GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q vs Radeon HD 7970

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q and Radeon HD 7970 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 1050 Max Q will be the best choice, for others Radeon HD 7970 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q 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 1050 Max Q here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q Radeon HD 7970
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt 300 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 7970 has 300% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7970.
  • GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 7970 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q is build with Pascal architecture, and Radeon HD 7970 - with GCN.
  • GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q is manufactured by 14 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7970 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q is 5625 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7970.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 20−22 35−40
ultra / 1080p 12−14 21−24
QHD / 1440p 6−7 16−18
4K / 2160p 5−6 10−11
low / 720p 40−45 60−65
medium / 1080p 24−27 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 68% more, than GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1050 Max Q Radeon HD 7970
Architecture Pascal GCN
Code name N17P-G0 Max-Q Tahiti XT
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 3 January 2018 22 December 2011
Pipelines 640 2048
Core clock speed 999 - 1189 MHz
Boost Clock 1139 - 1328 MHz 925 MHz
Transistor count 3,300 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 14 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 53.12 118.4
Floating-point performance 1,700 gflops 3,789 gflops
Length 274 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 7000 MHz 1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth 112.1 GB/s 264 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131
CUDA 6.1
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 2.1 x16
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 485 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 20.71 Mh/s
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