AMD Radeon HD 7970M vs AMD Radeon Pro 560 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data separates these two mobile GPUs by a single head-to-head test, yet the surrounding specification and performance context tells a more nuanced story. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M takes the only direct comparison, winning the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 17019 against the Radeon Pro 560's 15504, a margin of 8.9%. However, the Radeon Pro 560 counters with a broader benchmark profile, posting scores in three different tests—20918 in Geekbench Metal, 15504 in OpenCL, and 16232 in Vulkan—while the HD 7970M has only a single recorded OpenCL result. The average benchmark scores reflect this: the Pro 560 averages 17551 across its tests, while the HD 7970M sits at 17019.

From a strictly data-driven standpoint, the HD 7970M is the faster chip in raw compute workloads, as evidenced by its OpenCL victory and its higher FP32 throughput of 2.176 TFLOPS versus 1.858 TFLOPS on the Pro 560. Yet the Pro 560 is the more versatile product for modern software ecosystems. Its DirectX 12 (12_0) support, Vulkan 1.3 API, and 1:1 FP16 ratio (1.858 TFLOPS) position it for contemporary workloads, whereas the HD 7970M's DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170 support reflect its older GCN 1.0 architecture. The verdict hinges on use case: pick the HD 7970M for raw compute density in legacy OpenCL environments; pick the Pro 560 for API compatibility, efficiency, and a more complete feature set in current applications.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next (GCN) design. The Radeon Pro 560 utilizes the Polaris 21 chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. The Radeon HD 7970M, by contrast, employs the Wimbledon chip on the original GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Its 2,800 million transistors occupy a substantially larger 212 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 13.2 million per square millimeter.

Core configuration differs markedly. The HD 7970M carries 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). The Pro 560 is more conservative on paper, with 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite fewer execution resources, the Pro 560's newer architecture and higher clocked memory (1270 MHz versus 1200 MHz) partially compensate. The memory subsystems diverge significantly: the Pro 560 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 81.28 GB/s of bandwidth, while the HD 7970M offers only 2 GB of GDDR5 but on a 256-bit bus, achieving 153.6 GB/s—nearly double the bandwidth.

Process technology and power draw tell a story of generational progress. The Pro 560 consumes 75 W and is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, while the HD 7970M draws 100 W and comes as an MXM module. The Pro 560 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the HD 7970M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Pro 560 also offers FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio (1.858 TFLOPS), a feature the HD 7970M lacks entirely. Both cards are end-of-life products, but the Pro 560's release date of 2017-04-17 versus the HD 7970M's 2012-04-23 highlights five years of architectural evolution.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 560 has an average benchmark score of 17551 across three tests (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan), while the AMD Radeon HD 7970M averages 17019 from its single OpenCL result. This difference is approximately 3.1% in favor of the Pro 560.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in direct head-to-head testing?

A: The only direct comparison is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the HD 7970M scores 17019 against the Pro 560's 15504, giving the HD 7970M a win with an 8.9% delta in its favor.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The Pro 560 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 81.28 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7970M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 153.6 GB/s—approximately 89% more bandwidth despite half the capacity.

Q: Which GPU supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The Pro 560 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The HD 7970M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Pro 560 has the more recent API feature set.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The Pro 560's Polaris 21 chip has a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter (3,000 million transistors on 123 mm²), while the HD 7970M's Wimbledon chip has 13.2 million per square millimeter (2,800 million transistors on 212 mm²). The Pro 560's density is roughly 85% higher.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Pro 560 has a TDP of 75 W and is classified as an integrated graphics processor with no power connectors. The HD 7970M has a TDP of 100 W and is an MXM module, also with no power connectors listed. The Pro 560 is the more power-efficient design.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measurable specification. The Pro 560 uses the Polaris 21 chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the HD 7970M uses the Wimbledon chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Transistor counts are close—3,000 million for the Pro 560 versus 2,800 million for the HD 7970M—but die size diverges sharply: 123 mm² versus 212 mm², respectively. This yields a transistor density of 24.4M per mm² for the Pro 560 and 13.2M per mm² for the HD 7970M.

