GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q vs GeForce GTX 970M

When choosing between GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q and GeForce GTX 970M, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q and GeForce GTX 970M.

GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q and GeForce GTX 970M are Laptop Graphics Cards

Note: GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q and GeForce GTX 970M are only used in laptop graphics. They have lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q or GeForce GTX 970M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q GeForce GTX 970M
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors None None
Memory type GDDR5X GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 6 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 970M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q has 2 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 970M.
  • Both cards are used in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q is build with Pascal architecture, and GeForce GTX 970M - with Maxwell.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q is 177 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970M.
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q is 7500 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 50−55 35−40
ultra / 1080p 35−40 21−24
QHD / 1440p 27−30 16−18
4K / 2160p 16−18 10−11
low / 720p 80−85 60−65
medium / 1080p 60−65 40−45
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 43% more, than GeForce GTX 970M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1080 Max Q GeForce GTX 970M
Architecture Pascal Maxwell
Code name N17E-G3 Max-Q GM204
Type Laptop Laptop
Release date 30 May 2017 7 October 2014
Pipelines 2560 1280
Core clock speed 1101 - 1290 MHz 924 MHz
Boost Clock 1278 - 1468 MHz 1038 MHz
Transistor count 7,200 million 5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 16 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 234.9 83.04
Floating-point performance 7,516 gflops 2,657 gflops
Memory bus width 256 Bit 192 Bit
Memory clock speed 10000 MHz 2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 320.3 GB/s 120 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support + +
VR Ready +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 6.4
OpenGL 4.6 4.5
OpenCL 1.2 1.1
Vulkan 1.2.131 1.1.126
CUDA 6.1 +
CUDA cores 1280
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 314 Mh/s
Laptop size large large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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