Radeon 760M vs Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

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 760M

2024

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 200W, a 185W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 18.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 18.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 15W.

Radeon 760M

2024

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 200W, a 185W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 18.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 18.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire better than Radeon 760M?

Yes. Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 5,500 vs 5,449 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is a 2012 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 760M is a 2024 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 760M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2012, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 4nm 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 Crossfire can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $300 MSRP. Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $300 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon 760M is the newer 2024 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 200W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 760M make more sense than Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire?

Yes. Radeon 760M 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 (15W vs 200W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire. The trade-off is that Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire currently gives you 0.9% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 760M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	58 FPS	96 FPS
medium	37 FPS	84 FPS
high	27 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	40 FPS	87 FPS
medium	24 FPS	75 FPS
high	13 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	7 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	13 FPS	27 FPS
medium	9 FPS	26 FPS
high	5 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	91 FPS	94 FPS
medium	64 FPS	65 FPS
high	44 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	31 FPS
1440p
low	58 FPS	53 FPS
medium	38 FPS	31 FPS
high	29 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	16 FPS
4K
low	30 FPS	18 FPS
medium	21 FPS	11 FPS
high	17 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	7 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	245 FPS	248 FPS
medium	196 FPS	198 FPS
high	163 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	184 FPS	186 FPS
medium	147 FPS	148 FPS
high	123 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	123 FPS	124 FPS
medium	98 FPS	99 FPS
high	77 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	62 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	187 FPS	156 FPS
medium	149 FPS	128 FPS
high	133 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	114 FPS
medium	104 FPS	95 FPS
high	91 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	75 FPS	66 FPS
medium	62 FPS	52 FPS
high	50 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	31 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 760M and Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Radeon 760M

The Radeon 760M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 800 MHz to 2599 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,449 points.

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,500 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 760M scores 5,449 and the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire reaches 5,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 760M is built on RDNA 3.0 while the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire uses GCN, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 760M) vs 2,560 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire). Boost clocks: 2599 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	5,449	5,500
Architecture	RDNA 3.0	GCN
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	512	2560+400%
Boost Clock	2599 MHz+189%	900 MHz
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: System vs 256-bit x2.

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	153.6 GB/s x2
Bus Width	System	256-bit x2

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 760M draws 15W versus the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire's 200W — a 172.1% difference. The Radeon 760M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 760M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.