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 970 vs GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design 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 970 vs GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design: 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 970

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌30.4% higher power demand at 150W vs 115W.

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

✅31.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 115W instead of 150W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 31.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (9,842 vs 9,640), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 970 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

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.

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1215 MHz to 1379 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,842 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design reaches 9,842 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 2,048 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 5.648 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1379 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	9,640	9,842+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	1664	2048+23%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS	5.648 TFLOPS+44%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1379 MHz+17%
ROPs	56	64+14%
TMUs	104	128+23%
L1 Cache	624 KB	768 KB+23%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
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 970 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design carries 8 GB. GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design) — a 14.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	256 GB/s+14%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6+2%	4.5
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	NVENC 4.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design's 115W — a 26.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
TDP	150W	115W-23%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C-6%	85°C
Perf/Watt	64.3	85.6+33%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design (2017 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
MSRP	$329	—
Codename	GM204	GP104
Release	September 19 2014	June 27 2017
Ranking	#269	#358

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