GeForce GTX 960 vs GeForce GTX 970

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 960 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 960 will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 970 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 GeForce GTX 970
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 148 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pins 2x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 400 Watt 500 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 970 has 23% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 960.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce GTX 970 have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce GTX 970 are build with Maxwell architecture.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 is 77 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970.
  • GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce GTX 970 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • GeForce GTX 970 is 1 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 960.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce GTX 970 is 7 MHz.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 50−55
ultra / 1080p 21−24 30−35
QHD / 1440p 16−18 27−30
4K / 2160p 10−11 14−16
low / 720p 60−65 75−80
medium / 1080p 40−45 60−65
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 37% more, than GeForce GTX 960.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 GeForce GTX 970
Architecture Maxwell Maxwell
Code name GM206 GM204
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 22 January 2015 19 September 2014
Pipelines 1024 1664
Core clock speed 1127 MHz 1050 MHz
Boost Clock 1178 MHz 1178 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 72 billion/sec 109 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 2,413 gflops 3,920 gflops
Length 9.5" (24.1 cm) 10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s 7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth 112 GB/s 224 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support + +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 6.4
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.1.126
CUDA + +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.27 kh/s 0.48 kh/s
CUDA cores 1024 1664
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCI Express 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm) 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options + +
Multi monitor support 4 displays 4 displays
HDCP + +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 318 Mh/s 478 Mh/s
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.92 Gh/s 1.51 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 8 Mh/s 22.21 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 141.47 Sol/s 291.61 Sol/s
GameStream + +
GeForce ShadowPlay + +
GPU Boost 2.0 2.0
GameWorks + +
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