AMD Radeon HD 7970M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two GPUs, with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 taking the only direct head-to-head comparison and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M having no recorded wins in the database. The GTX 780 holds a 34.3% advantage in the single shared test, Geekbench OpenCL, which is a substantial margin for compute workloads.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the GTX 780 shows strength across multiple APIs. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 24514 and Metal score of 10114 indicate solid performance in modern graphics interfaces, while the OpenCL result of 22863 serves as the primary point of comparison against the HD 7970M. The HD 7970M, by contrast, has only one recorded benchmark score in the database: its OpenCL result of 17019. This makes it difficult to assess its capabilities in Vulkan or Metal contexts, as no data exists for those tests.

The percentile rankings reinforce this gap. The GTX 780 sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the HD 7970M ranks at the 60th percentile. That four-point difference is modest in absolute terms, but it reflects the overall scoring gap: the GTX 780 averages 19164 across its benchmark suite, while the HD 7970M averages 17019. For users prioritizing compute performance, particularly in OpenCL workloads, the GTX 780 is clearly the stronger choice.

The GTX 780 also wins on versatility. Its average benchmark score of 19164 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089), while the HD 7970M's 17019 average sits 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037) and 1.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (17208). These rival comparisons show that the GTX 780 competes in a higher performance tier, while the HD 7970M anchors a lower one.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 22863 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 34.3% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M's 17019. This is the only benchmark where both GPUs have recorded results.

Q: Does the GTX 780 support more modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes. The GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), Vulkan 1.2.175, and OpenGL 4.6. The HD 7970M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), Vulkan 1.2.170, and OpenGL 4.6. The Vulkan versions differ slightly, with the GTX 780 having a newer revision.

Q: How does the HD 7970M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The HD 7970M's average score of 17019 is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037) and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M4 (16932). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) by 0.4% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (17208) by 1.1%.

Q: Where does the GTX 780 sit among its competition?

A: The GTX 780's average score of 19164 is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089). It also leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049) by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19036) by 0.7%.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7970M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 153.6 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780's memory bandwidth is nearly double.

Q: Which GPU has better rasterization throughput?

A: The GTX 780 has a pixel rate of 43.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 173.2 GTexel/s, compared to the HD 7970M's 27.20 GPixel/s and 68.00 GTexel/s. The GTX 780 leads by roughly 59% in pixel rate and 155% in texture rate.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 22863, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019. That is a 34.3% delta in favor of the GTX 780, a decisive margin that indicates a substantial compute performance advantage.

To contextualize that gap, consider how the GTX 780's OpenCL score compares to its own average. The GTX 780's OpenCL result of 22863 is above its overall average benchmark score of 19164, meaning OpenCL is a relative strength for this GPU. The HD 7970M's OpenCL score of 17019 exactly matches its average benchmark score of 17019, since that is the only test recorded for it. So the comparison is not just about one test being favorable to one side; the GTX 780 excels in the very workload where the HD 7970M's only data point comes from.

The nearest rivals for each GPU put this in perspective. The GTX 780's average score of 19164 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19177, a difference of just 0.1%. The HD 7970M's 17019 average is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690's 17037, again a 0.1% gap. When two GPUs straddle these rival groups, the delta between them becomes even more significant: the GTX 780's performance class is roughly 12.6% above the HD 7970M's class by average score.

There is no Vulkan or Metal benchmark for the HD 7970M in the database, so the GTX 780's scores of 24514 in Vulkan and 10114 in Metal cannot be directly compared. However, the GTX 780's Vulkan result exceeds its OpenCL result, suggesting that the GPU handles modern compute interfaces well. The absence of comparable data for the HD 7970M means users should weight the OpenCL result heavily when making a decision.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ fundamentally in memory subsystem, shading resources, and power requirements. The GTX 780 ships with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7970M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 153.6 GB/s. That is nearly a 2x bandwidth advantage for the GTX 780, which matters directly for texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads.

Shader resources follow a similar pattern. The GTX 780 has 2304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The HD 7970M has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. In terms of throughput, the GTX 780 achieves 43.30 GPixel/s and 173.2 GTexel/s, while the HD 7970M achieves 27.20 GPixel/s and 68.00 GTexel/s. The GTX 780 is roughly 59% faster in pixel fill and 155% faster in texture fill.

