	40−45 +100%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 −143%	56 +143%
Dota 2	40−45 −230%	142 +230%
Elden Ring	35−40 −251%	123 +251%
Far Cry 5	45−50 −177%	130 +177%
Fortnite	65−70 −73.9%	120−130 +73.9%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −156%	123 +156%
Grand Theft Auto V	40−45 −198%	128 +198%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −124%	74 +124%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 −68.9%	150−160 +68.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −67.7%	50−55 +67.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	35−40 −111%	75−80 +111%
Valorant	45−50 −102%	95−100 +102%
World of Tanks	160−170 −51.8%	250−260 +51.8%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −87.2%	70−75 +87.2%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −100%	40−45 +100%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 −122%	51 +122%
Dota 2	40−45 −260%	155 +260%
Far Cry 5	45−50 −57.4%	70−75 +57.4%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −121%	106 +121%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 −68.9%	150−160 +68.9%
Valorant	45−50 −102%	95−100 +102%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	16−18 −256%	57 +256%
Elden Ring	18−20 −267%	66 +267%
Grand Theft Auto V	16−18 −235%	57 +235%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	65−70 −152%	170−180 +152%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 −120%	21−24 +120%
World of Tanks	85−90 −85.9%	150−160 +85.9%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 −100%	45−50 +100%
Counter-Strike 2	10−12 −81.8%	20−22 +81.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	9−10 −211%	28 +211%
Far Cry 5	27−30 −152%	65−70 +152%
Forza Horizon 4	27−30 −179%	78 +179%
Metro Exodus	24−27 −176%	69 +176%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 −127%	30−35 +127%
Valorant	30−33 −110%	60−65 +110%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	7−8 −200%	21−24 +200%
Dota 2	21−24 −159%	57 +159%
Elden Ring	8−9 −313%	33 +313%
Grand Theft Auto V	21−24 −159%	57 +159%
Metro Exodus	7−8 −229%	23 +229%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	35−40 −106%	70−75 +106%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −87.5%	14−16 +87.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 −159%	57 +159%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	10−12 −118%	24−27 +118%
Counter-Strike 2	7−8 −200%	21−24 +200%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −300%	12 +300%
Dota 2	21−24 −323%	93 +323%
Far Cry 5	14−16 −107%	30−35 +107%
Fortnite	12−14 −123%	27−30 +123%
Forza Horizon 4	16−18 −181%	45 +181%
Valorant	12−14 −150%	30−33 +150%

This is how HD 7870 and RTX 3050 Mobile compete in popular games:

RTX 3050 Mobile is 90% faster in 900p
RTX 3050 Mobile is 41% faster in 1080p
RTX 3050 Mobile is 117% faster in 1440p
RTX 3050 Mobile is 106% faster in 4K

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

in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the RTX 3050 Mobile is 361% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

Without exception, RTX 3050 Mobile surpassed HD 7870 in all 63 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	12.02	23.72
Recency	5 March 2012	11 May 2021
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	4 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	175 Watt	75 Watt

RTX 3050 Mobile has a 97.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 250% more advanced lithography process, and 133.3% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870 in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon HD 7870 is a desktop card while GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.