GeForce GTX 950
GeForce RTX 3070
GeForce GTX 950 vs GeForce RTX 3070 Performance Spectrum
About G3D Mark
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 950 vs GeForce RTX 3070 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 950 vs GeForce RTX 3070: 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 950
2015Why buy it
- ✅Costs $340 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 90W instead of 220W, a 130W reduction.
- ✅Measures 202mm instead of 242mm, a 40mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
- ❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.7 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
GeForce RTX 3070
2020Why buy it
- ✅330.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 31.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌144.4% higher power demand at 220W vs 90W.
- ❌19.8% longer card at 242mm vs 202mm.
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GeForce GTX 950 vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 950
The GeForce GTX 950 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,357 points. Launch price was $159.
GeForce RTX 3070
The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 950 scores 5,357 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 313.9%. The GeForce GTX 950 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1188 MHz vs 1725 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 5,357 | 22,172+314% |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Ampere |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Shading Units | 768 | 5888+667% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.825 TFLOPS | 20.31 TFLOPS+1013% |
| Boost Clock | 1188 MHz | 1725 MHz+45% |
| ROPs | 32 | 96+200% |
| TMUs | 48 | 184+283% |
| L1 Cache | 0.28 MB | 5.8 MB+1971% |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 4 MB+300% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 950 is capped at Upscaling support.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | DLSS 2 Super Resolution |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | NVIDIA Reflex |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 950 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 106 GB/s (GeForce GTX 950) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) — a 322.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 950 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 950) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 8 GB+300% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 106 GB/s | 448 GB/s+323% |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 256-bit+100% |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 4 MB+300% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12_1 | 12 Ultimate |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 950) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 950) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 2nd Gen | NVENC 7th gen |
| Decoder | NVDEC 2nd Gen | NVDEC 5th gen |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265 | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 950 draws 90W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 83.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 202mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 90W-59% | 220W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W-46% | 650W |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | 8-pin |
| Length | 202mm | 242mm |
| Height | — | 112mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 59.5 | 100.8+69% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 950 came in at $159, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 950 was 68.1% cheaper ($340 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.7 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 31.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2015).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 950 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $159-68% | $499 |
| Performance per Dollar | 33.7 | 44.4+32% |
| Codename | GM206 | GA104 |
| Release | August 20 2015 | September 1 2020 |
| Ranking | #425 | #63 |
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