GeForce GTX 860M SLI vs GeForce GTX 970

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 860M SLI and GeForce GTX 970 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 860M SLI will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 970 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 860M SLI is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 860M SLI is only used in laptop graphics. It has 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 860M SLI here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 860M SLI GeForce GTX 970
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 148 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2x 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 500 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 970 has 23% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 860M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 970 has 2 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 860M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 860M SLI is used in Laptops, and GeForce GTX 970 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 860M SLI and GeForce GTX 970 are build with Maxwell architecture.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 970 is 21 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 860M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 860M SLI and GeForce GTX 970 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 860M SLI is 4993 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 21−24 50−55
ultra / 1080p 14−16 30−35
QHD / 1440p 8−9 27−30
4K / 2160p 5−6 14−16
low / 720p 40−45 75−80
medium / 1080p 27−30 60−65
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 120% more, than GeForce GTX 860M SLI.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 860M SLI GeForce GTX 970
Architecture Maxwell Maxwell
Code name GM204
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 12 March 2014 19 September 2014
Pipelines 1280 1664
Core clock speed 1029 MHz 1050 MHz
Boost Clock 1178 MHz
Transistor count 2x 1870 Million 5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 109 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 3,920 gflops
Length 10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 2x 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 5000 MHz 7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth 224 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX DirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4
OpenGL 4.4
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126
CUDA + +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.48 kh/s
CUDA cores 1664
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options + +
Multi monitor support 4 displays
HDCP +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 478 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Optimus +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 1.51 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 22.21 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 291.61 Sol/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
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