AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs AMD Radeon Pro 5700 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two AMD mobile graphics processors along generational lines. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M, a GCN 1.0 part from the Solar System generation, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, an RDNA 1.0 part from the Radeon Pro Mac Navi Series, occupy different performance tiers entirely. Based on the recorded measurements, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 wins the single shared benchmark test decisively, while the HD 8970M has no recorded victory in any comparison.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 dominates in raw compute throughput. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the only benchmark where both parts have recorded scores, the Pro 5700 posts 52787 points against the HD 8970M's 21237 points. That is a 59.8 percent advantage for the newer card, and it reflects a fundamental shift in architectural efficiency rather than a modest clock speed bump.

The HD 8970M, however, holds its own in context. Its percentile ranking against all GPUs in the database sits at 66, which is actually higher than the Pro 5700's 62nd percentile. This indicates that while the older card loses the direct head-to-head, its absolute performance still places it above a majority of recorded graphics processors. The Pro 5700's lower percentile is partly a function of its benchmark profile, which includes several Passmark tests where scores are modest, dragging down the average.

The Pro 5700's win profile is broader. It has recorded scores across three Geekbench APIs (OpenCL, Metal, and Vulkan) and six Passmark tests (DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute). The HD 8970M has only a single Geekbench OpenCL result. This means the newer card can be evaluated across a wider range of workloads, from legacy DirectX 9 titles to modern Vulkan compute, while the older card's data is limited to one OpenCL measurement.

In terms of closest rivals, the two cards sit in different competitive brackets. The HD 8970M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.4 percent ahead), NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (0.7 percent behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 (1 percent behind), and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (1.8 percent behind). The Pro 5700's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (0.2 percent behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (0.5 percent behind), AMD Radeon RX 460 (1 percent ahead), and Intel Arc A770M (1.1 percent ahead). These delta values are small, suggesting both cards are tightly clustered with their direct contemporaries, but the clusters themselves are far apart.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras. The HD 8970M uses the Neptune chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The Pro 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 7 nm, which allows the newer chip to pack far more transistors into a similar die area.

Transistor counts tell the story clearly. The HD 8970M has 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The Pro 5700 has 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, yielding a density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The newer chip crams roughly 3.7 times as many transistors into a die that is only about 18 percent larger.

The compute resources differ substantially. The HD 8970M has 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The Pro 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. That is 80 percent more shaders, 80 percent more texture units, and double the ROP count. These are not incremental improvements; they represent a doubling of certain pipeline stages.

Memory configurations also diverge. The HD 8970M comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, running at 1200 MHz with 4.8 Gbps effective speed, producing 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 256 bit bus width, but the memory clock is 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed, yielding 384.0 GB/s. That is double the capacity and 2.5 times the bandwidth.

Clock speeds favor the newer part as well. The HD 8970M runs at 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost. The Pro 5700 runs at 1243 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost. The boost clock advantage is 450 MHz, or 50 percent higher. Combined with the larger shader array, this pushes the Pro 5700's FP32 throughput to 6.221 TFLOPS against the HD 8970M's 2.304 TFLOPS. The Pro 5700 also supports FP16 at 12.44 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the HD 8970M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The HD 8970M achieves 28.80 GPixel/s and 72.00 GTexel/s. The Pro 5700 reaches 86.40 GPixel/s and 194.4 GTexel/s. The newer card triples pixel throughput and nearly triples texture throughput.

Power and interface specs differ too. The HD 8970M is rated at 100 W TDP and uses an MXM module slot. The Pro 5700 is rated at 130 W TDP, is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W. The bus interface moves from PCIe 3.0 x16 to PCIe 4.0 x16. The HD 8970M's display outputs are portable device dependent, while the Pro 5700 has no display outputs at all, reflecting its role as a Mac-oriented compute part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52787, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237. The delta is 59.8 percent in favor of the Pro 5700. This is not a close contest; the newer card more than doubles the older card's score.

To put that in perspective, the HD 8970M's OpenCL score of 21237 places it within 1.8 percent of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (21629) and 0.4 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153). The Pro 5700's OpenCL score of 52787, though not directly compared to these rivals in the head-to-head data, sits far above the HD 8970M's competitive bracket. The gap between the two cards is roughly 31550 points, which is larger than the entire score of the HD 8970M itself.

