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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

NVIDIA
VS
Performance
16,03315% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 970 has 15% of the performance compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Performance per dollar
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.

Specs at a glance
Memory4 GB GDDR5
Slots2 slots
TDP148 W
Release DateQ3 2014
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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU

The GeForce GTX 970 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q3 2014 with a suggested retail price of $329. Its GM204 chip that powers the GPU uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,753 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 224.4 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The GTX 970 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 148 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 300 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The GeForce GTX 970 has the 136th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.28% 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.

InfoValue
ManufacturerNVIDIA
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0
Market SegmentDesktop
Release DateQ3 2014
Launch Price (MSRP)$329
Production StatusEnd-of-life
ShopCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved by the GeForce GTX 970 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.

FPS data for Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3
Frames Per SecondHigher is better
Cost Per FrameLower is better
Low - 720p----
Medium - 1080p74 FPS$4.45 CPF
High - 1080p49 FPS$6.77 CPF
Ultra - 1080p37 FPS$8.96 CPF
QHD - 1440p----
4K UHD - 2160p----
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

GeForce GTX 970's average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Compare Cost Per Frame

GeForce GTX 970's 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.

GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 10706.55-27%
Radeon RX 5906.63-26%
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

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Performance
16,03315% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 970 has 15% of the performance compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

The GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 136th with a score of 16,033.

Performance per dollar
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.

The GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 66th with a performance per dollar of 48.73.

Compare Performance

GeForce GTX 970's average score in the benchmark can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, more powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5+10%
Radeon R9 FURY17,543+9%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+9%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+8%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+1%
GeForce GTX 97016,033
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619-3%
GeForce GTX 165013,645-15%
Radeon R9 38012,191-24%
Radeon R9 280X10,792-33%

Compare Value For Money

GeForce GTX 970's average performance per dollar in the benchmark can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score generally implies better value for your money.

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 GeForce GTX 970's average performance scores across industry-standard GPU benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkValue
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
13,249
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
141.6
PassMark G3D Mark
9,645
PassMark G2D Mark
773
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Processor Details

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

SpecValue
CodenameGM204
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0
Process Size28 nm
Transistors5,200 million

Board Compatibility

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

SpecValue
Slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)148 W
Suggested PSU300 W
Power Connectors2x 6-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2

Memory Details

Memory specifications like its 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.

SpecValue
Memory Size4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5
Memory Bandwidth224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,753 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit
L1 Cache48 KB
L2 Cache2 MB

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.

SpecValue
CUDA Cores1,664
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)104
Render Output Units (ROP)56
Core Clock Speed1,050 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.

SpecValue
Pixel Fill Rate65.97 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate122.5 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance3.92 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance122.5 GFLOPS

API Support

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

SpecValue
DirectX12 (12_1)
OpenCL3.0
OpenGL4.6
Shader Model6.7 (6.4)

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