GeForce GTX 680M SLI vs Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
Aggregated performance score
Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire outperforms GeForce GTX 680M SLI by 15% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 273 | 302 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 32.49 | 27.92 |
| Architecture | GCN (2011−2017) | Kepler (2012−2018) |
| GPU code name | Neptune CF | N13E-GTX |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Release date | 1 May 2012 (11 years old) | 4 June 2012 (11 years old) |
| Current price | $170 | $149 |
Value for money
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
HD 8970M Crossfire has 16% better value for money than GTX 680M SLI.
Technical specs
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 | 2560 | 2688 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 720 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 900 MHz | no data |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 200 Watt | no data |
Size and compatibility
Information on Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire and GeForce GTX 680M SLI compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. 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 | large |
| SLI options | no data | + |
Memory
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 | no data | 2x 4 GB |
| Memory bus width | 2x 256 Bit | 2x 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4800 MHz | 3600 MHz |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| Optimus | no data | + |
API support
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.1 | 11 |
| CUDA | no data | + |
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.
Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire outperforms GeForce GTX 680M SLI by 15% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire outperforms GeForce GTX 680M SLI by 5% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire outperforms GeForce GTX 680M SLI by 13% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
Unigine Heaven 3.0
This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark using Unigine, a 3D game engine by eponymous Russian company. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. Version 3.0 was released in 2012, and in 2013 it was superseded by Heaven 4.0, which introduced several slight improvements, including a newer version of Unigine.
Benchmark coverage: 4%
Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire outperforms GeForce GTX 680M SLI by 14% in Unigine Heaven 3.0.
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 | 150−160
+12.8%
| 133
−12.8%
|
| Full HD | 70
−40%
| 98
+40%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 35−40
+14.7%
|
30−35
−14.7%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 30−35
+17.9%
|
27−30
−17.9%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+14.3%
|
55−60
−14.3%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 45−50
+14%
|
40−45
−14%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 50−55
+16.3%
|
40−45
−16.3%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 50−55
+13.3%
|
45−50
−13.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+13.8%
|
55−60
−13.8%
|
| Hitman 3 | 50−55
+17.4%
|
45−50
−17.4%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 40−45
+14.3%
|
35−40
−14.3%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 30−35
+14.8%
|
27−30
−14.8%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 40−45
+14.3%
|
35−40
−14.3%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 35−40
+16.1%
|
30−35
−16.1%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 35−40
+14.7%
|
30−35
−14.7%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 30−35
+17.9%
|
27−30
−17.9%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+14.3%
|
55−60
−14.3%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 45−50
+14%
|
40−45
−14%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 50−55
+16.3%
|
40−45
−16.3%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 50−55
+13.3%
|
45−50
−13.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+13.8%
|
55−60
−13.8%
|
| Hitman 3 | 50−55
+17.4%
|
45−50
−17.4%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 40−45
+14.3%
|
35−40
−14.3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 30−35
+14.8%
|
27−30
−14.8%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 40−45
+14.3%
|
35−40
−14.3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 40−45
+17.1%
|
35−40
−17.1%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 35−40
+16.1%
|
30−35
−16.1%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 35−40
+14.7%
|
30−35
−14.7%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 30−35
+17.9%
|
27−30
−17.9%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+14.3%
|
55−60
−14.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 50−55
+16.3%
|
40−45
−16.3%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 50−55
+13.3%
|
45−50
−13.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 65−70
+13.8%
|
55−60
−13.8%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 40−45
+17.1%
|
35−40
−17.1%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 35−40
+16.1%
|
30−35
−16.1%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 27−30
+16.7%
|
24−27
−16.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 30−33
+15.4%
|
24−27
−15.4%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
+8.7%
|
21−24
−8.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
+20%
|
14−16
−20%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 14−16
+16.7%
|
12−14
−16.7%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 24−27
+14.3%
|
21−24
−14.3%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 20−22
+17.6%
|
16−18
−17.6%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 16−18
+21.4%
|
14−16
−21.4%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
+20%
|
35−40
−20%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 10−12
+22.2%
|
9−10
−22.2%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−35
+18.5%
|
27−30
−18.5%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 35−40
+16.1%
|
30−35
−16.1%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 35−40
+15.2%
|
30−35
−15.2%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+23.5%
|
16−18
−23.5%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 12−14
+18.2%
|
10−12
−18.2%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
+16.7%
|
12−14
−16.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 18−20
+20%
|
14−16
−20%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 12−14
+9.1%
|
10−12
−9.1%
|
| Metro Exodus | 10−12
+22.2%
|
9−10
−22.2%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10−11
+11.1%
|
9−10
−11.1%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
+20%
|
10−11
−20%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 18−20
+18.8%
|
16−18
−18.8%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 12−14
+20%
|
10−11
−20%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 10−11
+25%
|
8−9
−25%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
+22.2%
|
18−20
−22.2%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 14−16
+15.4%
|
12−14
−15.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 18−20
+12.5%
|
16−18
−12.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 27−30
+17.4%
|
21−24
−17.4%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 8−9
+14.3%
|
7−8
−14.3%
|
This is how HD 8970M Crossfire and GTX 680M SLI compete in popular games:
- HD 8970M Crossfire is 12.8% faster than GTX 680M SLI in 900p
- GTX 680M SLI is 40% faster than HD 8970M Crossfire in 1080p
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 8970M Crossfire is 33.3% faster than the GTX 680M SLI.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, HD 8970M Crossfire surpassed GTX 680M SLI in all 68 of our tests.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 18.97 | 16.50 |
| Recency | 1 May 2012 | 4 June 2012 |
The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 680M SLI in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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