AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M records an average benchmark score of 10013, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M records 8462. The Pro 5300M sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs, compared to the HD 8870M at the 43rd percentile.

Q: What is the single head-to-head benchmark result between these two cards?

A: The database includes one direct comparison: Geekbench OpenCL. The Radeon Pro 5300M scores 29252, while the Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462. This gives the Pro 5300M a 245.7% lead in that test.

Q: How do the architectures differ?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is built on RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process node, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process node. Both are manufactured by TSMC, but the transistor counts differ: 6,400 million for the Pro 5300M versus 1,500 million for the HD 8870M.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The Radeon Pro 5300M has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher compute throughput?

A: The Radeon Pro 5300M delivers 3.200 TFLOPS FP32 performance, while the Radeon HD 8870M delivers 992.0 GFLOPS. The Pro 5300M also supports FP16 at 6.400 TFLOPS (2:1), whereas the HD 8870M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Q: What are the DirectX and Vulkan API support levels?

A: The Radeon Pro 5300M supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data shows a single benchmark category where both cards were tested head-to-head: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M wins decisively with a 245.7% higher score. This is the only direct comparison available, so the use-case split is heavily one-sided.

However, the broader benchmark suite for the Pro 5300M reveals where it excels beyond the single comparison. It records strong scores in Geekbench Metal (33626), Geekbench Vulkan (27912), and Passmark G3D (5918). The HD 8870M has no recorded results for these tests in the database, so no comparison is possible for those workloads.

For the HD 8870M, the only recorded benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL (8462). This means that for any compute-oriented workload measured through OpenCL, the Pro 5300M is the clear choice. The data does not support any scenario where the HD 8870M wins a benchmark category, as it holds zero wins in the head-to-head comparison.

The Pro 5300M also shows strength in Passmark sub-tests, including DirectX 9 (80), DirectX 10 (36), DirectX 11 (37), DirectX 12 (25), G2D (582), and GPU compute (2658). These results are not directly compared against the HD 8870M, but they indicate a broad capability profile. For users focused on modern API workloads, the Pro 5300M's support for DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4 positions it as the more future-proof option.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is based on RDNA 1.0, a modern graphics architecture designed for efficiency and high compute density. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is based on GCN 1.0, an older architecture that predates many of the optimizations found in RDNA.

The process node is a major differentiator. The Pro 5300M is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the HD 8870M uses a 28 nm process at the same foundry. This process shrink allows the Pro 5300M to pack 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.5M per mm². The HD 8870M, by contrast, houses 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2M per mm². The density difference is roughly threefold, which directly impacts performance and power efficiency.

The shading resources also differ substantially. The Pro 5300M has 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These figures mean the Pro 5300M has double the compute and texture throughput potential in raw hardware terms.

Clock speeds and memory technology further separate the two. The Pro 5300M runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1250 MHz, with memory clocked at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The HD 8870M runs at a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz, with memory at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The Pro 5300M also uses GDDR6 memory, whereas the HD 8870M uses GDDR5.

The bus interface differs as well: the Pro 5300M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the HD 8870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Despite the narrower lane count, the newer PCIe standard provides higher bandwidth per lane, which may offset the difference.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights the specifications where the two cards differ, based solely on the recorded data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 5300M | AMD Radeon HD 8870M |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 6,400 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 158 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 40.5M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 725 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1250 MHz | 775 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1280 | 640 |

| Texture Mapping Units | 80 | 40 |

| Raster Operation Units | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 40.00 GPixel/s | 12.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 100.0 GTexel/s | 31.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.200 TFLOPS | 992.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 6.400 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 85 W | Not recorded |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2019-11-12 | 2013-03-31 |

Both cards share the same manufacturer (AMD), foundry (TSMC), memory bus width (128 bit), OpenGL version (4.6), and production status (End-of-life). Neither has a recorded launch MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database provides exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M scores 29252, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462. The delta percentage is 245.7% in favor of the Pro 5300M. This is a massive margin, indicating that the Pro 5300M delivers more than three times the OpenCL compute performance of the HD 8870M.

To contextualize this result, the Pro 5300M's average benchmark score of 10013 places it near the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M (10043, a 0.3% deficit) and the AMD Radeon R9 M375 (10070, a 0.6% deficit). It also sits slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (9959, a 0.5% lead) and the NVIDIA Quadro 6000 (9846, a 1.7% lead). The HD 8870M, with an average score of 8462, is closest to the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458, a 0.1% lead), the AMD Radeon 880M (8436, a 0.3% lead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427, a 0.4% lead). It trails the Intel Arc A380 (8558) by 1.1%.

Beyond the head-to-head test, the Pro 5300M's other benchmark scores reinforce its standing. Its Geekbench Metal score of 33626 is its highest recorded result, followed by Geekbench OpenCL at 29252 and Geekbench Vulkan at 27912. In Passmark tests, it scores 5918 in G3D, 2658 in GPU compute, 582 in G2D, and lower scores in DirectX sub-tests (80 for DX9, 36 for DX10, 37 for DX11, 25 for DX12). The HD 8870M has no comparable data in these categories, so the only definitive comparative statement is the OpenCL result.

The wins tally reflects this: the Pro 5300M has 1 win, and the HD 8870M has 0 wins in the head-to-head comparison.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is the superior GPU in every measurable aspect. The head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL result shows a 245.7% advantage, which alone justifies choosing it over the HD 8870M for any OpenCL compute workload. Its average benchmark score of 10013 versus 8462 places it in a higher performance tier, and its 48th percentile ranking versus the 43rd percentile confirms this.

The Pro 5300M also offers architectural advantages that the HD 8870M cannot match. The RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm process delivers higher transistor density (40.5M / mm² versus 12.2M / mm²), double the shading units (1280 versus 640), and significantly higher memory bandwidth (192.0 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s). Its FP32 compute of 3.200 TFLOPS is more than three times the HD 8870M's 992.0 GFLOPS, and it supports FP16 at 6.400 TFLOPS, a feature the HD 8870M lacks entirely.

For users who need modern API support, the Pro 5300M's DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.4 capabilities exceed the HD 8870M's DirectX 12_1 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Pro 5300M also features a newer PCIe interface (4.0 x8 versus 3.0 x16) and a later release date (2019 versus 2013).

The HD 8870M does not hold any advantage in the recorded data. Its only benchmark result is the OpenCL score of 8462, which is far below the Pro 5300M. Its smaller memory capacity (2 GB versus 4 GB), slower clocks (725 MHz base versus 1000 MHz), and older GCN 1.0 architecture make it a legacy part.

In summary, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is the clear choice for any application where compute performance, memory bandwidth, or modern feature support matters. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M remains a functional entry-level mobile GPU from an earlier era, but the data shows no scenario where it outperforms the Pro 5300M. Users with workloads relying on OpenCL, Vulkan, or Metal should select the Pro 5300M without hesitation.