GeForce GTX 770 vs GeForce GTX 970M

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 770

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌184% higher power demand at 230W vs 81W.
❌26600% longer card at 267mm vs 1mm.

GeForce GTX 970M

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 230W, a 149W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 267mm, a 266mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 14.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 770

2013

GeForce GTX 970M

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 230W, a 149W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 267mm, a 266mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌184% higher power demand at 230W vs 81W.
❌26600% longer card at 267mm vs 1mm.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 14.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 770 better than GeForce GTX 970M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,961 vs 5,705 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 770 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

GeForce GTX 770 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce GTX 770 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $399 MSRP. GeForce GTX 770 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 770 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $399 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 4.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 970M is the newer 2014 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and lower power draw (81W vs 230W) than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 970M make more sense than GeForce GTX 770?

Yes. GeForce GTX 970M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (81W vs 230W), and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 770. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 770 currently gives you 4.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 770 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
1080p
low	102 FPS	99 FPS
medium	88 FPS	80 FPS
high	71 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	82 FPS
medium	78 FPS	68 FPS
high	55 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	27 FPS
medium	26 FPS	25 FPS
high	18 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 770 Open GeForce GTX 970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
1080p
low	154 FPS	166 FPS
medium	115 FPS	135 FPS
high	90 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	74 FPS
1440p
low	85 FPS	113 FPS
medium	59 FPS	86 FPS
high	43 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	29 FPS	48 FPS
medium	20 FPS	39 FPS
high	16 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 770 Open GeForce GTX 970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
1080p
low	268 FPS	257 FPS
medium	215 FPS	205 FPS
high	179 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	128 FPS
1440p
low	201 FPS	193 FPS
medium	161 FPS	154 FPS
high	134 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	134 FPS	128 FPS
medium	107 FPS	103 FPS
high	89 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	64 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 770 Open GeForce GTX 970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
1080p
low	182 FPS	166 FPS
medium	139 FPS	136 FPS
high	124 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	139 FPS	116 FPS
medium	107 FPS	97 FPS
high	96 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	67 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	69 FPS
medium	60 FPS	54 FPS
high	49 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 770 Open GeForce GTX 970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 770 and GeForce GTX 970M

GeForce GTX 770

The GeForce GTX 770 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 30 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1046 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,961 points. Launch price was $399.

GeForce GTX 970M

The GeForce GTX 970M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 924 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 81W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,705 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 770 scores 5,961 and the GeForce GTX 970M reaches 5,705 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 770 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 970M uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M). Raw compute: 3.333 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 770) vs 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M). Boost clocks: 1085 MHz vs 1038 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
G3D Mark Score	5,961+4%	5,705
Architecture	Kepler	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+20%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.333 TFLOPS+25%	2.657 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1085 MHz+5%	1038 MHz
ROPs	32	48+50%
TMUs	128+60%	80
L1 Cache	128 KB	480 KB+275%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1.5 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 770 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 970M has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 770 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 770) vs 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970M) — a 86.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 770. Bus width: 256-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 770) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) — the GeForce GTX 970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+87%	120 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+33%	192-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1.5 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
DirectX	12.0	12_1
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 770) vs NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs NVDEC 2nd Gen.

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	NVENC 5th Gen
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	NVDEC 2nd Gen
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 770 draws 230W versus the GeForce GTX 970M's 81W — a 95.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 770) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 970M). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 770	GeForce GTX 970M
TDP	230W	81W-65%
Recommended PSU	600W	350W-42%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	25.9	70.4+172%