AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark record contains one directly comparable workload between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins that test outright, and the data does not show any test where the AMD Radeon HD 7970 comes out ahead. In the single head-to-head measurement, the RX 6800M delivers a score of 87621 against the HD 7970's 34541, a margin of 60.6% in favor of the newer part. That is a decisive gap, not a narrow one.

Looking at the broader database context, the HD 7970 sits at the 79th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800M sits at the 74th percentile. These percentile figures reflect different benchmark suites, not direct comparability. The HD 7970's average benchmark score is 34541, which equals its sole Geekbench OpenCL result. The RX 6800M's average benchmark score across all its recorded tests is 28874, but its Geekbench OpenCL result is far higher at 87621. So in the one workload where both cards were measured under identical conditions, the RX 6800M is the clear winner.

The RX 6800M also posts strong scores in other APIs. Its Geekbench Vulkan result is 94766, its Geekbench Metal result is 113721, and its Passmark G3D score is 13261. The HD 7970 has no recorded results for those tests, so the database does not permit a direct comparison there. What the data does show is that the RX 6800M has a much wider test footprint, covering DirectX 9 through 12, Vulkan, Metal, and compute workloads, while the HD 7970's recorded history is limited to a single OpenCL run. In every measurable category where both cards appear, the RX 6800M dominates.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations, and the gap in performance maps directly onto those changes. The HD 7970 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The RX 6800M, by contrast, uses the Navi 22 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, for a transistor density of 51.3 million per square millimeter. The newer process allows more than four times the transistor density, which is a fundamental driver of the performance difference.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s. The RX 6800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with memory clocked at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. Although the bus is half as wide, the much faster memory speed gives the RX 6800M 45% more bandwidth. That matters for texture-heavy and compute-heavy workloads.

Compute resources tell a similar story. The HD 7970 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6800M has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6800M also adds 40 ray tracing cores, a feature the HD 7970 lacks entirely. Pixel rate jumps from 29.60 GPixel/s on the HD 7970 to 153.0 GPixel/s on the RX 6800M, a more than fivefold increase. Texture rate jumps from 118.4 GTexel/s to 382.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance rises from 3.789 TFLOPS to 12.24 TFLOPS, and the RX 6800M additionally supports FP16 at 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1), which the HD 7970 does not offer in the recorded data.

API support also differs. The HD 7970 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1), while the RX 6800M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but Vulkan versions differ: 1.2.170 on the HD 7970 versus 1.4 on the RX 6800M. The HD 7970 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while the RX 6800M uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Power delivery is another contrast: the HD 7970 has a 250 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, plus a 600 W suggested PSU. The RX 6800M is an integrated mobile part with a 145 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The HD 7970 scores 34541, the RX 6800M scores 87621, and the delta is 60.6% in favor of the RX 6800M. That is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap. To put the HD 7970's score in context, its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB at 34561 (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA A2 at 34690 (0.4% ahead), the NVIDIA TITAN V at 34355 (0.5% behind), and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 at 34207 (1% behind). The HD 7970 sits squarely in that cluster, meaning its OpenCL result is competitive with those midrange and workstation cards from later generations, but it is nowhere near the RX 6800M.

The RX 6800M's nearest rivals in its overall average are different: the AMD Radeon RX 570 at 28766 (0.4% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28996 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X at 28580 (1% behind), and the Intel Arc A370M at 29175 (1% ahead). Those are all older or lower-tier parts, and the RX 6800M's OpenCL score of 87621 towers over all of them. The delta between the RX 6800M's OpenCL result and its own average benchmark score is large, which suggests that OpenCL is a particularly strong workload for this GPU. Even so, the head-to-head result is unambiguous: the RX 6800M beats the HD 7970 by a wide margin in the one test both cards share.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only direct benchmark comparison in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 87621 against the AMD Radeon HD 7970's 34541, a 60.6% advantage.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 7970 has 264.0 GB/s from 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus. The RX 6800M has 384.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, giving it 45% more bandwidth.

Q: Does the RX 6800M support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 6800M includes 40 ray tracing cores. The HD 7970 has no ray tracing cores in its recorded specifications.

Q: What are the FP32 performance figures for each card?

A: The HD 7970 delivers 3.789 TFLOPS, while the RX 6800M delivers 12.24 TFLOPS. The RX 6800M also supports FP16 at 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1); the HD 7970 has no recorded FP16 performance.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The HD 7970 has a 250 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector with a 600 W suggested PSU. The RX 6800M has a 145 W TDP, is an integrated mobile part, and uses no external power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor density?

A: The RX 6800M has 51.3 million transistors per square millimeter on a 7 nm process. The HD 7970 has 12.3 million per square millimeter on a 28 nm process.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 7970 | AMD Radeon RX 6800M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 4,313 million | 17,200 million |

| Die size | 352 mm² | 335 mm² |

| Transistor density | 12.3M / mm² | 51.3M / mm² |

| Memory size | 3 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bus width | 384 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory clock | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory bandwidth | 264.0 GB/s | 384.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2048 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 128 | 160 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Ray tracing cores | None | 40 |

| Pixel rate | 29.60 GPixel/s | 153.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 118.4 GTexel/s | 382.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.789 TFLOPS | 12.24 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None recorded | 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 145 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | None |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| DirectX support | 12 (11_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Display outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release date | 2012-01-08 | 2021-05-30 |

| Launch MSRP | 549 USD | None recorded |

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the superior GPU in every measurable dimension within this comparison. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 60.6% higher than the HD 7970's, and it holds advantages in memory bandwidth, compute throughput, pixel rate, texture rate, and feature support. The HD 7970's only recorded win condition is historical: it was released in 2012 with a launch MSRP of 549 USD, and it remains a functional part in legacy systems, but it cannot compete with the RX 6800M on any benchmark in the database.

For users running OpenCL compute workloads, the RX 6800M is the clear choice. Its 87621 score versus the HD 7970's 34541 leaves no ambiguity. The RX 6800M also supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 7970 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Ray tracing is present on the RX 6800M and absent on the HD 7970. Power efficiency also favors the RX 6800M: it delivers far more performance at 145 W than the HD 7970 does at 250 W.

The HD 7970 is not without merit in context. Its percentile ranking of 79 places it above the RX 6800M's 74, though that ranking reflects different benchmark suites and should not be read as direct comparability. Its nearest rivals in the database, the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB and NVIDIA A2, score within 0.4% of it, so it remains competitive with certain workstation cards. But against the RX 6800M, the gap is too large. The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: choose the RX 6800M for modern workloads, higher performance, and broader API support; reserve the HD 7970 for legacy scenarios where its older interface and power requirements are acceptable.