Arc A730M vs GeForce GTX 970

CPU

GPU

Arc A730M

2022Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 2050 MHz

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GeForce GTX 970

2014Core: 1050 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz

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Arc A730M vs GeForce GTX 970 Performance Spectrum

Arc A730M

12 GB 80

9,808

+1.7%

9,640

0.0%

GeForce GTX 670

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)

GeForce GTX Titan

GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design

TITAN V CEO Edition

RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Arc A730M vs GeForce GTX 970 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Arc A730M vs GeForce GTX 970: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Arc A730M

2022

Why buy it

✅83.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 150W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 970

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Arc A730M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌87.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 80W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Arc A730M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 83.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (9,808 vs 9,640), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Arc A730M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 6nm process instead of 28nm, 24 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2014. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 970 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Arc A730M has the stronger long-term case.

Arc A730M vs GeForce GTX 970 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Arc A730M

The Arc A730M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2022. It features the Generation 12.7 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 2050 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,808 points.

GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1050 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1664 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,640 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Arc A730M scores 9,808 and the GeForce GTX 970 reaches 9,640 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Arc A730M is built on Generation 12.7 while the GeForce GTX 970 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (Arc A730M) vs 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970). Raw compute: 12.6 TFLOPS (Arc A730M) vs 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970). Boost clocks: 2050 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
G3D Mark Score	9,808+2%	9,640
Architecture	Generation 12.7	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072+85%	1664
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.6 TFLOPS+221%	3.92 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2050 MHz+74%	1178 MHz
ROPs	96+71%	56
TMUs	192+85%	104
L1 Cache	4.5 MB+638%	0.61 MB
L2 Cache	12 MB+500%	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Arc A730M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Arc A730M has 12 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 970 carries 4 GB. Arc A730M gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (Arc A730M) vs 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) — a 50% advantage for the Arc A730M. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the Arc A730M and 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970. L2 Cache: 12 MB (Arc A730M) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) — the Arc A730M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+50%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	12 MB+500%	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (Arc A730M) vs 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
DirectX	12.2+2%	12 (FL 12_1)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: Xe Media Engine (Arc A730M) vs NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970). Decoder: Xe Media Engine vs PureVideo VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (Arc A730M) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970).

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
Encoder	Xe Media Engine	NVENC 2nd gen
Decoder	Xe Media Engine	PureVideo VP6
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1	H.264,H.265/HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Arc A730M draws 80W versus the GeForce GTX 970's 150W — a 60.9% difference. The Arc A730M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Arc A730M) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 970). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
TDP	80W-47%	150W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	0mm	267mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	122.6+91%	64.3

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Arc A730M (2022 vs 2014).

Feature	Arc A730M	GeForce GTX 970
MSRP	—	$329
Codename	DG2-512	GM204
Release	2022	September 19 2014
Ranking	#264	#269

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