AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX570 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a direct comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7950, though each was tested under a different API. The MX570 recorded a Geekbench OpenCL score of 38,299, while the HD 7950 recorded a Geekbench Metal score of 33,951. This represents a 12.8% advantage for the MX570 in raw aggregate benchmark output, a meaningful gap that places the two cards in adjacent performance tiers.

The MX570's score of 38,299 places it at the 81st percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, which scores 38,349, a delta of only -0.1%. This effectively puts the MX570 in a statistical tie with a modern high-end mobile GPU. The MX570 also sits within 0.4% of the RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135), confirming that its compute performance is competitive with flagship laptop parts from recent generations. Against the MX570 A variant, which scores 38,691, the standard MX570 trails by 1%. Against the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (38,706), the MX570 is 1.1% behind.

The HD 7950's score of 33,951 places it at the 78th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 480, which scores 33,997, a delta of only -0.1%. The HD 7950 is effectively tied with the RX 480, a card from a much later generation. The HD 7950 also sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (33,849) and trails the RX 560 XT (34,133) by 0.5%. Against the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (34,154), the HD 7950 is 0.6% behind. These tight deltas indicate that the HD 7950's compute capabilities remain relevant even against much newer hardware, though it clearly operates in a lower performance band than the MX570.

The head-to-head benchmark array is empty, so no per-test wins can be attributed. The aggregate scores, however, tell a clear story: the MX570 outperforms the HD 7950 by roughly 13% in the recorded compute workloads. This is a substantial margin in GPU terms, often translating to noticeable differences in real-world rendering and compute tasks. The MX570's advantage is consistent with its architecture and feature set, which include hardware ray tracing cores and tensor cores, neither of which the HD 7950 possesses.

It is important to note that the benchmark scores come from different APIs: OpenCL for the MX570 and Metal for the HD 7950. This introduces a methodological caveat, as API efficiency can vary by workload and driver. Still, the database treats these as comparable aggregate scores, and the percentile rankings support the interpretation that the MX570 occupies a higher tier.

The Verdict

For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the data clearly favors the NVIDIA GeForce MX570. Its 38,299 aggregate score is 12.8% higher than the HD 7950's 33,951, and it holds an 81st percentile ranking versus the HD 7950's 78th. The MX570 also brings modern features to the table, including 16 ray tracing cores, 64 tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. These features are entirely absent from the HD 7950, which offers no ray tracing or tensor hardware and only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1).

The HD 7950, however, is not without merit. Its 3 GB GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus provides 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 2.5 times the MX570's 96.00 GB/s. For memory-bandwidth-bound workloads, the HD 7950 may hold an advantage, despite its lower compute throughput. Its 112 texture mapping units also give it a higher texture rate of 89.60 GTexel/s compared to the MX570's 73.92 GTexel/s, a 21.2% advantage in texture fill.

The choice between these two depends heavily on the intended use case. The MX570 is the better pick for modern compute workloads, ray tracing, and applications that leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate or Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7950, with its launch MSRP of 449 USD, was a high-end desktop part in its day, and its 200 W TDP with a 550 W suggested PSU reflects that positioning. The MX570, at 15 W TDP with no power connectors, is an integrated-class mobile solution.

The MX570's 8 nm Samsung process and 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die give it a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm², more than 3.5 times the HD 7950's 12.3 million per mm². This architectural efficiency explains how the MX570 achieves higher compute performance at a fraction of the power draw. For any scenario where power consumption matters, the MX570 is the clear winner.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher aggregate benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 scores 38,299 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon HD 7950 scores 33,951 in Geekbench Metal. The MX570 leads by 12.8%.

Q: How does the MX570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The MX570 is within 0.1% of the RTX 5080 Mobile (38,349), within 0.4% of the RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135), and trails the MX570 A (38,691) by 1% and the Radeon Pro 580X (38,706) by 1.1%.

Q: What memory advantages does the HD 7950 have over the MX570?

A: The HD 7950 has 3 GB GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The MX570 has 2 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s. The HD 7950 offers 2.5 times the memory bandwidth.

Q: Does the HD 7950 support ray tracing?

A: No. The HD 7950 has no ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The MX570 includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The MX570 has a TDP of 15 W with no power connectors. The HD 7950 has a TDP of 200 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Q: Which GPU has better texture processing?

A: The HD 7950 has 112 TMUs and a texture rate of 89.60 GTexel/s. The MX570 has 64 TMUs and a texture rate of 73.92 GTexel/s. The HD 7950 leads by 21.2% in texture fill rate.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The MX570 uses 2 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7950 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. Memory clock speeds also differ: the MX570 runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective, while the HD 7950 runs at 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective.

Shading unit counts differ, with the MX570 featuring 2,048 shading units versus 1,792 on the HD 7950. Texture mapping units also differ: 64 on the MX570 versus 112 on the HD 7950. Both have 32 ROPs. The MX570 includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores; the HD 7950 has neither.

Pixel and texture rates reflect these differences. The MX570 achieves 36.96 GPixel/s and 73.92 GTexel/s. The HD 7950 achieves 25.60 GPixel/s and 89.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 4.731 TFLOPS for the MX570 versus 2.867 TFLOPS for the HD 7950, a 65% advantage for the MX570.

Power and physical specifications diverge sharply. The MX570 has a 15 W TDP, is an IGP-class slot width, uses no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU. The HD 7950 has a 200 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires 2x 6-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W PSU. The HD 7950 measures 278 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width; the MX570 has no recorded dimensions.

Bus interfaces differ: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the MX570 versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the HD 7950. Display outputs also differ: the MX570 is portable-device dependent, while the HD 7950 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

API support varies. The MX570 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Architecture Differences

The MX570 is built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture using the GA107S chip, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. The HD 7950 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tahiti chip, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. These process nodes differ by three generations, which explains the massive efficiency gap.

Transistor counts reflect the architectural divide. The MX570 packs 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, achieving a density of 43.5 million per mm². The HD 7950 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, achieving only 12.3 million per mm². The MX570 packs more than twice the transistors into a smaller area.

The MX570's Ampere architecture supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, both at 4.731 TFLOPS. The HD 7950's GCN 1.0 architecture has no recorded FP16 support, limiting it to FP32 at 2.867 TFLOPS. This makes the MX570 nearly 65% faster in FP32 and infinitely more capable in FP16 workloads.

The MX570 includes dedicated ray tracing cores (16) and tensor cores (64), marking a fundamental architectural advancement over the HD 7950, which lacks both. The MX570 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7950 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The HD 7950 belongs to the Southern Islands generation and lists Northern Islands as its predecessor and Sea Islands as its successor. The MX570 belongs to the GeForce MX (5xx) generation with no recorded predecessor or successor. Both are end-of-life products, but the MX570 was released on December 16, 2021, while the HD 7950 was released on January 30, 2012, a gap of nearly a decade.

The HD 7950's GCN 1.0 architecture was designed for high-bandwidth desktop workloads, evidenced by its 384-bit bus and 240.0 GB/s bandwidth. The MX570's Ampere architecture prioritizes compute density and power efficiency, as shown by its 15 W TDP and integrated-class footprint. These architectural differences explain why the MX570 achieves higher compute scores while consuming less than a tenth of the power.