AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes one directly comparable benchmark between the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE and the AMD Radeon HD 7970: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the RX 7650 GRE scores 83,109 points, while the HD 7970 scores 34,541 points. The RX 7650 GRE wins with a delta of 140.6%, meaning it delivers more than double the performance of the older card in this compute-oriented workload.

This 140.6% advantage is substantial. To put it in context, the RX 7650 GRE's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 42,723, while the HD 7970's average is 34,541. The gap in the OpenCL test is far larger than the gap in average scores, which suggests that the architectural differences between the two cards amplify the performance difference in this particular workload.

The RX 7650 GRE's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER (average score 43,223, delta of -1.2%), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43,262, -1.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43,268, -1.3%), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43,301, -1.3%). This places the RX 7650 GRE in a performance tier where it is within 1.3% of several strong competitors, all of which are modern or recent professional and consumer cards.

The HD 7970's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB (34,561, delta of -0.1%), the NVIDIA A2 (34,690, -0.4%), the NVIDIA TITAN V (34,355, +0.5%), and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34,207, +1%). These are much older or lower-end cards compared to the RX 7650 GRE's rivals, yet the HD 7970 still trades blows with them, showing that it remains competitive within its own vintage tier but is far behind the modern card.

In the head-to-head count, the RX 7650 GRE wins 1 benchmark, while the HD 7970 wins 0. There is no recorded benchmark where the HD 7970 outperforms the RX 7650 GRE. The data is clear: in the single common test, the newer card dominates, and there is no countervailing evidence in the database to suggest any reversal.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different eras of AMD's GPU design. The RX 7650 GRE uses the Navi 33 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the codename "Hotpink Bonefish." It belongs to the Navi III (RX 7000) generation, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The HD 7970 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, belonging to the Southern Islands generation (HD 7900 series), fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC.

The transistor counts reflect the generational leap. The RX 7650 GRE packs 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.2 million per square millimeter. The HD 7970 has 4,313 million transistors on a larger 352 mm² die, resulting in a density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The newer process node allows the RX 7650 GRE to fit more than three times as many transistors into a smaller physical area.

Shading unit counts are identical at 2,048, and both cards have 128 texture mapping units. However, the ROP counts differ: the RX 7650 GRE has 64 ROPs, while the HD 7970 has 32. The RX 7650 GRE also introduces 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the HD 7970, which has no ray tracing hardware listed.

Memory configurations differ significantly. The RX 7650 GRE has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). Despite the narrower bus, the RX 7650 GRE achieves higher bandwidth thanks to faster memory technology.

Pixel and texture rates show the performance gap. The RX 7650 GRE achieves 172.5 GPixel/s and 345.0 GTexel/s, while the HD 7970 achieves 29.60 GPixel/s and 118.4 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is similarly lopsided: the RX 7650 GRE delivers 22.08 TFLOPS FP32, while the HD 7970 delivers 3.789 TFLOPS FP32. The RX 7650 GRE also supports FP16 at 22.08 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the HD 7970 has no listed FP16 capability.

API support reflects the generational divide. The RX 7650 GRE supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The newer card also uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the older card uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well: the RX 7650 GRE offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the HD 7970 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

Power requirements are notable. The RX 7650 GRE has a TDP of 170 W with a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W, requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 600 W PSU. The newer card delivers far more performance while consuming less power.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 83,109 points versus 34,541 points for the AMD Radeon HD 7970, a delta of 140.6% in favor of the RX 7650 GRE.

Q: Does the HD 7970 have any ray tracing capability?

A: No. The HD 7970 has no ray tracing cores listed, while the RX 7650 GRE includes 32 ray tracing cores.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, while the HD 7970 has 264.0 GB/s from 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has a transistor density of 65.2 million per square millimeter on a 6 nm process, while the HD 7970 has 12.3 million per square millimeter on a 28 nm process.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has a TDP of 170 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Q: Are the shading unit counts the same?

