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 HD 7870

2012

Why buy it

✅1.7% more average FPS across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
134.2% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.1 vs 31.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌81.8% higher power demand at 200W vs 110W.

Radeon R9 370

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 142.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 31.7 vs 13.1 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 110W instead of 200W, a 90W reduction.
✅Measures 221mm instead of 241mm, a 20mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon HD 7870

2012

Radeon R9 370

2015

Why buy it

✅1.7% more average FPS across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Why buy it

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 142.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 31.7 vs 13.1 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 110W instead of 200W, a 90W reduction.
✅Measures 221mm instead of 241mm, a 20mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
134.2% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.1 vs 31.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌81.8% higher power demand at 200W vs 110W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 370 better than Radeon HD 7870?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon HD 7870 averages 1.7% more FPS across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 4,568 vs 4,722 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 370 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (110W vs 200W).

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

Radeon HD 7870 is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

Radeon R9 370 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $149 MSRP. Radeon R9 370 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 370 is about $200 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $349 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data and 3.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7870 is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon HD 7870 make more sense than Radeon R9 370?

Yes. Radeon HD 7870 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 future-proofing and staying closer to $349 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 370. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 370 currently gives you 3.4% higher G3D Mark and lower estimated average FPS across 19 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 142.1%.

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 HD 7870 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 370 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
1080p
low	80 FPS	78 FPS
medium	65 FPS	66 FPS
high	51 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	67 FPS	69 FPS
medium	55 FPS	59 FPS
high	39 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	24 FPS
medium	23 FPS	23 FPS
high	15 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	13 FPS

Open Radeon HD 7870 Open Radeon R9 370

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
1080p
low	118 FPS	111 FPS
medium	87 FPS	82 FPS
high	67 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	66 FPS	63 FPS
medium	45 FPS	42 FPS
high	33 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	20 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	23 FPS
medium	16 FPS	16 FPS
high	13 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	8 FPS

Open Radeon HD 7870 Open Radeon R9 370

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
1080p
low	206 FPS	212 FPS
medium	164 FPS	170 FPS
high	137 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	159 FPS
medium	123 FPS	127 FPS
high	103 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	103 FPS	106 FPS
medium	82 FPS	85 FPS
high	69 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	53 FPS

Open Radeon HD 7870 Open Radeon R9 370

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
1080p
low	138 FPS	136 FPS
medium	112 FPS	109 FPS
high	96 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	78 FPS
1440p
low	101 FPS	99 FPS
medium	83 FPS	82 FPS
high	72 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	55 FPS
4K
low	59 FPS	59 FPS
medium	46 FPS	45 FPS
high	36 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	25 FPS

Open Radeon HD 7870 Open Radeon R9 370

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 7870 and Radeon R9 370

Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon HD 7870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,568 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon R9 370

The Radeon R9 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,722 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7870 scores 4,568 and the Radeon R9 370 reaches 4,722 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7870 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 370 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 7870) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 370). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870) vs 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 370).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
G3D Mark Score	4,568	4,722+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+3%	2.496 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	80
L1 Cache	320 KB	384 KB+20%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 7870 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 370 has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 370 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 153.6 GB/s (Radeon HD 7870) vs 179 GB/s (Radeon R9 370) — a 16.5% advantage for the Radeon R9 370. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	153.6 GB/s	179 GB/s+17%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7870) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 370). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+100%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7870) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 370). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7870) vs H.264,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1,MVC (Radeon R9 370).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 4.0	UVD 4.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7870 draws 200W versus the Radeon R9 370's 110W — a 58.1% difference. The Radeon R9 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7870) vs 450W (Radeon R9 370). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 221mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 370
TDP	200W	110W-45%
Recommended PSU	500W	450W-10%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	221mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75-6%
Perf/Watt	22.8	42.9+88%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 7870 launched at $349 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 370 launched at $149. The Radeon R9 370 costs 57.3% less ($200 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.1 (Radeon HD 7870) vs 31.7 (Radeon R9 370) — the Radeon R9 370 offers 142% better value. The Radeon R9 370 is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2012).