In Ari Altman’s 2013 comparison, two Radeon HD 7870s in CrossFire often delivered much higher average benchmark performance than one HD 7870, but scaling varied by game and did not always translate into stronger minimum frame rates or smoother play. A single GeForce GTX 670 beat one HD 7870 in several tests; the CrossFire pair led on averages in many of the reported workloads. These are historical results from a specific test system and driver stack, not a current GPU ranking.
What the comparison tested
The direct three-way comparison comes from Ari Altman’s The Tech Buyer’s Guru review, published March 30, 2013 and updated June 11, 2015. It compared a single HD 7870, a pair of HD 7870 cards in CrossFire, and a single GTX 670. The scores are specific to its test platform, benchmark versions, settings and drivers.
Test system and graphics cards
- System: Intel Core i7-3770K overclocked to 4.4 GHz, Asus Maximus V Gene motherboard, 16 GB of RAM and Windows 7 x64.
- Radeon cards: Sapphire HD 7870 OC and XFX HD 7870 Core Edition, set to reference clocks of 1000 MHz core and 1200 MHz memory for the comparison.
- GeForce card: GTX 670 at a reported 1084 MHz boost clock and 1500 MHz memory clock.
- Drivers: Catalyst 13.2 beta 3 for Radeon and GeForce 314.22 for the GTX 670.
Because the test uses two different HD 7870 board designs, its CrossFire result should not be read as a guarantee for every card pairing. The exact cards and their operating conditions matter.
Benchmark scores: CrossFire often raised averages substantially
The table gives the graphics scores reported by Altman, rather than overall 3DMark scores. The review notes that CPU use affects the overall score, making the graphics score the more relevant measure for comparing GPUs.
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| Benchmark and reported metric | One HD 7870 | One GTX 670 | Two HD 7870s in CrossFire | Reported CrossFire scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Fire Strike graphics score | 5,394 | 6,419 | 8,938 | 65.7% |
| 3DMark 11 graphics score | 7,349 | 9,187 | 13,131 | 78.7% |
These are individual results from the 2013 review, not a pooled estimate. They show why a single scaling percentage would be misleading: performance gains depended on the workload.
Game results depended on the title and resolution
Metro 2033: averages scaled better than minimums
In the review’s Metro 2033 Frontline benchmark, the CrossFire pair’s reported average scaling over one HD 7870 was 91% at 1920×1080 and 85% at 2560×1440. Minimum frame rates scaled less well, particularly at the higher resolution. A strong average therefore did not mean the lowest frame rates improved by the same amount.
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Hitman: Absolution: large average gains
For Hitman: Absolution, Altman reported average gains over one HD 7870 of 88% at 1080p and 97% at 2560×1440. Those gains apply to the tested benchmark and settings; they do not establish how CrossFire would perform in every level or later game.
Just Cause 2: the GTX 670 beat one HD 7870, while CrossFire led
In the Just Cause 2 Dark Tower benchmark at 1080p, the GTX 670 averaged 90 FPS and the CrossFire pair reached 138 FPS. The review described the GTX 670 as about 30% faster than one HD 7870 in that test. This is a useful example of the three-way comparison, but it is one benchmark result, not a universal ranking.
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- Connectors: 1 x DVI, 1 x DisplayPort
- Thermal Solution: Fan with Heatsink
Heaven and Valley: average and minimum results diverged
Altman reported average scaling around 100% for the CrossFire pair in Unigine Heaven and Valley. Minimum-frame behavior differed: Heaven’s minimum scaling was poor, while Valley’s was described as near-perfect. The same review said a single GTX 670 delivered averages about 31% higher than one HD 7870 in Heaven and Valley. Those findings illustrate why average FPS, minimum FPS and perceived smoothness should be considered separately.
Limited corroboration from Crysis: Warhead
AnandTech’s historical GPU benchmark database displays 48 FPS for the GTX 670 and 39.9 FPS for the HD 7870 in Crysis: Warhead at 1920×1200, Enthusiast quality and 4×AA. The result is visible in the AnandTech GPU 2012 comparison database, but the database page could not be opened for fuller system details. Treat it as narrow corroboration, not as a directly matched result with Altman’s test platform.
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How to interpret the results
- Match the workload: a synthetic graphics score does not predict every game engine equally well. Compare the same named game or benchmark when possible.
- Match resolution and settings: 1920×1080, 1920×1200 and 2560×1440 are different tests. Quality settings and anti-aliasing also affect results.
- Check the metric: average FPS does not show minimum frame rates, frame pacing or subjective smoothness. Altman specifically noted weaker minimum scaling in some tests.
- Account for the configuration: the reported figures came from a Core i7-3770K at 4.4 GHz, 16 GB RAM, Windows 7 x64 and the stated 2013 drivers. Results from another CPU, operating system or driver may differ.
- Allow for game support: two-GPU performance relies on the game and driver handling CrossFire effectively. The review cautioned that scaling could be poor in some current or future games and that stutter could occur without VSync.
On smoothness, Altman reported that several hours of Battlefield 3 multiplayer play seemed perceptually uncompromised by microstutter. That is the reviewer’s experience in that game and setup, not a general guarantee. The review also identifies microstuttering as a possible CrossFire drawback.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a two-card setup entails
The HD 7870 family supported pairing two cards in CrossFire, rather than scaling to four cards in the older-card comparison discussed by Tom’s Hardware. Its reference HD 7870 is a 2 GB card with two six-pin auxiliary PCIe power inputs. Board-partner designs can differ, so the reference details do not establish the connectors, dimensions or cooling requirements of a particular card.
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- Independently Powered: No external power supply, about 60W full-load power consumption. Works with Windows 10 as well as 7, 8 and 8.1 (NOT compatible with Windows 11)
A second card also changes the practical demands on a system. Two cards need suitable motherboard spacing and airflow, and the review notes concerns about heat and close card spacing. Confirm the exact cards, case clearance, power supply and motherboard before treating a historical CrossFire result as a workable configuration.
TweakTown’s separate 2012 CrossFire review adds results from a different game suite, but its power figures measure whole-system draw, not GPU-only consumption. The review warns that adding other components increases system draw, so those figures should not be compared directly with a card’s TDP or measurements from another test bench. See TweakTown’s HD 7870 CrossFire review for that distinct test suite.
Bottom line for this historical comparison
In Altman’s 2013 tests, CrossFire often produced substantially higher averages than one HD 7870, while a single GTX 670 outperformed one HD 7870 in several reviewed workloads. The advantage of two cards varied by benchmark, and minimum-frame results could lag behind average scaling. These sources do not establish present-day prices, availability, driver support or performance relative to modern GPUs, so they are best used to understand the historical comparison rather than to make a current buying decision.
Quick Recap
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