GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire

When comparing GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire, 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 980 and Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire 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 Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 980 Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
Power consumption (TDP) 165 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2x2 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 500 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 980 has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire.
  • GeForce GTX 980 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 980 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire - with Terascale 2.
  • GeForce GTX 980 is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is 893 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 55−60 21−24
ultra / 1080p 35−40 12−14
QHD / 1440p 30−35 7−8
4K / 2160p 18−20 5−6
low / 720p 80−85 40−45
medium / 1080p 65−70 24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 157% more, than Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 980 Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
Architecture Maxwell Terascale 2
Code name GM204 Blackcomb XT
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 19 September 2014 6 January 2011
Pipelines 2048 1920
Core clock speed 680 MHz
Boost Clock 1216 MHz
Transistor count 5,200 million 2x1700 Million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 144 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 4,981 gflops
Length 10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s 900 MHz
Memory bandwidth 224 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) DirectX 11, Shader 5.0
Shader Model 6.4
OpenGL 4.5
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126
CUDA +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.54 kh/s
CUDA cores 2048
Bus support 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) 579 Mh/s
Laptop size large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 1.74 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 20.28 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 312.12 Sol/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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