ATI Radeon HD 4870
AMD graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
AMDATI Radeon HD 4870 Specifications
ATI Radeon HD 4870 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The ATI Radeon HD 4870 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.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the ATI Radeon HD 4870'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 ATI Radeon HD 4870 by AMD dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
AMD's ATI Radeon HD 4870 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The ATI Radeon HD 4870'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.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 by AMD Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the ATI Radeon HD 4870, 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.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the ATI Radeon HD 4870 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 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The ATI Radeon HD 4870 is built on AMD's TeraScale 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 ATI Radeon HD 4870 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
AMD's ATI Radeon HD 4870 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the ATI Radeon HD 4870 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 ATI Radeon HD 4870 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 by AMD Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the ATI Radeon HD 4870 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 ATI Radeon HD 4870. 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.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The ATI Radeon HD 4870 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 ATI Radeon HD 4870 by AMD represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
ATI Radeon HD 4870 Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
About ATI Radeon HD 4870
The ATI Radeon HD 4870 is an end-of-life AMD graphics card built on the RV770 chip and the TeraScale architecture. Manufactured by TSMC on a 55 nm process, it integrates 956 million transistors into a 256 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 3.7M / mm². It belongs to the Radeon R700 (HD 4800) generation, was released on June 24, 2008, and carries a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The database places it at the 50th percentile among all GPUs.
Benchmark Performance
The benchmark section of the FACT PACK for this SKU is empty: there are no benchmark entries and no nearestRivals list, and the average benchmark score is recorded as 0. With no rival product names, scores, or deltaPct values available, exact percentage comparisons against competing cards cannot be made from this record. The sole aggregate comparative signal is the percentileVsAllGpus value of 50, which places the HD 4870 at the exact median of the tracked GPU population: half of all GPUs in the database rank below it and half rank above it.
Without measured application scores, the specification sheet supplies the quantitative performance envelope. The RV770 GPU is configured with 800 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. Peak FP32 arithmetic throughput is 1,200.0 GFLOPS. Texture fill rate is 30.00 GTexel/s, and pixel fill rate is 12.00 GPixel/s. These figures are architectural maxima rather than framerate results, but they define the ceiling for shading work, texture fetches, and pixel writes.
Derived ratios from the raw rates show a balanced pipeline. Dividing the texture rate by the TMU count gives 0.75 GTexel/s per TMU (30.00 / 40), and dividing the pixel rate by the ROP count gives 0.75 GPixel/s per ROP (12.00 / 16). This parity suggests the design allocated texture and pixel throughput in equal per-unit steps. The FP32 rate across 800 shading units implies 1.5 GFLOPS per shading unit, a consistent figure for the architecture generation. These internal ratios are useful because they indicate no single obvious bottleneck among the three primary fill/compute stages in the aggregate specification.
The absence of nearestRivals entries means that no deltaPct statements such as "30% ahead of product X" can be substantiated from the FACT PACK. The median percentile is the only relative ranking present, and it positions the card in the middle of the database rather than at the top or bottom. That median placement is a meaningful baseline, but it is not a substitute for per-application benchmark deltas.
Memory Subsystem
The HD 4870 ships with 512 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. The memory clock is listed as 900 MHz, with an effective data rate of 3.6 Gbps. Combined, the 256-bit interface and the 3.6 Gbps effective transfer rate produce a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. This bandwidth figure is the only memory throughput specification in the record, and it is an absolute ceiling for data moving between the frame buffer and the GPU cores.
At the pixel fill rate of 12.00 GPixel/s, the memory subsystem can provide roughly 9.6 bytes of bandwidth per pixel (115.2 GB/s divided by 12.00 GPixel/s). That arithmetic indicates that, for fill-limited workloads with balanced color, depth, and texture reads, the bus can keep pace with the pixel pipeline. The effective rate of 3.6 Gbps is the transfer rate on the bus; the memory clock of 900 MHz is the base memory clock entry, and no core base, boost, or game clocks are provided in the FACT PACK.
For high-resolution rendering, the 256-bit bus width is the structural advantage: it delivers 115.2 GB/s at the stated effective data rate without requiring an ultra-wide interface. However, the 512 MB capacity is a limiting resource for scene complexity. At high resolutions with large textures, the frame buffer can be consumed quickly, forcing the card to rely on reuse or eviction of cached data. While the bandwidth is comparatively robust, the capacity is modest, and the memory subsystem overall should be considered balanced toward throughput rather than size.