Memory clocks differ, with the Pro 560 running at 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) versus the HD 7970M's 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective). Memory capacity is 4 GB on a 128-bit bus for the Pro 560, compared to 2 GB on a 256-bit bus for the HD 7970M. Bandwidth favors the HD 7970M at 153.6 GB/s versus 81.28 GB/s for the Pro 560. The HD 7970M has more shading units (1280 versus 1024), more TMUs (80 versus 64), and more ROPs (32 versus 16). Pixel rate is 27.20 GPixel/s for the HD 7970M versus 14.51 GPixel/s for the Pro 560; texture rate is 68.00 GTexel/s versus 58.05 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 2.176 TFLOPS for the HD 7970M versus 1.858 TFLOPS for the Pro 560, while the Pro 560 additionally offers FP16 at 1.858 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Power and form factor also diverge: the Pro 560 has a 75 W TDP and is an IGP with PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the HD 7970M has a 100 W TDP and is an MXM Module with MXM-B (3.0) interface. API support favors the Pro 560 with DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, versus DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170 for the HD 7970M. The HD 7970M lists a predecessor ("Vancouver") and successor ("Solar System"), while the Pro 560 lists neither. Release dates are 2017-04-17 for the Pro 560 and 2012-04-23 for the HD 7970M.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is clear: the AMD Radeon HD 7970M wins with a score of 17019 against the AMD Radeon Pro 560's 15504, a delta of 8.9%. This victory aligns with the raw compute specifications—the HD 7970M's 2.176 TFLOPS FP32 output exceeds the Pro 560's 1.858 TFLOPS by approximately 17%. The HD 7970M also holds advantages in texture rate (68.00 GTexel/s versus 58.05 GTexel/s, roughly 17% higher) and pixel rate (27.20 GPixel/s versus 14.51 GPixel/s, roughly 87% higher), which likely contribute to its OpenCL performance lead.

However, the Pro 560's broader benchmark profile reveals strengths the head-to-head test does not capture. In Geekbench Metal, the Pro 560 scores 20918, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 16232. These results, combined with its OpenCL score of 15504, give the Pro 560 an average of 17551. The HD 7970M's average of 17019 comes from its lone OpenCL result. When comparing the Pro 560's OpenCL score to the HD 7970M's OpenCL score, the HD 7970M leads by 8.9%, but the Pro 560's average is 3.1% higher than the HD 7970M's average, suggesting that the Pro 560's performance is more consistent across different API workloads.

The nearest rival data provides additional context. The Pro 560's closest competitors include the AMD Radeon 780M (average score 17588, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, delta 0.2%), the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, delta 0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17639, delta -0.5%). The HD 7970M's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, delta -0.4%), the NVIDIA Tesla M4 (16932, delta 0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (17208, delta -1.1%). These figures show that the Pro 560 sits in a slightly higher performance tier than the HD 7970M, with the Pro 560's average score closer to 17,500-17,600 territory, while the HD 7970M hovers around 17,000-17,200.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7970M wins in raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth. Its OpenCL victory (17019 versus 15504) is the definitive head-to-head result, and its specifications support this: 2.176 TFLOPS FP32, 153.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and a 256-bit bus make it suitable for bandwidth-hungry workloads like large data transfers or compute tasks that benefit from high throughput. The HD 7970M also has more shading units (1280 versus 1024), more TMUs (80 versus 64), and more ROPs (32 versus 16), which explains its higher pixel rate (27.20 GPixel/s versus 14.51 GPixel/s) and texture rate (68.00 GTexel/s versus 58.05 GTexel/s). For legacy OpenCL-based applications that are not API-limited, the HD 7970M is the stronger performer.

The AMD Radeon Pro 560 wins in modern API support, efficiency, and benchmark breadth. Its DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 support make it compatible with current graphics and compute frameworks, whereas the HD 7970M's DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170 are older revisions. The Pro 560's FP16 capability at 1:1 ratio (1.858 TFLOPS) opens the door to machine learning or mixed-precision workloads that the HD 7970M cannot handle. Its 75 W TDP versus 100 W means lower power draw, which is critical for mobile or integrated designs—the Pro 560 is an IGP, while the HD 7970M is an MXM module. The Pro 560's 4 GB memory capacity (versus 2 GB) also allows larger working sets in applications that fit within its lower bandwidth envelope.

In terms of overall benchmark positioning, the Pro 560 is the more complete package. Its percentile of 61 against all GPUs edges out the HD 7970M's 60, and its average score of 17551 exceeds the HD 7970M's 17019. The Pro 560's Metal score of 20918 is particularly strong for Apple-centric workflows, and its Vulkan score of 16232 demonstrates cross-platform viability. The HD 7970M, despite winning the only head-to-head test, lacks comparable scores in other APIs and is thus a narrower performer. For users who need a single GPU for diverse modern workloads, the Pro 560's combination of API modernity, lower power, and higher average performance makes it the data-supported choice; for pure OpenCL compute with maximum bandwidth, the HD 7970M's head-to-head victory and memory throughput give it the edge.