AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 5300M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5300M and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 represent two distinct eras of AMD graphics technology, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The benchmark data shows a single head-to-head comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where the newer RX 5300M emerges victorious with a score of 36529 against the HD 7970’s 34541, a delta of 5.8%. While the margin is modest, the underlying specifications reveal a dramatic shift in how AMD achieves performance, moving from a brute-force approach with a massive die to a power-efficient design on a modern process node. This analysis will dissect the benchmark results, architectural differences, and use-case scenarios for both GPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures general-purpose compute performance. In this test, the AMD Radeon RX 5300M scores 36529 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 scores 34541 points. This gives the RX 5300M a definitive win with a 5.8% performance advantage. The fact that this is the sole benchmark win for the RX 5300M (1 win versus 0 for the HD 7970) highlights that while the newer card is faster, it is not a landslide victory in raw compute throughput.

Contextualizing these scores with their nearest rivals provides deeper insight. The RX 5300M’s score places it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, with its closest competitor being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X, which scores 36530 (a 0% delta). It also edges out the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 by 1.7% (score 37157) and beats the AMD Radeon Pro Duo by 1.9% (score 35860). This suggests the RX 5300M is a solid mid-range performer in the compute landscape, punching well above its mobile-oriented design.

For the HD 7970, its score of 34541 lands it in the 79th percentile, remarkably close to the RX 5300M’s standing. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB, which scores 34561, a negligible -0.1% delta. It also sits just ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN V (34355, 0.5% delta) and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34207, 1% delta). The fact that a 2012 flagship card is within 6% of a 2019 mobile chip in this specific compute test confirms the HD 7970’s original high-end positioning, even if its architecture is now long in the tooth.

The 5.8% delta between the two cards is significant in context. It shows that the RX 5300M, despite having fewer shading units (1408 vs 2048) and a narrower memory bus (96-bit vs 384-bit), compensates through its higher clock speeds and architectural efficiency. The data indicates that the RX 5300M’s win is not due to overwhelming firepower but rather a more modern and efficient execution of compute workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher raw compute throughput (FP32)?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5300M has a higher FP32 performance at 4.069 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD Radeon HD 7970’s 3.789 TFLOPS. This represents a roughly 7.4% theoretical advantage for the RX 5300M, which aligns with its 5.8% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark.

Q: How do their memory specifications compare?

A: Both GPUs feature 3 GB of memory, but they use different types and buses. The RX 5300M uses GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, delivering 168.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7970 uses GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering a significantly higher 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite the HD 7970’s bandwidth advantage, the RX 5300M still wins in compute performance.

Q: What are the power and physical size differences?

A: The RX 5300M has a TDP of 85 W and no power connectors, indicating a mobile or low-profile design. The HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W, requires a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connector, and a suggested 600 W PSU. It is also a dual-slot card measuring 275 mm in length, while the RX 5300M’s dimensions are portable-device dependent.

Q: Which GPU supports newer API features?

A: The RX 5300M supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. This gives the RX 5300M a more modern feature set for contemporary applications.

Q: How does the manufacturing process affect the design?

A: The RX 5300M is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with 6,400 million transistors on a 158 mm² die. The HD 7970 uses a 28 nm process, with 4,313 million transistors on a much larger 352 mm² die. The RX 5300M’s transistor density is 40.5M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm² for the HD 7970.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5300M is the clear winner in the available benchmark, taking the sole Geekbench OpenCL test with a 5.8% margin. Its strength lies in its modern RDNA 1.0 architecture and high clock speeds. With a boost clock of 1445 MHz and a game clock of 1181 MHz, it achieves its compute lead despite having fewer shading units (1408) than the HD 7970 (2048). The RX 5300M’s efficiency is also a major advantage; its 85 W TDP makes it suitable for systems where power and cooling are constrained, such as laptops or compact desktops. Its support for PCIe 4.0 x8 and newer API versions (DirectX 12_1, Vulkan 1.4) makes it a more future-proof choice for software that leverages these features.

The AMD Radeon HD 7970, while losing the compute benchmark, has its own areas of theoretical superiority. Its memory bandwidth is vastly higher at 264.0 GB/s, which is 57% more than the RX 5300M’s 168.0 GB/s. This could translate to better performance in bandwidth-sensitive workloads like high-resolution texture streaming or certain types of compute tasks that are memory-bound. Furthermore, its larger number of shading units (2048) and TMUs (128) provide a different compute profile. In legacy workloads optimized for GCN 1.0 architecture, it may still hold its own. The HD 7970 also has a higher pixel rate at 29.60 GPixel/s versus 46.24 GPixel/s for the RX 5300M, though this does not directly impact the OpenCL score.

For a user choosing between these two, the decision hinges on the use case. If the priority is modern compute performance, power efficiency, and compatibility with the latest APIs, the RX 5300M is the superior choice. If the workload is heavily dependent on memory bandwidth and can utilize the HD 7970’s specific architecture, the older card might offer competitive performance in niche scenarios, but the data shows the RX 5300M is generally faster.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly across nearly every major specification category. The most striking difference is in the process node: the RX 5300M uses a 7 nm process, while the HD 7970 uses 28 nm. This leads to a massive difference in transistor density, with the RX 5300M packing 40.5M transistors per mm² versus the HD 7970’s 12.3M per mm². The die size tells the opposite story: the HD 7970’s die is 352 mm², more than double the RX 5300M’s 158 mm², yet it houses fewer transistors (4,313 million vs 6,400 million).

Clock speeds are also a differentiator. The RX 5300M has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1445 MHz, with a game clock of 1181 MHz. The HD 7970’s base and boost clocks are not listed in the data, but its memory clock is 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), compared to the RX 5300M’s 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The memory configuration differs entirely: the RX 5300M uses 3 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, while the HD 7970 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Compute unit counts vary as well. The RX 5300M has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The HD 7970 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The bus interface also differs, with the RX 5300M using PCIe 4.0 x8 and the HD 7970 using PCIe 3.0 x16. Power requirements are starkly different: the RX 5300M has an 85 W TDP with no power connectors, while the HD 7970 has a 250 W TDP with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors and a suggested 600 W PSU.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is profound. The RX 5300M is based on the Navi 14 chip and utilizes the RDNA 1.0 architecture, part of the Radeon RX 5000 series and the Navi Mobile generation. The HD 7970 is based on the Tahiti chip and uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Southern Islands (HD 7900) generation. This represents a generational shift from AMD’s Graphics Core Next to the newer RDNA design, which focuses on higher IPC and power efficiency.

The manufacturing process is a core architectural difference. The RX 5300M is built on TSMC’s 7 nm node, allowing for a transistor density of 40.5M / mm². The HD 7970 is built on TSMC’s 28 nm node, with a density of just 12.3M / mm². This process advantage is why the RX 5300M achieves higher clock speeds (1445 MHz boost vs unspecified for HD 7970) while using significantly less power (85 W vs 250 W).

Features also diverge. The RX 5300M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 5300M also supports FP16 compute at 8.138 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), whereas the HD 7970 has no listed FP16 capability. The HD 7970’s display outputs are specific (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2), while the RX 5300M’s are portable-device dependent. The HD 7970 is a dual-slot card with specific dimensions, while the RX 5300M is designed for mobile integration. These architectural differences explain why the RX 5300M can win the compute benchmark despite having fewer shading units and a narrower memory bus.