AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2
AMD graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
AMDAMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 Specifications
Radeon HD 6870 X2 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
HD 6870 X2 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the Radeon HD 6870 X2's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The Radeon HD 6870 X2 by AMD dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
AMD's Radeon HD 6870 X2 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The Radeon HD 6870 X2's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
Radeon HD 6870 X2 by AMD Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the HD 6870 X2, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
HD 6870 X2 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
TeraScale 2 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 is built on AMD's TeraScale 2 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the HD 6870 X2 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
AMD's Radeon HD 6870 X2 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the Radeon HD 6870 X2 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
Radeon HD 6870 X2 by AMD Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
AMD API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
Radeon HD 6870 X2 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 is manufactured by AMD as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the Radeon HD 6870 X2 by AMD represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
Radeon HD 6870 X2 Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
About AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2
The AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 is a dual-slot, end-of-life graphics card built on the Barts chip and TeraScale 2 architecture. It belongs to the Northern Islands (HD 6800) generation, was fabricated by TSMC on a 40 nm process, and launched on July 7, 2011. The chip contains 1,700 million transistors on a 255 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 6.7M per mm². Its launch MSRP is 520 USD.
Benchmark Performance
The benchmark record for this card is empty. The benchmarks array has no entries, the average benchmark score is 0, and the nearestRivals field is also empty. That means no exact percentage delta can be computed between this GPU and any named competitor. The only relative figure in the fact pack is percentileVsAllGpus, which is 50. That places the card at the midpoint of the GPU distribution recorded in the database, but it does not express a speed ratio against a specific product.
Without stored benchmark scores, the hardware rates are the only measurable performance context. The card has 1120 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations units. Its FP32 compute is 2.016 TFLOPS. The pixel rate is 28.80 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 50.40 GTexel/s. These rates define the raw arithmetic and fill-rate ceilings of the board. They do not, however, translate into a percentage lead or deficit relative to rivals, because the fact pack lists no rival scores.
The absence of deltaPct values is significant. In other database entries, nearestRivals would supply the names, scores, and percentage differences needed for comparative verdicts. Here, the field is empty, and the average benchmark score is 0. Therefore, any claim such as “this card is a certain percentage faster than another graphics card” cannot be supported by this entry. The percentile value of 50 is the sole ranking signal, and it only indicates a middle position in the full GPU list, not a head-to-head result.
Who Should Consider It
Because no per-game or per-resolution benchmark scores are stored, recommendations cannot be tied to measured frame rates. Instead, the decision rests on the listed specifications. The card sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in this database, so it is not ranked near the top or the bottom. Its 1120 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, combined with 2.016 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, describe a card whose hardware resources are evenly placed within the database distribution.
The memory configuration will affect settings more than raw compute. With 1024 MB of GDDR5 and 134.4 GB/s of bandwidth, the card can sustain its listed pixel rate of 28.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 50.40 GTexel/s only within the limits of that frame buffer. Higher resolutions and heavy texture loads require more capacity than the data lists. No larger-memory variant is present in the fact pack. Users who keep resolution modest and avoid extreme asset loads are the most plausible audience, because the compute and memory figures are balanced at that level. The card uses PCIe 2.0 x16, so it fits platforms with that interface. It is also 304 mm (12 inches) long, which requires physical case clearance.
Memory Subsystem
The memory subsystem is the clearest part of the fact pack. The card uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The memory clock is 1050 MHz, and the effective data rate is 4.2 Gbps. This produces a memory bandwidth of 134.4 GB/s. For high-resolution workloads, the frame buffer size is the main limitation, because 1024 MB is the only capacity listed for this card. The 256-bit bus provides a wide path, but capacity and bandwidth must be considered together.
The 32 ROPs consume bandwidth through the pixel rate of 28.80 GPixel/s. The 56 TMUs consume it through the texture rate of 50.40 GTexel/s. The memory clock of 1050 MHz and effective rate of 4.2 Gbps are the clocks that jointly define the 134.4 GB/s figure. The data does not include a separate high-resolution benchmark, so performance at specific resolutions cannot be quantified from this entry. What can be stated is that 1024 MB is the available VRAM, 256 bit is the bus width, and 134.4 GB/s is the bandwidth ceiling.
How It Compares
The nearestRivals field is empty in this entry. There are therefore no rival names, scores, or deltaPct values to cite. The only comparative database field is percentileVsAllGpus, with a value of 50. That value indicates a middle position in the overall GPU list. The average benchmark score is 0, which further confirms the absence of comparative score data.
In the product sequence, this card sits between the Evergreen generation and the Southern Islands generation. It belongs to the Northern Islands (HD 6800) generation and uses the Barts chip. The chip was manufactured by TSMC on a 40 nm process. No direct competitor from AMD or any other vendor is named in the fact pack, so a per-rival paragraph cannot be written.
FAQ
Q: How much memory does the AMD Radeon HD 6870 X2 have?
A: It has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1050 MHz and an effective data rate of 4.2 Gbps, yielding 134.4 GB/s of bandwidth.
Q: What are the card’s power requirements?
A: The TDP is 300 W, the suggested PSU is 700 W, and power is delivered through two 8-pin connectors.
Q: Does the fact pack list ray tracing or tensor cores?
A: RT cores and tensor cores are both listed as null in the data. No Vulkan version is listed either.
Q: What display outputs are available?
A: The card has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.1 outputs.
Q: What API versions does it support?
A: It supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4; there is no Vulkan version in the fact pack.
Q: What is the physical size of the card?
A: The card is dual-slot and 304 mm (12 inches) long.
Power and Cooling
This board is rated for a 300 W TDP. The suggested PSU is 700 W, and the power inputs are two 8-pin connectors. Cooling is handled with a dual-slot design. The physical length is 304 mm (12 inches), which is the only dimension listed; height and width are not present in the fact pack. The card uses the 40 nm TSMC process with a 255 mm² die. These process and die figures are the only semiconductor-level data relevant to thermal behavior. No measured temperatures or noise levels are included, and no idle or load wattage figures are listed beyond the TDP of 300 W.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The fact pack has no RT core count and no tensor core count; both fields are null. This means ray tracing performance cannot be characterized from the data. The card’s feature set is defined by the TeraScale 2 architecture and the Barts chip rather than by dedicated accelerator hardware. The API table lists DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4. Vulkan is not specified. Display output support includes 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.1. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16. The listed pixel rate of 28.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 50.40 GTexel/s are the rasterization limits, while FP32 compute is 2.016 TFLOPS.
The NVIDIA Equivalent of Radeon HD 6870 X2
Looking for a similar graphics card from NVIDIA? The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 offers comparable performance and features in the NVIDIA lineup.
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