Radeon HD 7870 vs RX Vega M GL
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon RX Vega M GL with Radeon HD 7870, including specs and performance data.
HD 7870 outperforms RX Vega M GL by a moderate 18% 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 | 460 | 424 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 2.57 |
| Power efficiency | 10.59 | 4.66 |
| Architecture | GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) | GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) |
| GPU code name | Polaris 22 | Pitcairn |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 1 February 2018 (7 years ago) | 5 March 2012 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $349 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.
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 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 931 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1011 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 5,000 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 175 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 80.88 | 80.00 |
| Floating-point processing power | 2.588 TFLOPS | 2.56 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 |
| TMUs | 80 | 80 |
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).
| Interface | IGP | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 241 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | 2x 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 | HBM2 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 1024 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 700 MHz | 1200 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 179.2 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Connectivity and outputs
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 Connectors | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort |
| Eyefinity | - | + |
| HDMI | - | + |
API and SDK compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
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:
| 900p | 70−75
−20%
| 84
+20%
|
| Full HD | 55−60
−20%
| 66
+20%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | no data | 5.29 |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Fortnite | 55−60
−15.8%
|
65−70
+15.8%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−17.6%
|
40−45
+17.6%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 140−150
−13.3%
|
160−170
+13.3%
|
| Dota 2 | 65−70
−13.2%
|
75−80
+13.2%
|
| Fortnite | 55−60
−15.8%
|
65−70
+15.8%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 35−40
−19.4%
|
40−45
+19.4%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−17.6%
|
40−45
+17.6%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 24−27
−50%
|
36
+50%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Dota 2 | 65−70
−13.2%
|
75−80
+13.2%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−17.6%
|
40−45
+17.6%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 24−27
+20%
|
20
−20%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 55−60
−15.8%
|
65−70
+15.8%
|
4K
High Preset
| Grand Theft Auto V | 20−22
−10%
|
21−24
+10%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
−40%
|
14−16
+40%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Dota 2 | 30−35
−20.6%
|
40−45
+20.6%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 9−10
−22.2%
|
10−12
+22.2%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 9−10
−22.2%
|
10−12
+22.2%
|
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 60−65
+0%
|
60−65
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 60−65
+0%
|
60−65
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 60−65
+0%
|
60−65
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 80−85
+0%
|
80−85
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 70−75
+0%
|
70−75
+0%
|
| Valorant | 120−130
+0%
|
120−130
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 27−30
+0%
|
27−30
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 27−30
+0%
|
27−30
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Valorant | 55−60
+0%
|
55−60
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
This is how RX Vega M GL and HD 7870 compete in popular games:
- HD 7870 is 20% faster in 900p
- HD 7870 is 20% faster in 1080p
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX Vega M GL is 20% faster.
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the HD 7870 is 50% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- RX Vega M GL is ahead in 1 test (2%)
- HD 7870 is ahead in 16 tests (24%)
- there's a draw in 49 tests (74%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 8.70 | 10.30 |
| Recency | 1 February 2018 | 5 March 2012 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 175 Watt |
RX Vega M GL has an age advantage of 5 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 169.2% lower power consumption.
HD 7870, on the other hand, has a 18.4% higher aggregate performance score.
The Radeon HD 7870 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX Vega M GL in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon RX Vega M GL is a notebook card while Radeon HD 7870 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
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