Radeon 680M vs Radeon HD 8970M

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon 680M

2023

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon HD 8970M

2013

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Radeon 680M

2023

Radeon HD 8970M

2013

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon HD 8970M better than Radeon 680M?

Yes. Radeon HD 8970M is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 3,876 vs 3,836 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon HD 8970M is a 2013 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 680M is a 2023 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 680M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 6nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon HD 8970M can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around Unknown MSRP. Radeon HD 8970M is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon HD 8970M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 1.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon 680M is the newer 2023 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 100W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 680M make more sense than Radeon HD 8970M?

Yes. Radeon 680M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 100W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon HD 8970M. The trade-off is that Radeon HD 8970M currently gives you 1.0% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon 680M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 8970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
1080p
low	127 FPS	78 FPS
medium	113 FPS	67 FPS
high	94 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	69 FPS
medium	93 FPS	59 FPS
high	76 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	47 FPS	24 FPS
medium	44 FPS	23 FPS
high	32 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	13 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon HD 8970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
1080p
low	161 FPS	140 FPS
medium	128 FPS	105 FPS
high	95 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	107 FPS	96 FPS
medium	82 FPS	67 FPS
high	62 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	54 FPS	48 FPS
medium	43 FPS	36 FPS
high	34 FPS	28 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	19 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon HD 8970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
1080p
low	173 FPS	174 FPS
medium	138 FPS	140 FPS
high	115 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	131 FPS
medium	104 FPS	105 FPS
high	86 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	87 FPS
medium	69 FPS	70 FPS
high	58 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	44 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon HD 8970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
1080p
low	173 FPS	142 FPS
medium	138 FPS	113 FPS
high	115 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	103 FPS
medium	104 FPS	84 FPS
high	86 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	60 FPS
medium	69 FPS	46 FPS
high	58 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	25 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon HD 8970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 680M and Radeon HD 8970M

Radeon 680M

The Radeon 680M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2200 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,836 points.

Radeon HD 8970M

The Radeon HD 8970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,876 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 680M scores 3,836 and the Radeon HD 8970M reaches 3,876 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 680M is built on RDNA 2.0 while the Radeon HD 8970M uses GCN 1.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon 680M) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 8970M). Raw compute: 3.379 TFLOPS (Radeon 680M) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8970M). Boost clocks: 2200 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
G3D Mark Score	3,836	3,876+1%
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	1280+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.379 TFLOPS+47%	2.304 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2200 MHz+144%	900 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	80+67%
L1 Cache	256 KB	320 KB+25%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon 680M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8970M has 4 GB. The Radeon HD 8970M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs System. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 680M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 8970M) — the Radeon 680M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 8970M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	Shared	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	System	System
Bus Width	System	System
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 680M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 8970M's 100W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon 680M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 680M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8970M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.