Radeon HD 6970 vs R9 380X

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon R9 380X and Radeon HD 6970, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

R9 380X
2015, $229
4 GB GDDR5, 190 Watt
14.65
+116%

R9 380X outperforms HD 6970 by a whopping 116% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking392595
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation7.020.93
Power efficiency5.922.08
ArchitectureGCN 3.0 (2014−2019)TeraScale 3 (2010−2013)
GPU code nameAntiguaCayman
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferencereference
Release date19 November 2015 (10 years ago)14 December 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$229 $369

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.

R9 380X has 655% better value for money than HD 6970.

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 cores20481536
Compute units32no data
Boost clock speed970 MHz880 MHz
Number of transistors5,000 million2,640 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)190 Watt550 Watt
Texture fill rate124.284.48
Floating-point processing power3.973 TFLOPS2.703 TFLOPS
ROPs3232
TMUs12896
L1 Cache512 KB192 KB
L2 Cache512 KB512 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).

Bus supportPCIe 3.0PCIe 2.0 x16
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Length221 mm286 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Form factorfull height / full lengthno data
Supplementary power connectors​2 x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Bridgeless CrossFire+-

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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
High bandwidth memory (HBM)-no data
Maximum RAM amount4 GB2 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed970 MHz1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth182.4 GB/sno data

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 Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2
Eyefinity++
Number of Eyefinity displays6no data
HDMI++
DisplayPort support+-

Supported technologies

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

CrossFire++
FRTC+-
FreeSync+-
HD3D+-
LiquidVR+-
PowerTune+-
TrueAudio+-
ZeroCore+-
VCE+-
DDMA audio+no data

API and SDK support

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 12DirectX® 11
Shader Model6.35.0
OpenGL4.54.4
OpenCL2.01.2
Vulkan+-
Mantle+-

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.

R9 380X 14.65
+116%
HD 6970 6.77

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.

R9 380X 6130
+117%
Samples: 1180
HD 6970 2831
Samples: 2215

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.

R9 380X 9510
+174%
HD 6970 3470

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

Counter-Strike 2 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

Full HD
Medium

Battlefield 5 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Fortnite 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Valorant 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%

Full HD
High

Battlefield 5 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Dota 2 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Fortnite 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Metro Exodus 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Valorant 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%

Full HD
Ultra

Battlefield 5 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Dota 2 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Valorant 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%

Full HD
Epic

Fortnite 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%

1440p
High

Counter-Strike 2 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Metro Exodus 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Valorant 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%

1440p
Ultra

Battlefield 5 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Far Cry 5 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%

1440p
Epic

Fortnite 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

4K
High

Counter-Strike 2 0−1 0−1
Grand Theft Auto V 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Metro Exodus 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Valorant 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%

4K
Ultra

Battlefield 5 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 0−1 0−1
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Dota 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%

4K
Epic

Fortnite 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 62 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 14.65 6.77
Recency 19 November 2015 14 December 2010
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 190 Watt 550 Watt

R9 380X has a 116.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 189.5% lower power consumption.

The Radeon R9 380X is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6970 in performance tests.

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AMD Radeon R9 380X
Radeon R9 380X
AMD Radeon HD 6970
Radeon HD 6970

Other comparisons

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Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.8 217 votes

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