R7 265 vs HD 6970

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Combined performance score

HD 6970
7.32

R7 265 outperforms HD 6970 by 41% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking501401
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money1.041.65
ArchitectureTerascale 2 (2009−2015)GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)
GPU code nameCaymanPitcairn
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferencereference
Release date14 December 2010 (13 years old)13 February 2014 (10 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$369 $149
Current price$189 (0.5x MSRP)$242 (1.6x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

R7 265 has 59% better value for money than HD 6970.

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 cores15361024
Boost clock speed880 MHz925 MHz
Number of transistors2,640 million2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)550 Watt150 Watt
Texture fill rate84.4859.20
Floating-point performance2,703.4 gflops1,894 gflops

Size and 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).

Bus supportPCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length267 mm210 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1 x 6-pin

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 typeDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount2 GB4 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1375 MHz1400 MHz
Memory bandwidthno data179.2 GB/s

Video outputs and ports

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 Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity11
HDMI++
DisplayPort support--

Technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

AppAcceleration--
CrossFire11
Enduro--
FreeSyncno data1
HD3D--
PowerTune--
TrueAudio--
ZeroCore--
DDMA audiono data+

API support

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

DirectXDirectX® 11DirectX® 12
Shader Model5.05.1
OpenGL4.44.6
OpenCL1.21.2
Mantle--

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.

HD 6970 7.32
R7 265 10.33
+41.1%

R7 265 outperforms HD 6970 by 41% in our combined benchmark results.


3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

HD 6970 3470
R7 265 5220
+50.4%

R7 265 outperforms HD 6970 by 50% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Battlefield 5 24−27
−25%
30−33
+25%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
−28.6%
27−30
+28.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
Far Cry 5 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 18−20
−33.3%
24−27
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 24−27
−40%
35−40
+40%
Hitman 3 18−20
−33.3%
24−27
+33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
−38.5%
18−20
+38.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 16−18
−31.3%
21−24
+31.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Battlefield 5 24−27
−25%
30−33
+25%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
−28.6%
27−30
+28.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
Far Cry 5 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 18−20
−33.3%
24−27
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 24−27
−40%
35−40
+40%
Hitman 3 18−20
−33.3%
24−27
+33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Metro Exodus 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
−38.5%
18−20
+38.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 16−18
−31.3%
21−24
+31.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Battlefield 5 24−27
−25%
30−33
+25%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
Far Cry 5 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 18−20
−33.3%
24−27
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 24−27
−40%
35−40
+40%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Hitman 3 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−38.5%
18−20
+38.5%
Metro Exodus 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
−33.3%
8−9
+33.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Battlefield 5 8−9
−25%
10−11
+25%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Far Cry 5 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Forza Horizon 4 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 7−8
−28.6%
9−10
+28.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Hitman 3 7−8
−28.6%
9−10
+28.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 8−9
−25%
10−11
+25%
Metro Exodus 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Battlefield 5 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
−33.3%
8−9
+33.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 9−10
−33.3%
12−14
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 8−9
−25%
10−11
+25%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 7.32 10.33
Recency 14 December 2010 13 February 2014
Cost $369 $149
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 4 GB
Chip lithography 40 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 550 Watt 150 Watt

The Radeon R7 265 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6970 in performance tests.


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

User ratings

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AMD Radeon HD 6970
Radeon HD 6970
AMD Radeon R7 265
Radeon R7 265

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Questions and comments

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