GeForce GTX 680MX 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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 680MX

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌22% higher power demand at 122W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 122W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce GTX 680MX

2012

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 122W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌22% higher power demand at 122W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 680MX better than Radeon HD 7970M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,799 vs 3,663 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 680MX is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 680MX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 680MX can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around Unknown MSRP. GeForce GTX 680MX is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 680MX is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 3.7% higher G3D Mark. Moving to an unclear MSRP gets you and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is Radeon HD 7970M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below an unclear MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 680MX is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 680MX Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	78 FPS	81 FPS
medium	67 FPS	69 FPS
high	53 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	36 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	71 FPS
medium	60 FPS	61 FPS
high	43 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	25 FPS
medium	24 FPS	24 FPS
high	16 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680MX Open Radeon HD 7970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	64 FPS	142 FPS
medium	42 FPS	106 FPS
high	31 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	50 FPS
1440p
low	37 FPS	97 FPS
medium	21 FPS	68 FPS
high	15 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	13 FPS	49 FPS
medium	8 FPS	36 FPS
high	6 FPS	28 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680MX Open Radeon HD 7970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	171 FPS	165 FPS
medium	137 FPS	132 FPS
high	114 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	128 FPS	124 FPS
medium	103 FPS	99 FPS
high	85 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	82 FPS
medium	68 FPS	66 FPS
high	57 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	41 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680MX Open Radeon HD 7970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	128 FPS	144 FPS
medium	103 FPS	114 FPS
high	88 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	104 FPS
medium	80 FPS	85 FPS
high	69 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	61 FPS
medium	44 FPS	46 FPS
high	35 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680MX Open Radeon HD 7970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680MX and Radeon HD 7970M

GeForce GTX 680MX

The GeForce GTX 680MX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 23 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 122W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,799 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 680MX scores 3,799 and the Radeon HD 7970M reaches 3,663 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680MX 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 680MX) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	3,799+4%	3,663
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+20%	1280

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680MX gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7970M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680MX	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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs System.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680MX	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s	System
Bus Width	256-bit	System

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 680MX) 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 680MX	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 (Kepler) (GeForce GTX 680MX) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: NVDEC (Kepler) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-1,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 680MX) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

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

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680MX 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 680MX) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 85°C.