GeForce GTX 980M vs Radeon HD 6970M

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

GeForce GTX 980M and Radeon HD 6970M are Laptop Graphics Cards

Note: GeForce GTX 980M and Radeon HD 6970M are only used in laptop graphics. They have 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 980M or Radeon HD 6970M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 980M Radeon HD 6970M
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt
Interface MXM-B (3.0) MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors None None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs No outputs
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  • Both video cards are using MXM-B (3.0) interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 980M has 6 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6970M.
  • Both cards are used in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 980M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 6970M - with Terascale 2.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 980M is 358 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970M.
  • GeForce GTX 980M is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6970M - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 980M is 1600 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6970M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 10−12
ultra / 1080p 24−27 6−7
QHD / 1440p 18−20 1−2
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 24−27
medium / 1080p 45−50 14−16
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 245% more, than Radeon HD 6970M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 980M Radeon HD 6970M
Architecture Maxwell Terascale 2
Code name GM204 Blackcomb XT
Type Laptop Laptop
Release date 7 October 2014 6 January 2011
Pipelines 1536 960
Core clock speed 1038 MHz 680 MHz
Boost Clock 1127 MHz
Transistor count 5,200 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 51.84 32.64
Floating-point performance 3,462 gflops 1,305.6 gflops
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2500 MHz 900 MHz
Memory bandwidth 160 GB/s 115.2 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 6.4 5.0
OpenGL 4.5 4.4
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 N/A
CUDA +
CUDA cores 1536
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 383 Mh/s 118 Mh/s
Laptop size large large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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