ATI Radeon HD 4850 vs HD 7870M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 7870M with Radeon HD 4850, including specs and performance data.
HD 7870M outperforms HD 4850 by a considerable 47% 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 | 768 | 879 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.23 |
| Power efficiency | 6.15 | 1.71 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) | TeraScale (2005−2013) |
| GPU code name | Heathrow | RV770 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 24 April 2012 (13 years ago) | 25 June 2008 (17 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $199 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
Performance to price scatter graph
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 | 640 | 800 |
| Core clock speed | 800 MHz | 625 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 1,500 million | 956 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 55 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 110 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 32.00 | 25.00 |
| Floating-point processing power | 1.024 TFLOPS | 1 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 16 | 16 |
| TMUs | 40 | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 160 KB | 160 KB |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 256 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 | no data |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 246 mm |
| Width | no data | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | 1x 6-pin |
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 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 512 MB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1000 MHz | 993 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 64 GB/s | 63.55 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 outputs | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 10.1 (10_1) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 4.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 3.3 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | N/A |
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.
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 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 | 40−45
+42.9%
| 28
−42.9%
|
| Full HD | 55−60
+37.5%
| 40
−37.5%
|
| 1200p | 27−30
+42.1%
| 19
−42.1%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | no data | 4.98 |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 14−16
+100%
|
7−8
−100%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+40%
|
5−6
−40%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+28.6%
|
7−8
−28.6%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 14−16
+100%
|
7−8
−100%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+40%
|
5−6
−40%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
| Fortnite | 21−24
+75%
|
12−14
−75%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+38.5%
|
12−14
−38.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 9−10
+80%
|
5−6
−80%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+28.6%
|
7−8
−28.6%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 14−16
+25%
|
12−14
−25%
|
| Valorant | 50−55
+20.9%
|
40−45
−20.9%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 14−16
+100%
|
7−8
−100%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 65−70
+37.5%
|
45−50
−37.5%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+40%
|
5−6
−40%
|
| Dota 2 | 30−35
+32%
|
24−27
−32%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
| Fortnite | 21−24
+75%
|
12−14
−75%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+38.5%
|
12−14
−38.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 9−10
+80%
|
5−6
−80%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 10−12
+83.3%
|
6−7
−83.3%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+28.6%
|
7−8
−28.6%
|
| Metro Exodus | 7−8
+75%
|
4−5
−75%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 14−16
+25%
|
12−14
−25%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−12
+22.2%
|
9−10
−22.2%
|
| Valorant | 50−55
+20.9%
|
40−45
−20.9%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
+75%
|
8−9
−75%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 7−8
+40%
|
5−6
−40%
|
| Dota 2 | 30−35
+32%
|
24−27
−32%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
+57.1%
|
7−8
−57.1%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+38.5%
|
12−14
−38.5%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 9−10
+28.6%
|
7−8
−28.6%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 14−16
+25%
|
12−14
−25%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−12
+22.2%
|
9−10
−22.2%
|
| Valorant | 50−55
+20.9%
|
40−45
−20.9%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 21−24
+75%
|
12−14
−75%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 8−9
+33.3%
|
6−7
−33.3%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 27−30
+55.6%
|
18−20
−55.6%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Metro Exodus | 2−3 | 0−1 |
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−33
+30.4%
|
21−24
−30.4%
|
| Valorant | 35−40
+76.2%
|
21−24
−76.2%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
+75%
|
4−5
−75%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 9−10
+50%
|
6−7
−50%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 5−6
+25%
|
4−5
−25%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 7−8
+75%
|
4−5
−75%
|
4K
High
| Grand Theft Auto V | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Valorant | 18−20
+50%
|
12−14
−50%
|
4K
Ultra
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Dota 2 | 10−12
+83.3%
|
6−7
−83.3%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
This is how HD 7870M and ATI HD 4850 compete in popular games:
- HD 7870M is 43% faster in 900p
- HD 7870M is 38% faster in 1080p
- HD 7870M is 42% faster in 1200p
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Counter-Strike 2, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the HD 7870M is 100% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- HD 7870M performs better in 54 tests (98%)
- there's a draw in 1 test (2%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.60 | 2.45 |
| Recency | 24 April 2012 | 25 June 2008 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 512 MB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 55 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 110 Watt |
HD 7870M has a 46.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 96.4% more advanced lithography process, and 144.4% lower power consumption.
The Radeon HD 7870M is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 4850 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 7870M is a notebook graphics card while Radeon HD 4850 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
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