NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

VS
Performance
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
7,153.57% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 970124% better
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 970 has 124% better performance than the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
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 GTX 1050 Max-Q GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q1 2018. It is built on the Pascal GPU microarchitecture (codename GP107) and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 1050 Max-Q has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,752 MHz memory clock and a 128 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 112.1 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 1050 Max-Q includes 640 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,139 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 40 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 16 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 75 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The GTX 1050 Max-Q has the 217th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 6.84% 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitecturePascalMaxwell 2.0
Market SegmentMobileDesktop
Release DateQ1 2018Q3 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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Ghost Recon Breakpoint

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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
Low - 720p
81 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
35 FPS
74 FPS(+109.63%)
High - 1080p
23 FPS
49 FPS(+116%)
Ultra - 1080p
17 FPS
37 FPS(+122.42%)
QHD - 1440p
12 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
5 FPS
--
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 GTX 1050 Max-Q 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 GTX 1050 Max-Q orGeForce GTX 970
GPUCost Per Frame
Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs.

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
7,153.57% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 970124% better
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 970 has 124% better performance than the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is ranked 217th with a score of 7,153.5, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 138th with a score of 16,033.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q
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 GTX 1050 Max-Q or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+142%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+126%
GeForce GTX 97016,033+124%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619+118%
GeForce GTX 165013,645+91%
GeForce GTX 965M7,322+2%
GeForce GTX 870M7,156+0%
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q7,153.5
Quadro K5100M6,880-4%
Radeon R9 M390 (Mac Edition)6,819-5%

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 GTX 1050 Max-Q 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
1,615
3,544
(+119.44%)
3DMark Time Spy Score
1,753.5
3,693
(+110.61%)
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
35,392
72,819
(+105.75%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
5,649.5
11,954
(+111.59%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
7,347.5
13,249
(+80.32%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
109.5
141.6
(+29.32%)
PassMark G3D Mark
4,070
9,638
(+136.81%)
PassMark G2D Mark
288
767
(+166.32%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
70.2
--
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
65
--
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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
CodenameGP107GM204
ArchitecturePascalMaxwell 2.0
Process Size14 nm28 nm
Transistors3,300 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
Memory Size4 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth112.1 Gb/s224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,752 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface128 bit256 bit
L1 Cache48 KB48 KB
L2 Cache1,024 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
Slots--2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)75 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
CUDA Cores6401,664
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)5--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)40104
Render Output Units (ROP)1656
Core Clock Speed1,000 MHz1,050 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,139 MHz1,178 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
Pixel Fill Rate18.22 GPixel/s65.97 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate45.56 GTexel/s122.5 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance1,458 GFLOPS3.92 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance45.56 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 GTX 1050 Max-QGeForce GTX 970
DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.8

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