GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition vs Radeon HD 7970M

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 680M KY_Bullet Edition vs Radeon HD 7970M 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 680M KY_Bullet Edition vs Radeon HD 7970M: 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 680M KY_Bullet Edition

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌22% higher power demand at 122W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅10.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 100W instead of 122W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (3,663 vs 3,569), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7970M 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, Radeon HD 7970M is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition vs Radeon HD 7970M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition

The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 8 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 771 MHz to 797 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 122W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,569 points.

Radeon HD 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition scores 3,569 and the Radeon HD 7970M reaches 3,663 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M). Raw compute: 2.448 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	3,569	3,663+3%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+20%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.448 TFLOPS+12%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+60%	80
L1 Cache	128 KB	320 KB+150%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7970M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition	Radeon HD 7970M
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M carries 4 GB. Radeon HD 7970M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition and System on the Radeon HD 7970M.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	256-bit	System
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition	Radeon HD 7970M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP5) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition	Radeon HD 7970M
Encoder	NVENC	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP5)	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition draws 122W versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 100W — a 19.8% difference. The Radeon HD 7970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 680M KY_Bullet Edition) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.