A: Yes, both cards have 2,048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units. However, the RX 7650 GRE has 64 ROPs versus 32 ROPs on the HD 7970.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE | AMD Radeon HD 7970 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process node | 6 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 13,300 million | 4,313 million |

| Die size | 204 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor density | 65.2M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Memory size | 8 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory bus width | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 264.0 GB/s |

| Memory clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Ray tracing cores | 32 | None |

| Pixel rate | 172.5 GPixel/s | 29.60 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 345.0 GTexel/s | 118.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 performance | 22.08 TFLOPS | 3.789 TFLOPS |

| FP16 performance | 22.08 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not listed |

| TDP | 170 W | 250 W |

| Power connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 600 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

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

| Vulkan support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release date | 2025-02-06 | 2012-01-08 |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | 549 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7650 GRE wins in every measurable category from the database. It has a higher average benchmark score (42,723 versus 34,541), a higher percentile ranking (83rd versus 79th among all GPUs), and it wins the sole head-to-head benchmark by a wide margin. Its advantages in raw compute, memory bandwidth, pixel rate, and texture rate are all substantial. The RX 7650 GRE also supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for current and near-future games and applications that rely on these features. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than double the HD 7970's 3 GB, which matters for modern texture-heavy workloads.

The HD 7970's wins are more limited. It has a wider memory bus (384 bit versus 128 bit), which historically provided an advantage in certain bandwidth-sensitive tasks, but the RX 7650 GRE still achieves higher overall bandwidth. The HD 7970 also uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which offers more lanes than the RX 7650 GRE's PCIe 4.0 x8, though the newer standard's higher per-lane throughput negates this in practice. The HD 7970's lower transistor density (12.3M / mm² versus 65.2M / mm²) and smaller transistor count mean it was a simpler chip, potentially easier to manufacture in its era, but this has no practical benefit for users today.

In terms of physical dimensions, the HD 7970 is longer at 275 mm (10.8 inches) versus 204 mm (8 inches) for the RX 7650 GRE, and it is slightly taller at 111 mm (4.4 inches) versus 115 mm (4.5 inches). The HD 7970 is also wider at 38 mm (1.5 inches) versus no specified width for the RX 7650 GRE. Both are dual-slot cards. The RX 7650 GRE's shorter length makes it easier to fit in compact cases.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE is the superior card in nearly every respect. It delivers a 140.6% higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL test, has more than five times the FP32 performance (22.08 TFLOPS versus 3.789 TFLOPS), uses less power (170 W versus 250 W), and supports modern APIs that the HD 7970 cannot fully utilize. The RX 7650 GRE is also smaller, lighter on power supply requirements (450 W suggested versus 600 W), and remains in active production, whereas the HD 7970 is end-of-life.

For users building a new system or upgrading from an older GPU, the RX 7650 GRE is the obvious choice from this comparison. Its 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs places it well above the HD 7970's 79th percentile, and its nearest rivals include cards like the RTX 4070 SUPER and RTX 5050 Mobile, all within 1.3% of its average score. The RX 7650 GRE offers ray tracing, 8 GB of memory, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, making it suitable for modern gaming and compute workloads.

The HD 7970, while historically significant as a GCN 1.0 pioneer, is now outdated. Its 3 GB of memory is insufficient for many current games, its lack of ray tracing hardware excludes it from newer rendering techniques, and its 250 W TDP with a 600 W PSU recommendation makes it less efficient. Its only recorded benchmark score of 34,541 in OpenCL places it near older professional cards like the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB and NVIDIA A2, but far below the RX 7650 GRE.

Users who already own an HD 7970 and are satisfied with light or legacy workloads may find it still functional, but the data shows no scenario where it outperforms the RX 7650 GRE. For anyone choosing between these two, the RX 7650 GRE wins on performance, efficiency, features, and longevity. The verdict is unambiguous: pick the RX 7650 GRE unless there is a specific requirement for the HD 7970's older interface or display outputs, which are unlikely to be decisive for most users.