The card connects to the host system via PCIe 2.0 x16, which is the only bus interface specified. No other memory details, such as alternate capacities or future variants, are present in the FACT PACK.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The HD 4870 lists no RT cores and no tensor cores. Consequently, there is no dedicated ray tracing acceleration hardware in the specification, and no tensor-based AI processing resources are available. The feature set is defined by the API support in the FACT PACK: DirectX 10.1 (with the 10_1 feature level), OpenGL 3.3, and no Vulkan support. These are the software interfaces through which applications can address the hardware.
Without Vulkan, Vulkan-only rendering paths are not available. The programmable pipeline is built around the 800 shading units and the TeraScale architecture. For any effect that resembles ray tracing, the workload must be implemented through the DirectX 10.1 or OpenGL 3.3 API surface, neither of which is listed as a dedicated ray tracing API in this record. The practical implication is that the card's feature focus is rasterization and shader-based rendering within those API levels.
Texture and pixel operations are handled by 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. These unit counts are the hardware resources that support the 30.00 GTexel/s and 12.00 GPixel/s rates respectively. The display output configuration is 2x DVI and 1x S-Video, which is the complete output set in the FACT PACK. There are no additional display connectors specified.
The lack of tensor cores also means there is no hardware block for neural network style compute. Any such workload would have to run on the general-purpose shading units, subject to the FP32 peak of 1,200 GFLOPS. The API list does not include a dedicated compute-only API, so the shading pipeline is the primary execution path.
Power and Cooling
The HD 4870 has a TDP of 150 W. Power delivery requires two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, and the suggested PSU rating is 450 W. No 8-pin power connector is listed. The card is a dual-slot design, indicating that its cooler occupies two expansion slots. The physical dimensions are 241 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, expressed in the FACT PACK as 9.5 inches, 4.4 inches, and 1.6 inches.
The 150 W TDP is the only power consumption figure in the record. The two 6-pin connectors distribute the load between the power supply and the card, and the 450 W suggested PSU sets a system-level power envelope for the rest of the platform. The dual-slot width imposes a case clearance requirement, and the 241 mm length (9.5 inches) means the cooler must fit within the chassis depth.
On the process side, the card is built on a 55 nm TSMC process with 956 million transistors on a 256 mm² die. The resulting transistor density of 3.7M / mm² is a specification of how tightly the RV770 resources are packed. These manufacturing details are relevant to thermal behavior because the same silicon area must dissipate the 150 W TDP. The dual-slot cooler is the physical solution for that dissipation; no fan or heatsink details are provided in the FACT PACK.
Who Should Consider It
The HD 4870 is suited to environments where the workload fits within the listed feature set: DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 3.3, and no Vulkan. Users targeting those API levels have access to 800 shading units, 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and the associated peak rates of 1,200.0 GFLOPS, 30.00 GTexel/s, and 12.00 GPixel/s. The median percentile ranking of 50 indicates the card occupies a middle position in the database, not a top-tier or bottom-tier slot.
Given the 512 MB memory capacity and the 115.2 GB/s bandwidth, the card is better defined by its throughput limits than by its total storage. The memory bus can feed the pixel pipeline, but the frame buffer size will be the primary constraint for high-detail or high-resolution scenes. Users who run software that respects the 512 MB footprint and the DirectX 10.1 / OpenGL 3.3 feature levels can make direct use of the pipeline ratios documented in the specification.
The card is an end-of-life product, with production status listed as end-of-life and a release date of June 24, 2008. Its predecessor is the Radeon R600 and its successor is Evergreen, placing it in the Radeon R700 (HD 4800) generation. The absence of benchmark scores means there is no measured evidence for per-game or per-application performance; the raw resources are the only quantitative basis for selection.
For workloads requiring dedicated ray tracing cores, tensor cores, or Vulkan support, the HD 4870 does not provide those features. For workloads aligned with its listed APIs and memory capacity, the 256-bit memory bus, 115.2 GB/s bandwidth, and balanced compute/fill rates are the relevant characteristics. The launch MSRP of 299 USD is the stated launch price, and no other pricing information exists in the FACT PACK.
The NVIDIA Equivalent of ATI Radeon HD 4870
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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