We've compared GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce GTX 980, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks. GTX 970 2014 4 GB GDDR5, 148 Watt 24.98 GTX 980 2014 4 GB GDDR5, 165 Watt 28.78 +15.2% GTX 1650 GTX 1060 6 GB RTX 3060 RTX 4060 RTX 4070 SUPER RTX 4080 SUPER RTX 4090 RX 580 Arc A580 RX 5700 RX 7600 XT RX 7800 XT RX 7900 XTX GTX 980 outperforms GTX 970 by a moderate 15% based on our aggregate benchmark results. GTX 970 GTX 980 GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared. Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better. GTX 970 has 26% better value for money than GTX 980. General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed.Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked. Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM. Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself. Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes. List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions. Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale. This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly. GTX 97024.98 GTX 98028.78 +15.2% This isthe most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities. GTX 9709637 GTX 98011104 +15.2% 3DMark 11is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11is now superseded by Time Spy. GTX 97016033 GTX 98017605 +9.8% 3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displayinga space fleet attack ona defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead. GTX 97042263 +11.2% GTX 98037997 Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware. GTX 97011954 GTX 98012938 +8.2% Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displaysa few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just likeIce Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid. GTX 97072819 GTX 98085374 +17.2% Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation usesOpenCLAPI by Khronos Group. GTX 97028476 GTX 98034863 +22.4% Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid. GTX 970422295 +30.7% GTX 980323076 Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation usesVulkanAPI by AMD & Khronos Group. GTX 97031442 GTX 98040029 +27.3% Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation usesCUDAAPI by NVIDIA. GTX 97025897 GTX 98029546 +14.1% This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists. GTX 97079 GTX 98096 +21.5% This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013. GTX 9701543 GTX 9801889 +22.4% Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS. Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions: −16.3% +16.3% −15.6% +15.6% +0% +0% Full HD −17.1% +17.1% Full HD −25.5% +25.5% −14% +14% −4.9% +4.9% −15.7% +15.7% −17.1% +17.1% −47.4% +47.4% −18.5% +18.5% −73.3% +73.3% −18% +18% −12.2% +12.2% −14% +14% −12.3% +12.3% −52.9% +52.9% −7.8% +7.8% Full HD −50.9% +50.9% −14% +14% +10.8% −10.8% −13.5% +13.5% −17.1% +17.1% −21.1% +21.1% −121% +121% −57.5% +57.5% −18% +18% −12.2% +12.2% −180% +180% −12.3% +12.3% −17.6% +17.6% −21.1% +21.1% −7.8% +7.8% Full HD +57.1% −57.1% −14% +14% −63.9% +63.9% −17.1% +17.1% +14% −14% +147% −147% −18% +18% −12.2% +12.2% −17.6% +17.6% −7% +7% −7.8% +7.8% Full HD −12.3% +12.3% 1440p +0% +0% −15.8% +15.8% 1440p −3.8% +3.8% −20.8% +20.8% −17.9% +17.9% −25% +25% −13.8% +13.8% −2.8% +2.8% −16.7% +16.7% −15.4% +15.4% −17% +17% −18.2% +18.2% −19.4% +19.4% −11.3% +11.3% 1440p −16.7% +16.7% 4K +13.6% −13.6% −20% +20% −15% +15% −13.3% +13.3% −47.8% +47.8% +0% +0% 4K +7.1% −7.1% −23.1% +23.1% −21.4% +21.4% −33.3% +33.3% −14.3% +14.3% +0% +0% −23.3% +23.3% −18.2% +18.2% 4K −13.6% +13.6% This is how GTX 970 and GTX 980 compete in popular games: Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games: All in all, in popular games: GTX 970 has 11.5% lower power consumption. GTX 980, on the other hand, has a 15.2% higher aggregate performance score. The GeForce GTX 980 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 970 in performance tests. Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer. Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card. GeForce GTX 970 GeForce GTX 980 Like Like We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider. Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself. 4.24728 votes Rate GeForce GTX 970 on a scale of 1 to 5: 4.31441 vote Rate GeForce GTX 980 on a scale of 1 to 5: Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.Aggregate performance score
Contents
Primary details
Place in the ranking 214 194 Place by popularity 57 not in top-100 Cost-effectiveness evaluation 13.75 10.94 Power efficiency 11.76 12.16 Architecture Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) GPU code name GM204 GM204 Market segment Desktop Desktop Release date 19 September 2014 (10 years ago) 19 September 2014 (10 years ago) Launch price (MSRP) $329 $549 Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Detailed specifications
