AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs AMD Radeon RX 470 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 and the AMD Radeon RX 470 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware from the same manufacturer, separated by over four years of architectural evolution. Benchmark database records show the RX 470 as the clear winner in the single recorded head-to-head test, but the story of these two cards goes far beyond a single score. The data reveals fundamental shifts in how AMD approached GPU design, power efficiency, and feature support between the Southern Islands and Arctic Islands generations.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct comparison between these two cards: the Geekbench Metal test. In this benchmark, the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 41,690 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 7950 scores 33,951 points. The RX 470 leads by 18.6% in this test, a substantial margin that reflects the newer architecture's improved compute efficiency per clock.

The HD 7950's score of 33,951 places it in the 78th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 480 at 33,997 points (just 0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 33,849 points (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT at 34,133 points (0.5% behind), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB at 34,154 points (0.6% behind). This clustering shows the HD 7950 performing right in line with much newer mid-range and laptop GPUs, which speaks to the raw compute potential of its large Tahiti die.

The RX 470's Geekbench Metal score of 41,690 is accompanied by additional benchmark data. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 28,996 points, which places it in the 74th percentile among all GPUs. The disparity between its Metal score and its average score indicates that the RX 470 performs better in Metal-specific workloads than in its overall average across other APIs. Its nearest rivals by average score include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28,874 points (0.4% ahead), the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175 points (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197 points (0.7% behind), and the AMD FirePro W8000 at 29,211 points (0.7% behind). These narrow deltas show the RX 470 sitting in a competitive performance band, with no single rival dominating it by more than a fraction of a percent.

The head-to-head delta of 18.6% in favor of the RX 470 is significant, but it represents only one workload. The HD 7950's 78th percentile ranking versus the RX 470's 74th percentile ranking shows that the older card still holds a higher position in the overall GPU distribution, despite losing the direct Metal comparison. This occurs because the HD 7950's single recorded benchmark score is its Metal result, while the RX 470's percentile accounts for all four of its recorded tests, including lower scores in OpenCL and other workloads.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is substantial. The HD 7950 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RX 470 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This process shrink from 28 nm to 14 nm is a major factor in the performance and efficiency differences between the two.

Transistor counts tell an interesting story. The HD 7950 contains 4,313 million transistors on a die size of 352 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The RX 470 contains 5,700 million transistors on a much smaller die of 232 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 470 packs roughly 32% more transistors into a die that is 34% smaller, a clear demonstration of the density improvements from the newer process node.

The compute resources differ in both quantity and configuration. The HD 7950 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The RX 470 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The RX 470 offers 256 more shading units and 16 more TMUs, while keeping the same ROP count. These increases translate directly to higher theoretical throughput rates.

Clock speeds show a major advantage for the newer card. The HD 7950 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, with only its memory clock listed at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RX 470 has a base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1206 MHz. The boost clock on the RX 470 is particularly important, as it allows the card to reach higher frequencies during sustained workloads.

The resulting performance rates reflect these differences. The HD 7950 achieves a pixel rate of 25.60 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 89.60 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute of 2.867 TFLOPS. The RX 470 achieves a pixel rate of 38.59 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 154.4 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute of 4.940 TFLOPS. The RX 470 is 51% faster in pixel throughput, 72% faster in texture throughput, and 72% faster in FP32 compute. The RX 470 also records FP16 performance at 4.940 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the HD 7950 has no recorded FP16 capability.

Memory configurations also differ meaningfully. The HD 7950 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 470 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7950 has a wider memory bus and higher raw bandwidth, while the RX 470 has more capacity. The RX 470's memory clock is higher at 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) compared to the HD 7950's 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), but the narrower bus limits its total bandwidth.

Power consumption shows the most dramatic difference. The HD 7950 has a TDP of 200 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and recommends a 550 W power supply. The RX 470 has a TDP of 120 W, requires a single 6-pin power connector, and recommends a 300 W power supply. The RX 470 delivers higher performance while consuming 40% less power, a direct result of the 14 nm process efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher compute performance in FP32?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 achieves 4.940 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 72% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7950's 2.867 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The HD 7950 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 240.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 211.2 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7950 offers higher bandwidth, but the RX 470 provides more capacity.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The HD 7950 has a TDP of 200 W, uses two 6-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The RX 470 has a TDP of 120 W, uses one 6-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W power supply.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How does the RX 470 compare to its nearest rivals in average score?

A: The RX 470's average benchmark score of 28,996 is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28,874, the Intel Arc A370M at 29,175, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH at 29,197, and the AMD FirePro W8000 at 29,211.

