GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 6970

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.

GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 6970 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.

GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 6970: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce GTX 560

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $369 MSRP).
✅Delivers 81.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.9 vs 7.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $369 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 6970

2010

Why buy it

✅0.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
85.4% HIGHER MSRP
$369 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.7 vs 13.9 G3D/$ ($369 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6970 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (2,831 vs 2,768), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 560 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2011 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 560 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $369, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 81.3% (13.9 vs 7.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 6970 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 6970 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 560

The GeForce GTX 560 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 810 MHz. It has 336 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,768 points. Launch price was $199.

Radeon HD 6970

The Radeon HD 6970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,831 points. Launch price was $369.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 560 scores 2,768 and the Radeon HD 6970 reaches 2,831 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 560 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Radeon HD 6970 uses TeraScale 3, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 336 (GeForce GTX 560) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6970). Raw compute: 1.089 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 560) vs 2.703 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970).

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
G3D Mark Score	2,768	2,831+2%
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	TeraScale 3
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	336	1536+357%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.089 TFLOPS	2.703 TFLOPS+148%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	56	96+71%
L1 Cache	448 KB+133%	192 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 560 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6970 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 560 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6970 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 6970 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 560 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6970.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 560) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6970).

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
Encoder	—	None
Decoder	—	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 560 draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 6970's 250W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 560 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 560) vs 550W (Radeon HD 6970). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
TDP	150W-40%	250W
Recommended PSU	500W-9%	550W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	—	286mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	90
Perf/Watt	18.5+64%	11.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 560 came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 6970 launched at $369. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 560 was 46.1% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.9 (GeForce GTX 560) vs 7.7 (Radeon HD 6970) — the GeForce GTX 560 offers 80.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 560 (2011 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 6970
MSRP	$199-46%	$369
Performance per Dollar	13.9+81%	7.7
Codename	GF114	Cayman
Release	May 17 2011	December 14 2010
Ranking	#605	#596

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