AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB Comparison

AMD Radeon HD 7970 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB represent two very different eras of GPU design, yet their benchmark scores place them in adjacent performance tiers. The HD 7970, an end-of-life Southern Islands part from 2012, posts an average benchmark score of 34,541, while the GTX 1060 5 GB, a Pascal-generation card from 2017, averages 33,694. The data shows a narrow overall margin, with the AMD card holding a 2.5% lead in average score, but the story becomes more nuanced when examining individual test results and architectural characteristics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it favors the AMD Radeon HD 7970. In this compute-oriented workload, the HD 7970 scores 34,541 against the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,397, yielding a delta of 3.4% in AMD's favor. This is a meaningful but not overwhelming margin—it places the two cards in the same competitive bracket, with the HD 7970 edging ahead by roughly one benchmark percentile tier.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape through the nearestRivals data, both cards sit near a cluster of professional and consumer GPUs. The HD 7970's 34,541 average is nearly identical to the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB's 34,561, a difference of just -0.1%. It also trails the NVIDIA A2 by 0.4% (34,690) but beats the NVIDIA TITAN V by 0.5% (34,355) and the RTX A1000 by 1% (34,207). This places the HD 7970 in a tight grouping where performance differences are within noise margins.

The GTX 1060 5 GB, with its 33,694 average, sits in a similar cluster but slightly lower. It is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 (33,622), 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (33,849), 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (33,951), and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33,997). Notably, the HD 7950—the direct sibling of the HD 7970—scores 0.8% higher than the GTX 1060 5 GB, reinforcing the pattern that the older AMD architecture holds a slight compute advantage.

There is also a second benchmark result for the GTX 1060 5 GB: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 33,991. This is 1.8% higher than its own OpenCL score of 33,397, suggesting the Pascal architecture responds well to Vulkan's lower-level API access. The HD 7970 has no Vulkan score in the data, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible. However, the GTX 1060 5 GB's Vulkan score of 33,991 would still trail the HD 7970's OpenCL score of 34,541 by 1.6%, indicating the AMD card's compute lead persists even when the NVIDIA card is running its preferred API.

The wins tally confirms the AMD card's dominance in the available metrics: the HD 7970 wins 1 benchmark (OpenCL), while the GTX 1060 5 GB wins 0. That said, the single head-to-head test is compute-focused, which historically favors AMD's GCN architecture's raw FP32 throughput. The GTX 1060 5 GB's strength may lie in other workloads not captured by the available data.

The Verdict

From the data alone, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is the faster card in compute benchmarks. Its 3.4% OpenCL lead over the GTX 1060 5 GB is consistent and places it in a higher percentile bracket: the HD 7970 sits at the 79th percentile versus the GTX 1060 5 GB's 78th percentile among all GPUs. The HD 7970 also edges out the GTX 1060 5 GB's nearest rivals in several comparisons—it beats the TITAN V by 0.5% while the GTX 1060 5 GB only manages to beat the RTX A5000 by 0.2%.

However, the GTX 1060 5 GB is not without its arguments. Its Vulkan score of 33,991 shows better API optimization than its OpenCL result, and its 16 nm process node versus the HD 7970's 28 nm node suggests significantly better power efficiency. The GTX 1060 5 GB has a TDP of 120 W compared to the HD 7970's 250 W, and it requires only a 300 W suggested PSU versus 600 W. For users prioritizing compute performance per watt, the NVIDIA card is the clear winner.

For raw compute performance regardless of power, the HD 7970 is the pick. Its 3.789 TFLOPS FP32 throughput trails the GTX 1060 5 GB's 4.375 TFLOPS, yet it still wins the OpenCL benchmark—evidence of architectural efficiency in compute workloads. The HD 7970 also has a wider memory bus (384-bit vs 160-bit) and higher memory bandwidth (264.0 GB/s vs 160.2 GB/s), which may benefit memory-intensive tasks. For gaming or general use where power draw and heat are concerns, the GTX 1060 5 GB's lower TDP and smaller physical footprint (250 mm length vs 275 mm) make it the more practical choice, even if it trails in raw compute.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The HD 7970 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture on the Tahiti chip, built on TSMC's 28 nm process. It packs 4,313 million transistors into a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². The GTX 1060 5 GB uses NVIDIA's Pascal architecture on the GP106 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 16 nm process. It contains 4,400 million transistors in a much smaller 200 mm² die, achieving a density of 22.0 million per mm²—nearly double the HD 7970's density.

These process differences have direct consequences. The HD 7970's larger die and older node contribute to its 250 W TDP, while the GTX 1060 5 GB's modern node enables a 120 W TDP with similar transistor counts. The GTX 1060 5 GB also features a higher base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1709 MHz, whereas the HD 7970's clocks are not specified in the data. Memory configurations diverge sharply: the HD 7970 uses 3 GB of GDDR5 across a 384-bit bus for 264.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1060 5 GB uses 5 GB of GDDR5 across a 160-bit bus for 160.2 GB/s. The AMD card's wider bus gives it a 64.9% bandwidth advantage, which likely contributes to its OpenCL win despite lower raw FP32.

