GeForce GTX 960M vs Radeon HD 6970

When comparing GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 6970, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon HD 6970 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

GeForce GTX 960M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 960M 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 960M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 960M Radeon HD 6970
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt 550 Watt
Interface MXM-B (3.0) PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 DDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 6970 has 633% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 960M.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and Radeon HD 6970 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 960M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6970.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 6970 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 6970 - with Terascale 2.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6970 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 960M is 1125 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 18−20 14−16
ultra / 1080p 10−11 9−10
QHD / 1440p 4−5 3−4
4K / 2160p 4−5
low / 720p 35−40 30−35
medium / 1080p 21−24 18−20
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 960M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 20% more, than Radeon HD 6970.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960M Radeon HD 6970
Architecture Maxwell Terascale 2
Code name N16P-GX Cayman
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 12 March 2015 14 December 2010
Pipelines 640 1536
Core clock speed 1096 MHz
Boost Clock 1202 MHz 880 MHz
Transistor count 1,870 million 2,640 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 47.04 84.48
Floating-point performance 1,505 gflops 2,703.4 gflops
Length 267 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2500 MHz 1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth 80 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.1 5.0
OpenGL 4.5 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126
CUDA +
CUDA cores 640
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCIe 2.0 x16
SLI options +
HDMI + +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 175 Mh/s 273 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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