AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 470 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 records an average benchmark score of 34,541, placing it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX 470 has an average score of 28,996, placing it in the 74th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The HD 7970 scores 34,541 versus 33,568 for the RX 470. This gives the HD 7970 a 2.9% lead in that specific workload, the only directly comparable benchmark in the database.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each card based on average score?

A: For the HD 7970, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB (34,561, 0.1% higher), NVIDIA A2 (34,690, 0.4% higher), NVIDIA TITAN V (34,355, 0.5% lower), and NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34,207, 1% lower). For the RX 470, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874, 0.4% lower), Intel Arc A370M (29,175, 0.6% higher), AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (29,197, 0.7% higher), and AMD FirePro W8000 (29,211, 0.7% higher).

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth and 5.5 Gbps effective memory speed. The RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 211.2 GB/s bandwidth and 6.6 Gbps effective memory speed.

Q: What is the thermal design power (TDP) difference?

A: The HD 7970 is rated at 250 W TDP, while the RX 470 is rated at 120 W TDP. The RX 470 requires a 300 W suggested PSU and a single 6-pin connector, whereas the HD 7970 needs a 600 W suggested PSU and both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector.

Q: What API levels do the two cards support?

A: The HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data shows a clear split between compute performance and modern API readiness. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with 34,541 points versus 33,568 for the RX 470, a 2.9% margin. This suggests the older card retains a slight edge in raw OpenCL compute throughput, likely due to its wider 384-bit memory bus and higher memory bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s, which benefits certain memory-bound workloads.

However, the RX 470 wins in scenarios not covered by the single head-to-head test. It has a much higher pixel rate (38.59 GPixel/s versus 29.60 GPixel/s) and texture rate (154.4 GTexel/s versus 118.4 GTexel/s), indicating faster rasterization and texture filtering in graphics-heavy applications. Its FP32 compute is also higher at 4.940 TFLOPS versus 3.789 TFLOPS, so for modern gaming or compute tasks that leverage shader math, the RX 470 should pull ahead, even if the OpenCL benchmark does not reflect it.

The RX 470 also wins on efficiency and feature support. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 7970 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. For users prioritizing current-generation APIs, the RX 470 is the better choice. Additionally, the RX 470 has a much lower TDP (120 W versus 250 W), making it suitable for smaller power supplies and less demanding cooling.

In summary, the HD 7970 wins the single recorded OpenCL comparison, but the RX 470 wins on theoretical throughput, API modernity, and power efficiency. For legacy compute workloads, the HD 7970 remains competitive; for everything else, the RX 470 is the stronger card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. The HD 7970 uses GCN 1.0, built on the Tahiti chip, while the RX 470 uses GCN 4.0, built on the Ellesmere chip. This generational leap brings significant changes in process technology and feature support.

The HD 7970 is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die. The RX 470 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, packing 5,700 million transistors into a much smaller 232 mm² die. The transistor density difference is striking: 12.3M per mm² for the HD 7970 versus 24.6M per mm² for the RX 470, exactly double. This density improvement explains how the RX 470 fits more transistors into less silicon while consuming far less power.

Both cards feature 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, so the execution resource counts are identical. However, the architecture generations differ in API support. The HD 7970's GCN 1.0 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), meaning it cannot fully utilize all DirectX 12 features. The RX 470's GCN 4.0 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), unlocking the full feature set. Vulkan support also improves, from 1.2.170 on the HD 7970 to 1.3 on the RX 470.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The HD 7970 uses a 384-bit bus with 3 GB of GDDR5, while the RX 470 uses a 256-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 470's memory runs at 6.6 Gbps effective versus 5.5 Gbps on the HD 7970, and the RX 470 has a larger capacity. The HD 7970 has higher total bandwidth (264.0 GB/s versus 211.2 GB/s), but the RX 470 compensates with more capacity and higher per-pin speed.

Power delivery also reflects the architectural shift. The HD 7970 requires a 250 W TDP, a 600 W PSU, and both 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. The RX 470 is rated at 120 W TDP, needs only a 300 W PSU and a single 6-pin connector. This efficiency gain is a direct result of the 14 nm process and GCN 4.0 optimizations.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Process node: 28 nm (HD 7970) versus 14 nm (RX 470)
• Transistor count: 4,313 million versus 5,700 million
• Die size: 352 mm² versus 232 mm²
• Transistor density: 12.3M / mm² versus 24.6M / mm²
• Memory size: 3 GB versus 4 GB
• Memory bus width: 384 bit versus 256 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 264.0 GB/s versus 211.2 GB/s
• Memory effective speed: 5.5 Gbps versus 6.6 Gbps
• Pixel rate: 29.60 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 118.4 GTexel/s versus 154.4 GTexel/s
• FP32 compute: 3.789 TFLOPS versus 4.940 TFLOPS
• FP16 compute: Not listed versus 4.940 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 250 W versus 120 W
• Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 1x 6-pin
• Suggested PSU: 600 W versus 300 W
• Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 versus 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• DirectX support: 12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_0)
• Vulkan support: 1.2.170 versus 1.3
• Dimensions: 275 mm length, 111 mm height, 38 mm width versus 240 mm length, 95 mm height, 35 mm width
• Release date: 2012-01-08 versus 2016-08-03
• Launch MSRP: 549 USD versus 179 USD

Both cards share the same shading units (2048), TMUs (128), ROPs (32), memory type (GDDR5), bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x16), and OpenGL support (4.6). Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single direct comparison between these two GPUs: the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34,541, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 33,568. The HD 7970 wins by 2.9%, a modest but measurable margin.

This result is somewhat counterintuitive given the RX 470's theoretical advantages. The RX 470 has 30% higher FP32 compute (4.940 TFLOPS versus 3.789 TFLOPS), 30% higher texture rate (154.4 GTexel/s versus 118.4 GTexel/s), and 30% higher pixel rate (38.59 GPixel/s versus 29.60 GPixel/s). Yet in this specific OpenCL workload, the HD 7970 comes out ahead.

The key differentiator appears to be memory bandwidth. The HD 7970 has 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 25% higher than the RX 470's 211.2 GB/s. Many OpenCL kernels are memory-bound, and the wider 384-bit bus gives the HD 7970 a distinct advantage in moving data to and from the compute units. The RX 470's higher memory clock (6.6 Gbps versus 5.5 Gbps) cannot fully compensate for the narrower 256-bit bus.

The HD 7970's nearest rivals in terms of average score are the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB (34,561, only 0.1% higher) and the NVIDIA A2 (34,690, 0.4% higher). This places it in a performance tier with professional and data-center cards. The RX 470's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874, 0.4% lower) and Intel Arc A370M (29,175, 0.6% higher), indicating a lower absolute performance tier.

Beyond the single head-to-head, the RX 470 has additional benchmark records: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 842, a Geekbench Metal score of 41,690, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 39,884. No comparable data exists for the HD 7970 in these tests, so a direct comparison is not possible. However, the RX 470's Vulkan score of 39,884 is notably higher than its OpenCL score of 33,568, suggesting that GCN 4.0's Vulkan implementation is particularly strong.

In the only recorded head-to-head, the HD 7970 wins. For users running OpenCL compute workloads, the older card remains viable despite its age. The RX 470's wins are in raw throughput metrics and modern API support, which the single benchmark does not capture.