NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

VS
Performance
GeForce GT 420M
6851% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 9702,241% better
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 970 has 2,241% better performance than the GeForce GT 420M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GT 420M
No data available
GeForce GTX 970
48.7330% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 970 has 30% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q3 2010. It is built on the Fermi GPU microarchitecture (codename GF108) and is manufactured on a 40 nm process.

Memory

The GT 420M has 1,024 MB of DDR3 memory, with a 800 MHz memory clock and a 128 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 25.6 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The GT 420M includes 96 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 500 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 16 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 4 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 23 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The GT 420M has the 490th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 0.65% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q3 2014 with a MSRP of $329. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM204) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 970 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,753 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 224.4 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The GTX 970 includes 1,664 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,050 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,178 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 104 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 56 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 970 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 300 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 148 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 970 has the 138th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.33% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 16,033 score and $329 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 48.73. This is the 66th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureFermiMaxwell 2.0
Market SegmentMobileDesktop
Release DateQ3 2010Q3 2014
Launch Price (MSRP)--$329
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

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Dirt Rally 2.0
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Metro Exodus

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3
GeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
Low - 720p
--
--
Medium - 1080p
--
74 FPS
High - 1080p
--
49 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
37 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
--
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GT 420M orGeForce GTX 970

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GT 420M orGeForce GTX 970
GPUCost Per Frame
Radeon RX 5906.63-26%
GeForce RTX 20706.84-24%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)7.67-14%
Radeon RX Vega 648.59-4%
Radeon VII8.86-1%
GeForce GTX 9708.96
GeForce GTX 980 Ti12.18+36%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce GT 420M
6851% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 9702,241% better
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 970 has 2,241% better performance than the GeForce GT 420M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GT 420M is ranked 490th with a score of 685, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 138th with a score of 16,033.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GT 420M
No data available
GeForce GTX 970
48.7330% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 970 has 74% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

GeForce GTX 970's 48.73 performance per dollar ranks it 0th among the other benchmarked GPUs in our database.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GT 420M or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+2,423%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+2,260%
GeForce GTX 97016,033+2,241%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619+2,180%
GeForce GTX 165013,645+1,892%
GeForce GT 425M753+10%
Radeon HD 7610M749+9%
GeForce GT 420M685
Radeon HD 6490M601-12%
GeForce GT 520MX596.5-13%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GT 420M orGeForce GTX 970
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)58.2+19%
Radeon R7 37057.17+17%
Radeon VII54.19+11%
GeForce GTX 96054.11+11%
GeForce GTX 95052.52+8%
GeForce GTX 97048.73
Radeon R9 390X41.83-14%
Radeon R9 280X36.09-26%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53-27%
GeForce GTX 98032.07-34%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
3,544
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
3,693
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
--
72,819
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
--
11,954
3DMark 11 Performance Score
775
13,249
(+1,609.55%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
141.6
PassMark G3D Mark
397
9,638
(+2,327.71%)
PassMark G2D Mark
86
767
(+791.86%)
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
CodenameGF108GM204
ArchitectureFermiMaxwell 2.0
Process Size40 nm28 nm
Transistors585 million5,200 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
Memory Size1,024 MB4 GB
Memory TypeDDR3GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth25.6 Gb/s224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock800 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface128 bit256 bit
L1 Cache64 KB48 KB
L2 Cache256 KB2 MB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
Slots--2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)23 W148 W
Suggested PSU--300 W
Power Connectors--2x 6-pin
OutputsDevice DependentDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
CUDA Cores961,664
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)2--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)16104
Render Output Units (ROP)456
Core Clock Speed500 MHz1,050 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)--1,178 MHz

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
Pixel Fill Rate2 GPixel/s65.97 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate8 GTexel/s122.5 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance192 GFLOPS3.92 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance16 GFLOPS122.5 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce GT 420MGeForce GTX 970
DirectX12 (11_0)12 (12_1)
OpenCL1.13.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model5.16.8

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.