Pipelines / CUDA cores 1664 2048 Core clock speed 1050 MHz 1064 MHz Boost clock speed 1178 MHz 1216 MHz Number of transistors 5,200 million 5,200 million Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm Power consumption (TDP) 148 Watt 165 Watt Maximum GPU temperature 98 °C no data Texture fill rate 122.5 155.6 Floating-point processing power 3.92 TFLOPS 4.981 TFLOPS ROPs 56 64 TMUs 104 128 Form factor & compatibility
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCI Express 3.0 Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16 Length 267 mm 267 mm Height 4.376" (11.1 cm) 4.376" (11.1 cm) Width 2-slot 2-slot Recommended system power (PSU) 500 Watt 500 Watt Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 2x 6-pin SLI options + + VRAM capacity and type
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5 Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s 7.0 GB/s Memory bandwidth 224 GB/s 224 GB/s Shared memory - - Connectivity and outputs
Display Connectors Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 Multi monitor support 4 displays 4 displays VGA аnalog display support no data + DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support no data + HDMI + + HDCP + + Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536 G-SYNC support + + Audio input for HDMI Internal Internal Supported technologies
GameStream + + GeForce ShadowPlay + + GPU Boost 2.0 2.0 GameWorks + + H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder - + Optimus - + BatteryBoost - + API compatibility
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1) Shader Model 6.4 6.4 OpenGL 4.4 4.5 OpenCL 1.2 1.2 Vulkan 1.1.126 1.1.126 CUDA + + Synthetic benchmark performance
Combined synthetic benchmark score
Passmark
3DMark 11 Performance GPU
3DMark Vantage Performance
3DMark Fire Strike Graphics
3DMark Cloud Gate GPU
GeekBench 5 OpenCL
3DMark Ice Storm GPU
GeekBench 5 Vulkan
GeekBench 5 CUDA
Octane Render OctaneBench
Unigine Heaven 4.0
Gaming performance
Average FPS across all PC games
Full HD 80 93 1440p 45 52 4K 38 38 Cost per frame, $
1080p 4.11 5.90 1440p 7.31 10.56 4K 8.66 14.45 FPS performance in popular games
Low PresetCyberpunk 2077 40−45 45−50
Medium PresetAssassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60 69 Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45 45−50 Battlefield 5 80−85 86 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55 55−60 Cyberpunk 2077 40−45 45−50 Far Cry 5 55−60 84 Far Cry New Dawn 65−70 77 Forza Horizon 4 140−150 253 Hitman 3 50−55 55−60 Horizon Zero Dawn 110−120 120−130 Metro Exodus 85−90 95−100 Red Dead Redemption 2 65−70 70−75 Shadow of the Tomb Raider 85−90 130 Watch Dogs: Legion 100−110 110−120
High PresetAssassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60 83 Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45 45−50 Battlefield 5 80−85 74 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 52 55−60 Cyberpunk 2077 40−45 45−50 Far Cry 5 55−60 69 Far Cry New Dawn 29 64 Forza Horizon 4 140−150 230 Hitman 3 50−55 55−60 Horizon Zero Dawn 110−120 120−130 Metro Exodus 35 95−100 Red Dead Redemption 2 65−70 70−75 Shadow of the Tomb Raider 85−90 100−105 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 109 132 Watch Dogs: Legion 100−110 110−120
Ultra PresetAssassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60 35 Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45 45−50 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 36 55−60 Cyberpunk 2077 40−45 45−50 Far Cry 5 55−60 50 Forza Horizon 4 140−150 59 Hitman 3 50−55 55−60 Horizon Zero Dawn 110−120 120−130 Shadow of the Tomb Raider 85−90 100−105 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 43 46 Watch Dogs: Legion 100−110 110−120
Epic PresetRed Dead Redemption 2 65−70 70−75
High PresetBattlefield 5 45−50 47 Far Cry New Dawn 35−40 44
Ultra PresetAssassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27 27 Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27 27−30 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 27−30 30−35 Cyberpunk 2077 16−18 20−22 Far Cry 5 27−30 33 Forza Horizon 4 140−150 147 Hitman 3 30−33 35−40 Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55 60−65 Metro Exodus 45−50 55−60 Shadow of the Tomb Raider 55−60 65−70 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 30−35 35−40 Watch Dogs: Legion 140−150 150−160
Epic PresetRed Dead Redemption 2 40−45 45−50
High PresetBattlefield 5 24−27 22 Far Cry New Dawn 20 24 Hitman 3 20−22 21−24 Horizon Zero Dawn 120−130 140−150 Metro Exodus 23 30−35 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 29 29
Ultra PresetAssassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16 14 Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14 16−18 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16 16−18 Cyberpunk 2077 6−7 8−9 Far Cry 5 14−16 16 Forza Horizon 4 30−35 34 Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33 35−40 Watch Dogs: Legion 10−12 12−14
Epic PresetRed Dead Redemption 2 21−24 24−27 Pros & cons summary
Performance score 24.98 28.78 Power consumption (TDP) 148 Watt 165 Watt Vote for your favorite
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