NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

VS
Performance
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti137% better
37,94136% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 970
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 137% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti95% better
95.0959% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 970
48.7330% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 95% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Shop GeForce GTX 970
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summary

#

About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q4 2020 with a MSRP of $399. It is built on the Ampere GPU microarchitecture (codename GA104) and is manufactured on a 8 nm process.

Memory

The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 1,750 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 448 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 RTX 3060 Ti includes 4,864 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,410 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,665 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 152 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 80 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 152 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 38 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RTX 3060 Ti occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 550 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 200 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RTX 3060 Ti has the 43rd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 36.27% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 37,941 score and $399 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 95.09. This is the 21st best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureAmpereMaxwell 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2020Q3 2014
Launch Price (MSRP)$399$329
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong
Display FPS for Once Human
Once Human
Display FPS for The First Descendant
The First Descendant
Display FPS for F1 24
F1 24
Display FPS for Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Display FPS for Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Display FPS for Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2

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 Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong
GeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
Low - 1080p
92 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
69 FPS
--
High - 1080p
52 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
29 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
21 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
13 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 RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 3060 Ti orGeForce GTX 970
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti30.69
GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER57+86%
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER62.38+103%
GeForce RTX 309068.14+122%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti137% better
37,94136% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 970
16,03315% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 137% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is ranked 43rd with a score of 37,941, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 138th with a score of 16,033.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti95% better
95.0959% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 970
48.7330% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 95% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is ranked 21st with a performance per dollar of 95.09, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 66th with a performance per dollar of 48.73.

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 RTX 3060 Ti or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon RX 6600 XT39,051+3%
GeForce RTX 406038,191+1%
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti37,941
Radeon VII37,881-0%
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti37,671.5-1%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282-54%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5-57%
GeForce GTX 97016,033-58%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619-59%
GeForce GTX 165013,645-64%

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 RTX 3060 Ti or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
Radeon RX 660096.58+2%
Radeon RX 680095.14+0%
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti95.09
Radeon RX 570090.17-5%
Radeon RX 5700 XT89.78-6%
GeForce GTX 96054.11-43%
GeForce GTX 95052.52-45%
GeForce GTX 97048.73-49%
Radeon R9 390X41.83-56%
Radeon R9 280X36.09-62%

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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
11,590
(+227.03%)
3,544
3DMark Time Spy Score
11,520
(+211.94%)
3,693
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
153,968
(+111.44%)
72,819
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
28,145
(+135.44%)
11,954
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
131,062
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
33,117
(+149.96%)
13,249
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
141.6
PassMark G3D Mark
20,497
(+112.67%)
9,638
PassMark G2D Mark
1,000
(+30.38%)
767
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
CodenameGA104GM204
ArchitectureAmpereMaxwell 2.0
Process Size8 nm28 nm
Transistors17,400 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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
Memory Size8 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth448 Gb/s224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,750 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit256 bit
L1 Cache128 KB48 KB
L2 Cache4 MB2 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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)200 W148 W
Suggested PSU550 W300 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin2x 6-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4aDVI, 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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
CUDA Cores4,8641,664
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)38--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)152104
Render Output Units (ROP)8056
Tensor Cores152--
Ray Tracing Cores38--
Core Clock Speed1,410 MHz1,050 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,665 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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
Pixel Fill Rate133.2 GPixel/s65.97 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate253.1 GTexel/s122.5 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance16.2 TFLOPS3.92 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance253.1 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 RTX 3060 TiGeForce GTX 970
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (12_1)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.8

Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:

Looking for alternatives? Check out these similar GPUs:

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