The Pro 5700's other benchmark results provide additional context, even though there is no HD 8970M equivalent. Its Geekbench Metal score is 60126, and its Vulkan score is 51289. These are higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting the RDNA architecture is particularly efficient in Apple's Metal API and in Vulkan workloads. The Passmark results are more varied: 143 in DirectX 9, 71 in DirectX 10, 78 in DirectX 11, 48 in DirectX 12, 805 in G2D, 11583 in G3D, and 4961 in GPU Compute. The DirectX 9 score being highest among the DirectX tests is notable, as it indicates strong legacy API performance despite the modern architecture.

The average benchmark score in the database tells a different story than the single head-to-head. The Pro 5700's average is 18189, while the HD 8970M's average is 21237. This inversion happens because the Pro 5700's Passmark scores are low relative to its Geekbench scores, pulling the average down. The HD 8970M, with only one recorded benchmark, has an average equal to that single score. This is a reminder that average scores can mislead when benchmark counts differ.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 wins with a score of 52787 against the AMD Radeon HD 8970M's 21237, a 59.8 percent advantage.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The HD 8970M has 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus. The Pro 5700 has 384.0 GB/s from 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 256 bit bus width.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The HD 8970M has 13.2 million transistors per square millimeter on a 28 nm process. The Pro 5700 has 41.0 million transistors per square millimeter on a 7 nm process.

Q: Does the HD 8970M rank higher than the Pro 5700 in the database percentile?

A: Yes. The HD 8970M sits at the 66th percentile against all GPUs, while the Pro 5700 sits at the 62nd percentile, despite the Pro 5700 winning the direct benchmark comparison.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card?

A: The HD 8970M's closest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.4 percent ahead), NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (0.7 percent behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 (1 percent behind), and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (1.8 percent behind). The Pro 5700's closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (0.2 percent behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (0.5 percent behind), AMD Radeon RX 460 (1 percent ahead), and Intel Arc A770M (1.1 percent ahead).

Q: What is the TDP of each card?

A: The HD 8970M is rated at 100 W, while the Pro 5700 is rated at 130 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear choice for raw performance: the AMD Radeon Pro 5700. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 52787 more than doubles the HD 8970M's 21237, and its architectural advantages are overwhelming. The 7 nm process, 10,300 million transistors, 2304 shading units, 64 ROPs, 8 GB of GDDR6, and 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth leave no doubt that this is the faster part in compute-heavy workloads. The FP32 throughput of 6.221 TFLOPS versus 2.304 TFLOPS reinforces that conclusion.

The HD 8970M is not without merit, but its merits are contextual. Its 66th percentile ranking exceeds the Pro 5700's 62nd, and its single OpenCL score of 21237 places it within 1.8 percent of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000. For a 2013 part, that is respectable longevity. Yet the Pro 5700's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and RTX 2060 SUPER, occupy a performance tier that the HD 8970M cannot reach.

The choice depends on the workload. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the Pro 5700 is the only sensible option. Its additional benchmark coverage, including Metal and Vulkan scores above 51000, indicates broad API support. The HD 8970M, with no recorded Vulkan or Metal results and a single OpenCL score, offers less verifiable capability.

For users constrained by power or slot form factor, the HD 8970M's 100 W TDP and MXM module design may fit certain portable systems. The Pro 5700, at 130 W with no display outputs and an IGP form factor, targets a different platform entirely, specifically Mac-oriented systems. The Pro 5700's lack of display outputs and its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface suggest it is meant for use alongside a separate display solution.

The verdict is straightforward: the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is the superior GPU by every measured metric in the direct comparison. The HD 8970M remains relevant only in the narrow context of legacy portable systems where its 100 W power envelope and MXM form factor are requirements, and where the workload is limited to OpenCL at a level near 21237 points. For everyone else, the Pro 5700's 59.8 percent lead in the head-to-head benchmark, combined with its modern architecture and doubled memory capacity, makes it the definitive pick from the recorded data.