NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
22.5Rasterization39.3
20Ray Tracing33.1
32.4Memoryspec-based45.7
76.3Efficiencyspec-based80.3
29.8Compute52.9
1 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9709 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
InnoReviews verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 wins this graphics card face-off, 47.2 to 32.6, pulling ahead mainly in compute (+23) and rasterization (+17). NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
- 34% lower TDP: 145 W vs 220 W
- Lower launch price: $329 vs $499
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Stronger rasterization score: 39 vs 23
- Stronger Ray Tracing score: 33 vs 20
- Stronger compute score: 53 vs 30
- 275% higher 3DMark Time Spy: 13,600 vs 3,625
- 254% higher Shading units: 5,888 vs 1,664
General
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2014 | 2020 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Ampere |
| Process | 28 nm | 8 nm+71% |
| TDP | 145 W+34% | 220 W |
| Power connector | 2x 6-pin | 1x 12-pin |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Shading units | 1,664 | 5,888+254% |
| RT cores | — | 46 |
| Tensor / AI cores | — | 184 |
| Base clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,500 MHz+43% |
| Boost clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,725 MHz+46% |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 4 GB | 8 GB+100% |
| VRAM type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Bus width | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 448 GB/s+100% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,625Bottom 7% | 13,600+275%Top 42% |
| 3DMark Speed Way | — | 3,450Bottom 45% |
| PassMark G3D | 9,635Bottom 13% | 20,200+110%Top 40% |
| 1080p Ultra | — | 119 fpsBottom 50% |
| 1440p Ultra | — | 86 fpsBottom 50% |
| 4K Ultra | — | 45 fpsBottom 50% |
Features
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling | — | DLSS 4 (no FG) |
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