Clock speeds also diverge. The GTX 780 has a base clock of 863 MHz and a boost clock of 902 MHz, with memory running at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The HD 7970M has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, but its memory runs at 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective). The lack of core clock data for the HD 7970M makes direct frequency comparison impossible, but the memory clock difference is clear.

Power and physical requirements differ sharply. The GTX 780 has a 250 W TDP, requires a 600 W suggested PSU, uses a dual-slot cooler, and needs one 6-pin plus one 8-pin power connector. It measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width. The HD 7970M has a 100 W TDP, uses an MXM module form factor, requires no power connectors, and has dimensions listed as portable device dependent. The GTX 780 is a desktop card; the HD 7970M is a mobile module.

The GTX 780 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface, while the HD 7970M uses MXM-B (3.0). Display outputs also differ: the GTX 780 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the HD 7970M's outputs are portable device dependent. The GTX 780's launch MSRP was 649 USD.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 780 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture using the GK110 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The HD 7970M uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Wimbledon chip, also on a 28 nm TSMC process, but with 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, yielding a density of 13.2M per mm².

The architectural generation gap is significant. The GTX 780 belongs to the GeForce 700 generation, while the HD 7970M is part of the London (HD 7900M) generation. The GTX 780's predecessor is the GeForce 600 series and its successor is the GeForce 900 series. The HD 7970M's predecessor is Vancouver and its successor is Solar System. Both GPUs are end-of-life products.

Compute capability differs in measurable ways. The GTX 780 delivers 4.156 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the HD 7970M delivers 2.176 TFLOPS. That is a 91% advantage for the GTX 780 in raw floating-point throughput. Neither GPU has recorded FP16 performance, and neither has RT or tensor cores, which reflects their pre-ray-tracing era.

API support shows subtle differences. Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but their DirectX feature levels differ: the GTX 780 supports 11_0, while the HD 7970M supports 11_1. Vulkan versions also differ slightly, with the GTX 780 at 1.2.175 and the HD 7970M at 1.2.170. These are minor differences in practice, but they indicate the GTX 780 has a marginally newer driver stack.

The transistor density difference is notable: the HD 7970M packs 13.2M transistors per mm² versus the GTX 780's 12.6M per mm². This is partly a function of die size, as the GTX 780 is substantially larger at 561 mm² compared to 212 mm². The GTX 780's larger die allows for more shading units and memory bandwidth, but it also explains the much higher 250 W TDP versus 100 W for the HD 7970M.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion for most use cases: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is the stronger GPU. It wins the only direct benchmark comparison, posting a 34.3% higher OpenCL score than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M. Its average benchmark score of 19164 versus 17019 represents a 12.6% overall advantage, and it sits four percentile points higher in the database rankings.

The GTX 780's advantages are structural, not marginal. It has 80% more shading units (2304 vs 1280), 140% more TMUs (192 vs 80), 50% more ROPs (48 vs 32), and nearly double the memory bandwidth (288.4 GB/s vs 153.6 GB/s). Its FP32 throughput of 4.156 TFLOPS is 91% higher than the HD 7970M's 2.176 TFLOPS. These are the specifications that drive real performance differences in compute and graphics workloads.

The HD 7970M has one clear virtue: power efficiency. Its 100 W TDP is less than half the GTX 780's 250 W, and its MXM form factor makes it suitable for portable devices where the GTX 780's dual-slot, 267 mm length cannot fit. For a laptop or compact mobile workstation, the HD 7970M is the only viable option between the two. It also requires no external power connectors, which simplifies installation in constrained chassis.

However, the HD 7970M's lower transistor count (2,800 million vs 7,080 million) and smaller die (212 mm² vs 561 mm²) mean it cannot match the GTX 780's raw throughput. Its nearest rivals cluster around the 17000 score range, while the GTX 780's rivals sit near 19000. The GTX 780's nearest rival, the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, is only 0.1% ahead of it, placing the GTX 780 in genuinely high-end company.

For desktop users building a system with room for a dual-slot card and a 600 W PSU, the GTX 780 is the obvious pick. Its Vulkan score of 24514 and Metal score of 10114 also indicate broader API coverage, even though the HD 7970M has no comparable data in those tests. For mobile users who need GPU compute in a laptop, the HD 7970M is the only choice, but they should expect roughly two-thirds of the GTX 780's OpenCL performance.

The verdict is straightforward: choose the GTX 780 for any desktop build where power and space allow it. Choose the HD 7970M only when the MXM form factor and 100 W TDP are non-negotiable requirements.