AMD Radeon HD 6870 vs AMD Radeon R7 250

The AMD Radeon HD 6870 is the faster card by roughly 33%. Here is how the two compare across every spec that matters for gaming.

AMD Radeon HD 6870 wins — about 33% faster in gaming workloads
Specification AMD Radeon HD 6870 AMD Radeon R7 250
Performance score 4/100 3/100
Tier F F
VRAM 1 GB 1 GB
Power draw (TDP) 151 W 65 W
Launch MSRP $239 $89
Performance per $100 1.7 3.4
Release year 2010 2013
DLSS — No — No
FSR ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
XeSS — No — No
Ray tracing — No — No

Which should you buy?

The AMD Radeon HD 6870 is the stronger performer of the two, and it is the default choice if raw frame rate is what you care about. The AMD Radeon R7 250 draws 86W less, so it is easier on your power supply and case cooling — check the PSU calculator before committing. On launch pricing, the AMD Radeon R7 250 offers better performance per dollar.