NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
The GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q has 35% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
We do not have any performance per dollar data for the GeForce GTX 970M and the GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q4 2014. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM204) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.
Memory
The GTX 970M has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,253 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 120.3 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 970M includes 1,280 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 924 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,038 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 80 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 48 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 81 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance
The GTX 970M has the 181st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 9.43% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q GPU
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q2 2017. It is built on the Pascal GPU microarchitecture (codename GP106) and is manufactured on a 16 nm process.
Memory
The GTX 1060 Max-Q has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 2,002 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 192.2 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 1060 Max-Q includes 1,280 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,063 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,480 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 80 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 48 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 80 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance
The GTX 1060 Max-Q has the 153rd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 12.73% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
General Info
General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.
| Info | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Pascal |
| Market Segment | Mobile | Mobile |
| Release Date | Q4 2014 | Q2 2017 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
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
Rage 2 | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | 67 FPS | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | 31 FPS | -- |
| High - 1080p | 27 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 26 FPS | -- |
| QHD - 1440p | 17 FPS | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | -- |
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.
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile | 43 | +161% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile | 33.7 | +104% |
| Radeon Pro 5500M | 28.4 | +72% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q | 22.4 | +36% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile | 18.1 | +10% |
| GeForce GTX 970M | 16.5 | |
| Radeon RX 5500M | 15.4 | -7% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile | 13.8 | -16% |
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.
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs. | ||
Benchmark Performance
The GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q has 35% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 970M is ranked 181st with a score of 9,877.5, and the GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q is ranked 153rd with a score of 13,333.5.
We do not have any performance per dollar data for the GeForce GTX 970M and the GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
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.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 5300M | 14,351 | +45% |
| Quadro T2000 Mobile | 13,523.5 | +37% |
| GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q | 13,333.5 | +35% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile | 13,266 | +34% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile | 13,131.5 | +33% |
| Quadro M4000M | 10,259 | +4% |
| GeForce MX550 | 10,005 | +1% |
| GeForce GTX 970M | 9,877.5 | |
| FirePro W7170M | 9,708 | -2% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile | 9,615.5 | -3% |
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.
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the benchmark performance per dollar with other GPUs. | |||
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
| Benchmark | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | -- | 3,324 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | -- | 3,415 |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 51,247 | 74,101 (+44.6%) |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 7,463 | 10,430 (+39.76%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 9,403 | 11,973 (+27.33%) |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 90.5 | 110.6 (+22.21%) |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 5,734 | 7,899 (+37.76%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 384 | 404 (+5.21%) |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | 93 | -- |
Technical Specs
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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | GM204 | GP106 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Pascal |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 16 nm |
| Transistors | 5,200 million | 4,400 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 120.3 Gb/s | 192.2 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,253 MHz | 2,002 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 192 bit | 192 bit |
| L1 Cache | 48 KB | 48 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1,536 KB | 1,536 KB |
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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 81 W | 80 W |
| Outputs | Device Dependent | Device Dependent |
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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 1,280 | 1,280 |
| Stream Multiprocessors (SM) | -- | 10 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 80 | 80 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 48 | 48 |
| Core Clock Speed | 924 MHz | 1,063 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 1,038 MHz | 1,480 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 49.82 GPixel/s | 71.04 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 83.04 GTexel/s | 118.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 2.66 TFLOPS | 3.79 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 83.04 GFLOPS | 118.4 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_1) |
| OpenCL | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.8 | 6.8 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.