Compute resources differ significantly. The HD 7970 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 29.60 GPixel/s and texture rate of 118.4 GTexel/s. The GTX 1060 5 GB has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, yielding higher pixel rate (68.36 GPixel/s) and texture rate (136.7 GTexel/s). The NVIDIA card's higher ROP count and clocks give it 2.3x the pixel fill rate, but the AMD card's larger shader array and memory bandwidth win in compute. API support also differs: the HD 7970 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 1060 5 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs vary too, with the HD 7970 offering 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, versus the GTX 1060 5 GB's 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7970 has an average benchmark score of 34,541, which is 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,694.

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

A: The HD 7970 scores 34,541, beating the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,397 by 3.4%. This is the only direct head-to-head benchmark available in the data.

Q: Does the GTX 1060 5 GB perform better in any benchmark?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 33,991, which is 1.8% higher than its own OpenCL score. However, no Vulkan score is available for the HD 7970, so a direct comparison cannot be made.

Q: Which card has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 7970 has a memory bandwidth of 264.0 GB/s, which is 64.9% higher than the GTX 1060 5 GB's 160.2 GB/s. This is due to the HD 7970's 384-bit bus versus the GTX 1060 5 GB's 160-bit bus.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The HD 7970 has a TDP of 250 W, while the GTX 1060 5 GB has a TDP of 120 W. The suggested PSU requirements are 600 W for the HD 7970 and 300 W for the GTX 1060 5 GB.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB has a transistor density of 22.0 million per mm², compared to the HD 7970's 12.3 million per mm², due to its more advanced 16 nm process versus 28 nm.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 wins in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score is 3.4% higher than the GTX 1060 5 GB's, and it sits at the 79th percentile versus the 78th. The HD 7970's 264.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and wider 384-bit bus provide a substantial advantage for bandwidth-bound workloads. It also has more shading units (2,048 vs 1,280) and TMUs (128 vs 80), though its lower clocks and pixel rate suggest it may lag in rasterization-heavy tasks. In the nearestRivals comparison, the HD 7970 beats the TITAN V by 0.5% and RTX A1000 by 1%, showing strong competitive positioning against much newer hardware.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB wins on efficiency and modern features. Its 120 W TDP is less than half the HD 7970's 250 W, and its 300 W suggested PSU requirement is half the AMD card's 600 W. The GTX 1060 5 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1) versus the HD 7970's 12 (11_1), and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.170. Its display outputs are more modern, including HDMI 2.0 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. The GTX 1060 5 GB also has higher pixel rate (68.36 GPixel/s vs 29.60 GPixel/s) and texture rate (136.7 GTexel/s vs 118.4 GTexel/s), indicating better performance in fill-rate-bound scenarios. Its higher FP32 throughput (4.375 TFLOPS vs 3.789 TFLOPS) and larger 5 GB memory capacity also favor it in certain workloads.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category:

• Process node: HD 7970 uses 28 nm; GTX 1060 5 GB uses 16 nm.
• Transistor count: HD 7970 has 4,313 million; GTX 1060 5 GB has 4,400 million.
• Die size: HD 7970 is 352 mm²; GTX 1060 5 GB is 200 mm².
• Transistor density: HD 7970 is 12.3M / mm²; GTX 1060 5 GB is 22.0M / mm².
• Base clock: HD 7970 has no listed base clock; GTX 1060 5 GB is 1506 MHz.
• Boost clock: HD 7970 has no listed boost clock; GTX 1060 5 GB is 1709 MHz.
• Memory size: HD 7970 has 3 GB; GTX 1060 5 GB has 5 GB.
• Memory bus width: HD 7970 is 384-bit; GTX 1060 5 GB is 160-bit.
• Memory bandwidth: HD 7970 is 264.0 GB/s; GTX 1060 5 GB is 160.2 GB/s.
• Shading units: HD 7970 has 2,048; GTX 1060 5 GB has 1,280.
• TMUs: HD 7970 has 128; GTX 1060 5 GB has 80.
• ROPs: HD 7970 has 32; GTX 1060 5 GB has 40.
• Pixel rate: HD 7970 is 29.60 GPixel/s; GTX 1060 5 GB is 68.36 GPixel/s.
• Texture rate: HD 7970 is 118.4 GTexel/s; GTX 1060 5 GB is 136.7 GTexel/s.
• FP32: HD 7970 is 3.789 TFLOPS; GTX 1060 5 GB is 4.375 TFLOPS.
• TDP: HD 7970 is 250 W; GTX 1060 5 GB is 120 W.
• Power connectors: HD 7970 uses 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin; GTX 1060 5 GB uses 1x 6-pin.
• Suggested PSU: HD 7970 is 600 W; GTX 1060 5 GB is 300 W.
• Display outputs: HD 7970 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2; GTX 1060 5 GB has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.
• DirectX support: HD 7970 is 12 (11_1); GTX 1060 5 GB is 12 (12_1).
• Vulkan support: HD 7970 is 1.2.170; GTX 1060 5 GB is 1.4.
• Dimensions: HD 7970 is 275 mm x 111 mm x 38 mm; GTX 1060 5 GB is 250 mm in length (height and width not specified).
• Release date: HD 7970 launched 2012-01-08; GTX 1060 5 GB launched 2017-12-25.
• Launch MSRP: HD 7970 launched at 549 USD; GTX 1060 5 GB has no listed launch MSRP.