AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics solutions, but not in a way that simply crowns one as the overall victor. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins the only direct head-to-head comparison available, taking the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 8462 against the Vega 8 Mobile's 7435, a 13.8% advantage. However, the Vega 8 Mobile has a second recorded benchmark that the HD 8870M does not have at all: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6970. That means the Vega part can claim a software-API win by virtue of having data where the older card has none.

Looking at the broader performance context, the HD 8870M sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Vega 8 Mobile sits in the 39th. This percentile gap, roughly four points, aligns with the OpenCL delta. But the story is not purely about raw compute. The HD 8870M's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (0.1% faster), the AMD Radeon 880M (0.3% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (0.4% faster), while it trails the Intel Arc A380 by 1.1%. The Vega 8 Mobile's nearest rivals are tighter: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 is 0.3% ahead, the GTX 560 SE is 0.4% behind, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is 0.5% behind, and the GTX 970 is 0.6% behind. This suggests the Vega 8 Mobile is clustered in a very competitive mid-range pack, whereas the HD 8870M is slightly further from its nearest neighbors.

For use-case splits, the HD 8870M is the better choice for OpenCL compute workloads, which typically include general-purpose GPU tasks and some older game engines that rely on OpenCL for physics or post-processing. The Vega 8 Mobile, with its Vulkan benchmark, points to stronger modern API support, which matters for newer titles that leverage Vulkan for lower overhead and better multi-threaded CPU draw call handling. The Vega part also has a higher FP32 throughput at 1,127.4 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS, and it supports FP16 at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1) while the HD 8870M has no recorded FP16 capability. So for compute-heavy workloads that use FP16, the Vega 8 Mobile has a clear theoretical edge, even though it loses the OpenCL test.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras of AMD's design philosophy. The HD 8870M uses the Venus chip built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process by TSMC. The Vega 8 Mobile uses the Raven-M chip based on GCN 5.0, built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries. The die sizes and transistor counts reflect this generational jump: the HD 8870M packs 1,500 million transistors into 123 mm², giving a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The Vega 8 Mobile integrates 4,940 million transistors into 210 mm², reaching 23.5M per mm². That is nearly double the density, which explains how the newer chip can offer more features despite a larger absolute die.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The HD 8870M has a dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer on a 128 bit bus, with 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth and memory clocked at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The Vega 8 Mobile uses system shared memory, with a system dependent bandwidth and no dedicated VRAM. This is the classic discrete versus integrated split. The discrete card has predictable, high-bandwidth local memory, while the integrated part relies on the laptop's main RAM, which can be a bottleneck in texture-heavy scenes but also allows flexible allocation.

Shader resources also differ. The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Vega 8 Mobile has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. Despite fewer ROPs, the Vega part achieves a higher texture rate of 35.23 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s, because its boost clock reaches 1101 MHz compared to the HD 8870M's 775 MHz boost. However, the HD 8870M has a significantly higher pixel rate at 12.40 GPixel/s versus 8.808 GPixel/s, thanks to its double ROP count. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the Vega 8 Mobile has a low 300 MHz base clock but a much higher 1101 MHz boost, while the HD 8870M runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. The Vega part's clock curve is more aggressive, which helps it in bursty workloads.

API support differs in important ways. The HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The DirectX 12 feature level difference (11_1 versus 12_1) means the Vega part can use more modern D3D12 features, and the newer Vulkan version is notable. The Vega 8 Mobile is also a true IGP with no power connectors, a 25 W TDP, and portable device dependent display outputs, while the HD 8870M is a discrete PCIe 3.0 x16 card with no listed TDP or power connector requirements.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the choice depends on workload and system context. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins the only direct benchmark comparison, delivering 13.8% higher OpenCL performance than the Vega 8 Mobile. It also has twice the ROPs, a dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer, and higher pixel throughput. If the task is pure OpenCL compute or older DirectX 11-era games that rely on traditional rasterization, the HD 8870M is the stronger option.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, however, offers modern API support with Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1), plus FP16 compute and a higher FP32 peak of 1,127.4 GFLOPS. It also has a 25 W TDP and is an integrated solution, meaning it requires no separate power connectors and fits into thin laptops. For users who play newer titles that use Vulkan or D3D12, or who need FP16 for machine learning inference or certain content creation apps, the Vega 8 Mobile is the better fit despite losing the OpenCL test.

One key caveat: the HD 8870M has no Vulkan benchmark recorded, so its Vulkan performance is unknown. The Vega 8 Mobile's Vulkan score of 6970 is the only data point for that API. The database also shows the HD 8870M is end-of-life and was released in 2013, while the Vega 8 Mobile is also end-of-life but released in 2019. Neither is a current product. The verdict is straightforward: the discrete card wins on raw OpenCL and pixel throughput, while the integrated part wins on modern API support, FP16, and integration flexibility.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU scores higher in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462, which is 13.8% higher than the Vega 8 Mobile's 7435.

Q: Does the Vega 8 Mobile have any benchmark where the HD 8870M has no score?

A: Yes, the Vega 8 Mobile has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 6970, while the HD 8870M has no recorded Vulkan benchmark.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The HD 8870M uses 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 8 Mobile uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, while the Vega 8 Mobile has 512 shading units.

Q: What is the TDP of the Vega 8 Mobile?

A: The Vega 8 Mobile has a TDP of 25 W and is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors.

Q: How do their DirectX versions compare?

A: The HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The HD 8870M scores 8462, and the Vega 8 Mobile scores 7435. That is a 13.8% delta in favor of the discrete card. This is a meaningful margin, not a negligible one. It places the HD 8870M close to the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (which scores 8458, just 0.1% lower) and the AMD Radeon 880M (8436, 0.3% lower). The HD 8870M also sits just above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427) but below the Intel Arc A380 (8558). In other words, the HD 8870M's OpenCL result is competitive with a range of modern and older discrete parts.

The Vega 8 Mobile's OpenCL score of 7435 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222, which is 0.3% higher), the GTX 560 SE (7171, 0.4% lower), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, 0.5% lower), and the GTX 970 (7157, 0.6% lower). So the Vega part is actually slightly ahead of several older discrete cards in OpenCL, but still 13.8% behind the HD 8870M.

The Vega 8 Mobile's Vulkan score of 6970 has no direct counterpart for the HD 8870M, so no delta can be calculated. This is a missing data point that limits a full comparison. The HD 8870M's nearest rival list includes only OpenCL-era scores, and the Vega 8 Mobile's Vulkan result is not cross-referenced there. What the data implies is that the Vega 8 Mobile is more capable in modern API contexts, but the HD 8870M dominates the legacy compute path.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 8870M | AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile |

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

| Chip | Venus | Raven-M |

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 4,940 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 210 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 23.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 725 MHz | 300 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 775 MHz | 1101 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1125 MHz, 4.5 Gbps effective | System Shared |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 640 | 512 |

| TMUs | 40 | 32 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.40 GPixel/s | 8.808 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.00 GTexel/s | 35.23 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 992.0 GFLOPS | 1,127.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | Not listed | 25 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | IGP |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | IGP |

| Display Outputs | Not listed | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2013-03-31 | 2019-01-07 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Predecessor | London | GCN 3.0 IGP |

| Successor | Gem System | Navi II IGP |