GeForce GTX 960 vs Radeon HD 8970M

When choosing between GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon HD 8970M, 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 960 and Radeon HD 8970M.

Radeon HD 8970M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8970M 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 8970M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Radeon HD 8970M
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort No outputs
Recommended system power (PSU) 400 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 960 has 20% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon HD 8970M have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8970M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 8970M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 is 277 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8970M.
  • GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon HD 8970M are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 4793 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 960.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 20−22
ultra / 1080p 21−24 12−14
QHD / 1440p 16−18 6−7
4K / 2160p 10−11 5−6
low / 720p 60−65 35−40
medium / 1080p 40−45 24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 960 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 77% more, than Radeon HD 8970M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Radeon HD 8970M
Architecture Maxwell GCN
Code name GM206 Neptune
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 22 January 2015 15 May 2013
Pipelines 1024 1280
Core clock speed 1127 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 1178 MHz 900 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 72 billion/sec 72.00
Floating-point performance 2,413 gflops 2,304 gflops
Length 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 112 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.2.131
CUDA +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.27 kh/s
CUDA cores 1024
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support 4 displays
HDCP +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 318 Mh/s 273 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.92 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 8 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 141.47 Sol/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
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