AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile are separated by nearly eight years of GPU architecture, and the benchmark data reflects that gap clearly. The HD 8970M, a 2013-era GCN 1.0 part, delivers 21,237 points in Geekbench OpenCL, while the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939 in the same test. That is a 77.1% delta in favor of the NVIDIA card, and the RTX 3070 Mobile also wins the only head-to-head benchmark on record. The HD 8970M sits at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 3070 Mobile ranks at the 65th percentile. The practical takeaway: if you need modern gaming or compute performance, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the only defensible choice, but the HD 8970M remains a curiosity for retro builds or legacy compatibility.

The Verdict

The RTX 3070 Mobile is the clear pick for anyone running contemporary games, GPU-accelerated workloads, or DirectX 12 Ultimate titles. Its OpenCL score of 92,939 is more than four times the HD 8970M’s 21,237, and it wins the sole head-to-head benchmark by 77.1%. The HD 8970M, by contrast, is an end-of-life part from 2013 with no modern feature set — its GCN 1.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_1) but lacks ray tracing, tensor cores, and the full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set. The data suggests the RTX 3070 Mobile should be the default choice for any user who values raw performance. The HD 8970M only makes sense if you have a specific legacy application that requires its older API profile or if you are assembling a period-correct portable workstation. Its percentile ranking (66th) is actually one point higher than the RTX 3070 Mobile (65th), but that reflects the wider distribution of all GPUs — the RTX 3070 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 20,534 across multiple tests is dragged down by its PassMark DirectX 12 score of 64, while the HD 8970M has only one benchmark result. In absolute terms, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the stronger part.

Architecture Differences

The HD 8970M uses AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, with a Neptune chip measuring 212 mm² and containing 2,800 million transistors. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture on Samsung’s 8 nm node, with a GA104 chip that is 392 mm² and packs 17,400 million transistors. The transistor density tells the story: the RTX 3070 Mobile achieves 44.4M transistors per mm² versus 13.2M for the HD 8970M. The HD 8970M has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, while the RTX 3070 Mobile has 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The RTX 3070 Mobile also adds 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores — features the HD 8970M lacks entirely. Clock speeds differ significantly: the HD 8970M runs at 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost, while the RTX 3070 Mobile runs at 1110 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost. Memory technology also diverges: the HD 8970M uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective), yielding 153.6 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the RTX 3070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), delivering 448.0 GB/s. The RTX 3070 Mobile supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the HD 8970M is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. The API support also differs: the HD 8970M offers DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the RTX 3070 Mobile offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is decisive. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939, while the HD 8970M scores 21,237. The delta is 77.1% in favor of the RTX 3070 Mobile. That margin is not marginal — it is a generational leap. The HD 8970M’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21,153 (0.4% behind the HD 8970M), the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at 21,379 (0.7% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 at 21,035 (1% behind). In contrast, the RTX 3070 Mobile’s nearest rivals are the Intel Arc B570 at 20,556 (0.1% behind), Intel Arc A750 at 20,582 (0.2% behind), and NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20,480 (0.3% ahead). This means the HD 8970M’s single OpenCL score places it in the same performance bracket as mid-range mobile GPUs from a later era, while the RTX 3070 Mobile’s OpenCL score is roughly 4.4 times higher. The RTX 3070 Mobile also has a PassMark G3D score of 15,309, a PassMark GPU Compute score of 6,827, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,380. The HD 8970M has no corresponding scores in those tests, so the comparison is limited to OpenCL — but that single result is enough to establish the hierarchy.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The HD 8970M has an average benchmark score of 21,237, while the RTX 3070 Mobile has an average of 20,534. However, the HD 8970M’s average is based on a single OpenCL test, whereas the RTX 3070 Mobile’s average aggregates ten different tests, including lower PassMark scores.

Q: Does the RTX 3070 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 3070 Mobile has 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The HD 8970M has no ray tracing or tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The HD 8970M offers 153.6 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 3070 Mobile offers 448.0 GB/s from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s bandwidth is roughly 2.9 times higher.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile boosts to 1560 MHz, while the HD 8970M boosts to 900 MHz. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s boost clock is 660 MHz higher.

Q: Are both GPUs end-of-life products?

A: Yes, both are marked as end-of-life in the data. The HD 8970M was released on May 13, 2013, and the RTX 3070 Mobile was released on January 11, 2021.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller process node?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile uses an 8 nm process from Samsung, while the HD 8970M uses a 28 nm process from TSMC. The 8 nm node is significantly smaller, enabling higher transistor density.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Mobile wins in essentially every compute scenario. Its OpenCL score of 92,939 is 77.1% ahead of the HD 8970M, and it also has a PassMark G3D score of 15,309, a PassMark GPU Compute score of 6,827, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,380. For DirectX 12 games, the RTX 3070 Mobile’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) is a clear advantage over the HD 8970M’s DirectX 12 (11_1). The RTX 3070 Mobile also has a higher pixel rate (124.8 GPixel/s vs 28.80 GPixel/s), a higher texture rate (249.6 GTexel/s vs 72.00 GTexel/s), and more than double the FP32 throughput (15.97 TFLOPS vs 2.304 TFLOPS). It also supports FP16 at 15.97 TFLOPS (1:1), while the HD 8970M has no listed FP16 capability. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is better suited to high-resolution textures and modern game assets than the HD 8970M’s 4 GB GDDR5 with 153.6 GB/s.

The HD 8970M has no benchmark wins in this dataset — it loses the only head-to-head test. Its one area of theoretical interest is its lower TDP of 100 W versus the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 115 W, which could imply lower power draw, but the data does not include any efficiency benchmarks. The HD 8970M also uses an MXM module slot, which may appeal to users with legacy MXM-compatible laptops, while the RTX 3070 Mobile has no slot width specified. For Vulkan support, the HD 8970M offers Vulkan 1.2.170, while the RTX 3070 Mobile offers Vulkan 1.4 — the newer version is more capable. In summary, the RTX 3070 Mobile wins for gaming, compute, and modern API workloads. The HD 8970M only holds a niche for those who specifically need an MXM module or a 28 nm-era GPU with a 100 W power envelope.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification field. The process node is 28 nm (TSMC) for the HD 8970M versus 8 nm (Samsung) for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Transistor count is 2,800 million versus 17,400 million, and die size is 212 mm² versus 392 mm². Transistor density is 13.2M per mm² versus 44.4M per mm². Base clocks are 850 MHz versus 1110 MHz, and boost clocks are 900 MHz versus 1560 MHz. Memory speed is 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective) for the HD 8970M versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Memory size is 4 GB versus 8 GB, memory type is GDDR5 versus GDDR6, and bandwidth is 153.6 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s. Shading units are 1,280 versus 5,120, TMUs are 80 versus 160, and ROPs are 32 versus 80. The RTX 3070 Mobile has 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, while the HD 8970M has none. Pixel rate is 28.80 GPixel/s versus 124.8 GPixel/s, texture rate is 72.00 GTexel/s versus 249.6 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 2.304 TFLOPS versus 15.97 TFLOPS. FP16 is absent on the HD 8970M but listed as 15.97 TFLOPS (1:1) on the RTX 3070 Mobile. TDP is 100 W versus 115 W. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. DirectX support is 12 (11_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL is 4.6 for both, and Vulkan is 1.2.170 versus 1.4. The HD 8970M uses an MXM Module slot, while the RTX 3070 Mobile has no slot width listed. Power connectors are not listed for the HD 8970M and are listed as “None” for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Both have portable-device-dependent display outputs. Release dates are May 13, 2013 for the HD 8970M and January 11, 2021 for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Neither part has a launch MSRP listed.