GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB vs Radeon HD 7970M

When choosing between GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and Radeon HD 7970M, 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 1060 3 GB and Radeon HD 7970M.
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB

Radeon HD 7970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7970M 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 7970M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB Radeon HD 7970M
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB has 20% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 7970M.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and Radeon HD 7970M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7970M.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 7970M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is build with Pascal architecture, and Radeon HD 7970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is 656 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7970M.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7970M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is 3208 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7970M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 50−55 18−20
ultra / 1080p 30−35 10−12
QHD / 1440p 24−27 5−6
4K / 2160p 14−16 4−5
low / 720p 75−80 35−40
medium / 1080p 60−65 21−24
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 175% more, than Radeon HD 7970M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB Radeon HD 7970M
Architecture Pascal GCN
Code name GP106 Wimbledon XT
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 18 August 2016 1 May 2012
Pipelines 1152 1280
Core clock speed 1506 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 1708 MHz
Transistor count 4,400 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 16 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 123.0 68.00
Floating-point performance 3,935 gflops 2,176 gflops
Length 250 mm
Memory bus width 192 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 8008 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 192.2 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan + 1.2.131
CUDA 6.1
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 254 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 19 Mh/s
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