Q: What display outputs does each card provide?

A: The HD 7950 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 470 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear performance hierarchy. The RX 470 wins the only direct comparison by 18.6% in Geekbench Metal, and its theoretical compute rates are substantially higher across every metric. The RX 470 delivers 72% more FP32 throughput, 72% more texture fill rate, and 51% more pixel fill rate than the HD 7950. For any workload that relies on these raw compute capabilities, the RX 470 is the superior choice.

The HD 7950 does retain advantages in specific areas. Its memory bandwidth of 240.0 GB/s exceeds the RX 470's 211.2 GB/s by 14%, which could benefit memory-heavy workloads. Its 384-bit bus is wider than the RX 470's 256-bit bus. However, the RX 470 compensates with 1 GB more memory capacity, which matters more in modern games and applications that exceed 3 GB of usage.

The power efficiency story strongly favors the RX 470. The newer card produces higher performance while consuming 80 W less power, requiring only one power connector instead of two, and suggesting a power supply that is 250 W smaller. The HD 7950's 200 W TDP and dual 6-pin connectors make it more demanding on system power delivery and case cooling.

The process node difference is the root cause of these advantages. The 14 nm GlobalFoundries process used for the RX 470 achieves a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter, double the 12.3 million per square millimeter of the 28 nm TSMC process used for the HD 7950. This density advantage allows the RX 470 to pack 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, while the HD 7950 needs 352 mm² for its 4,313 million transistors.

For users upgrading from the HD 7950 era, the RX 470 represents a meaningful generational leap in efficiency and feature support. The newer card supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the HD 7950's 11_1, and Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.170. Display outputs are also more modern, with HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 470 versus HDMI 1.4a and mini-DisplayPort 1.2 on the HD 7950.

The HD 7950's 78th percentile ranking suggests it still holds a respectable position in the overall GPU landscape, but this ranking is based on a single Metal benchmark. Its average score of 33,951 is competitive with the RX 480 and RX 7700S, but the RX 470's Metal score of 41,690 sits well above all of these. The RX 470's overall average score of 28,996 is dragged down by its other benchmark results, indicating that its Metal performance is its strongest showing.

For compute-focused workloads using Metal, the RX 470 wins decisively. For systems with limited power delivery or small form factor constraints, the RX 470's 120 W TDP and single connector requirement make it far easier to integrate. The HD 7950's dual-slot design and longer 278 mm length also present physical installation challenges that the RX 470's 240 mm length avoids.

The recommendation from the data is straightforward. The RX 470 is the better modern choice for nearly all use cases. It offers higher performance, lower power draw, newer API support, and more memory capacity. The HD 7950's only clear advantages are its higher memory bandwidth and wider bus, which do not compensate for the 18.6% Metal deficit and the 72% compute deficit. Users who already own an HD 7950 would see substantial benefits from upgrading to an RX 470, while users choosing between the two for a new build should select the RX 470 without hesitation.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The HD 7950 uses the Tahiti chip with GCN 1.0 architecture from the Southern Islands generation, while the RX 470 uses the Ellesmere chip with GCN 4.0 architecture from the Arctic Islands generation. The process node changes from 28 nm at TSMC to 14 nm at GlobalFoundries.

The HD 7950 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die with 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 470 has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die with 24.6 million per square millimeter. The HD 7950 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 470 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The HD 7950 has no recorded base or boost clock, with memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RX 470 has a 926 MHz base clock, 1206 MHz boost clock, and memory at 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective). Pixel rates are 25.60 GPixel/s for the HD 7950 versus 38.59 GPixel/s for the RX 470. Texture rates are 89.60 GTexel/s versus 154.4 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 2.867 TFLOPS versus 4.940 TFLOPS, with the RX 470 also offering FP16 at 4.940 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations differ in size, bus width, and bandwidth. The HD 7950 has 3 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 470 has 4 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 211.2 GB/s bandwidth. Power consumption drops from 200 W TDP with dual 6-pin connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU on the HD 7950 to 120 W TDP with a single 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU on the RX 470.

API support improves with the RX 470, which offers DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, compared to the HD 7950's DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Display outputs also change from 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 on the HD 7950 to 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 470. Physical dimensions shrink from 278 mm length, 111 mm height, and 38 mm width on the HD 7950 to 240 mm length, 95 mm height, and 35 mm width on the RX 470. The HD 7950 launched on January 30, 2012 with a launch MSRP of 449 USD, while the RX 470 launched on August 3, 2016 with a launch MSRP of 179 USD.