GeForce GTX 950A vs Radeon HD 7870M
Aggregated performance score
GeForce GTX 950A outperforms Radeon HD 7870M by 73% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary Details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 661 | 527 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation | 0.61 | 0.15 |
| Architecture | GCN (2011−2017) | Maxwell (2014−2018) |
| GPU code name | Heathrow XT | GM107 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 24 April 2012 (12 years ago) | 13 March 2015 (9 years ago) |
| Current price | $338 | $1099 |
Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
HD 7870M has 307% better value for money than GTX 950A.
Detailed Specifications
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 | 640 | 640 |
| Core clock speed | 800 MHz | 993 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1124 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 1,500 million | 1,870 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 75 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 32.00 | 44.96 |
| Floating-point performance | 1,024 gflops | 1,271 gflops |
Form Factor & Compatibility
Information on Radeon HD 7870M and GeForce GTX 950A compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.
| Laptop size | large | no data |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |
| Width | no data | MXM Module |
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 | DDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4000 MHz | 2002 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 64 GB/s | 32.03 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | no data |
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 | No outputs |
API Compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.1.126 |
| CUDA | no data | 5.0 |
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.
GeForce GTX 950A outperforms Radeon HD 7870M by 73% 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%
GeForce GTX 950A outperforms Radeon HD 7870M by 73% in Passmark.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−71.4%
|
24−27
+71.4%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 10−12
−63.6%
|
18−20
+63.6%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 10−12
−63.6%
|
18−20
+63.6%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−71.4%
|
24−27
+71.4%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 10−12
−63.6%
|
18−20
+63.6%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 10−12
−63.6%
|
18−20
+63.6%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10
−55.6%
|
14−16
+55.6%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 10−12
−63.6%
|
18−20
+63.6%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 9−10
−55.6%
|
14−16
+55.6%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Metro Exodus | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Far Cry 5 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
Pros & Cons Summary
| Performance score | 3.89 | 6.73 |
| Recency | 24 April 2012 | 13 March 2015 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 75 Watt |
The GeForce GTX 950A is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870M in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 7870M is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 950A is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with Similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
