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 780 Ti vs GeForce GTX 970 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 780 Ti vs GeForce GTX 970: 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 780 Ti

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
112.5% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 970

2014

Why buy it

✅2.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $370 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 116.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 13.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 970 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (9,640 vs 9,469), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 780 Ti 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?

GeForce GTX 970 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $370 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 116.3% (29.3 vs 13.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 780 Ti has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs GeForce GTX 970 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 7 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 875 MHz to 928 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,469 points. Launch price was $699.

GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1050 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1664 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,640 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 9,469 and the GeForce GTX 970 reaches 9,640 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 970 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,880 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970). Raw compute: 5.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970). Boost clocks: 928 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
G3D Mark Score	9,469	9,640+2%
Architecture	Kepler	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2880+73%	1664
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.345 TFLOPS+36%	3.92 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	928 MHz	1178 MHz+27%
ROPs	48	56+17%
TMUs	240+131%	104
L1 Cache	240 KB	624 KB+160%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 970 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 970 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 780 Ti and 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) — the GeForce GTX 970 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+50%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
DirectX	12	12 (FL 12_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs PureVideo VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	NVENC 2nd gen
Decoder	NVDEC 1st gen	PureVideo VP6
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265/HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce GTX 970's 150W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 970 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 970). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 83°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
TDP	250W	150W-40%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	267mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	83°C	80°C-4%
Perf/Watt	37.9	64.3+70%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti came in at $699, while the GeForce GTX 970 launched at $329. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 970 was 52.9% cheaper ($370 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.5 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) — the GeForce GTX 970 offers 117% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 970 (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 970
MSRP	$699	$329-53%
Performance per Dollar	13.5	29.3+117%
Codename	GK110B	GM204
Release	November 7 2013	September 19 2014
Ranking	#278	#269

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