GeForce GTX 680M SLI 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 SLI 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 SLI 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 SLI

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

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.
❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅10.5% 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).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

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 10.5% 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 SLI is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

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 SLI has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 680M SLI vs Radeon HD 7970M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 4 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 2688 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. 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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI 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 SLI is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,688 (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	3,569	3,663+3%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2688+110%	1280

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI 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 SLI	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI 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 SLI and System on the Radeon HD 7970M.

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

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) 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 SLI	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%

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Media & Encoding

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

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

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 100W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 680M SLI is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.