GeForce GTX 960M vs GeForce GTX 970

When choosing between GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 970, 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 960M and GeForce GTX 970.

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 GeForce GTX 970
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt 148 Watt
Interface MXM-B (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 500 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 970 has 97% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 960M.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and GeForce GTX 970 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 970 have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
  • GeForce GTX 960M is used in Laptops, and GeForce GTX 970 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 970 are build with Maxwell architecture.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960M is 46 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970.
  • GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 970 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 960M is 2493 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 18−20 50−55
ultra / 1080p 10−11 30−35
QHD / 1440p 4−5 27−30
4K / 2160p 4−5 14−16
low / 720p 35−40 75−80
medium / 1080p 21−24 60−65
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 175% more, than GeForce GTX 960M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960M GeForce GTX 970
Architecture Maxwell Maxwell
Code name N16P-GX GM204
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 12 March 2015 19 September 2014
Pipelines 640 1664
Core clock speed 1096 MHz 1050 MHz
Boost Clock 1202 MHz 1178 MHz
Transistor count 1,870 million 5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 47.04 109 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 1,505 gflops 3,920 gflops
Length 10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2500 MHz 7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth 80 GB/s 224 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (11_0) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 5.1 6.4
OpenGL 4.5 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.1.126
CUDA + +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.48 kh/s
CUDA cores 640 1664
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCI Express 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options + +
Multi monitor support 4 displays
HDMI +
HDCP +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 175 Mh/s 478 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
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 2.0
GameWorks + +
BatteryBoost +
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