Radeon R9 M485X vs HD 8970M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M485X, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
HD 8970M outperforms R9 M485X by a minimal 2% 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 | 511 | 521 |
| Place by popularity | 3 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 7.12 | 2.79 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) | GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) |
| GPU code name | Neptune | Amethyst |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Release date | 14 May 2013 (12 years ago) | 15 May 2016 (9 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 | 1280 | 2048 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 723 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 900 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,800 million | 5,000 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 250 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 72.00 | 92.54 |
| Floating-point processing power | 2.304 TFLOPS | 2.961 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 |
| TMUs | 80 | 128 |
| L1 Cache | 320 KB | 512 KB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 512 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 | large |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (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 | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1200 MHz | 1250 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 153.6 GB/s | 160.0 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 | No outputs |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_0) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 6.3 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
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.
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:
| Full HD | 53
+6%
| 50−55
−6%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
+2%
|
45−50
−2%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
+2%
|
45−50
−2%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
+0%
|
30−33
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 55−60
+1.8%
|
55−60
−1.8%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+2.5%
|
40−45
−2.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 27−30
+3.6%
|
27−30
−3.6%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+3%
|
30−35
−3%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
+1.1%
|
90−95
−1.1%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
+2%
|
45−50
−2%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 148
+5%
|
140−150
−5%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 65−70
+1.5%
|
65−70
−1.5%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
+0%
|
30−33
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 55−60
+1.8%
|
55−60
−1.8%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+2.5%
|
40−45
−2.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 27−30
+3.6%
|
27−30
−3.6%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 39
+14.7%
|
30−35
−14.7%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
+5.6%
|
18−20
−5.6%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+3%
|
30−35
−3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 31
+29.2%
|
24−27
−29.2%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
+1.1%
|
90−95
−1.1%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 65−70
+1.5%
|
65−70
−1.5%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
+0%
|
30−33
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+2.5%
|
40−45
−2.5%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
+3%
|
30−35
−3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 18
−33.3%
|
24−27
+33.3%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
+1.1%
|
90−95
−1.1%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 55−60
+1.8%
|
55−60
−1.8%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 18−20
+5.9%
|
16−18
−5.9%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 70−75
+2.9%
|
70−75
−2.9%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 12−14
+8.3%
|
12−14
−8.3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 45−50
+2.1%
|
45−50
−2.1%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
+2%
|
100−110
−2%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
+4.5%
|
21−24
−4.5%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 8−9
+14.3%
|
7−8
−14.3%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 20−22
+5.3%
|
18−20
−5.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 20−22
+5.3%
|
18−20
−5.3%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
+0%
|
5−6
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| Valorant | 45−50
+2.1%
|
45−50
−2.1%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 35−40
+2.9%
|
30−35
−2.9%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
+6.7%
|
14−16
−6.7%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
This is how HD 8970M and R9 M485X compete in popular games:
- HD 8970M is 6% faster in 1080p
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Counter-Strike 2, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the HD 8970M is 33% faster.
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the R9 M485X is 33% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- HD 8970M performs better in 37 tests (56%)
- R9 M485X performs better in 1 test (2%)
- there's a draw in 28 tests (42%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 9.27 | 9.09 |
| Recency | 14 May 2013 | 15 May 2016 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 250 Watt |
HD 8970M has a 2% higher aggregate performance score, and 150% lower power consumption.
R9 M485X, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, and a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M485X.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
