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 1650 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 1650: 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

✅5.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
120.8% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 29.3 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.
❌16.6% longer card at 267mm vs 229mm.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 80.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅GeForce GTX 970 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1650 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 267mm, a 38mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

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 5.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 22.5% in PassMark G3D (9,640 vs 7,869), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1650 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $180 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $329, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 80.2% (52.8 vs 29.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GTX 970 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce GTX 1650 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 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 7,869 — the GeForce GTX 970 leads by 22.5%. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	9,640+23%	7,869
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1664+86%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS+31%	2.984 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1665 MHz+41%
ROPs	56+75%	32
TMUs	104+86%	56
L1 Cache	624 KB	896 KB+44%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) — a 75% advantage for the GeForce GTX 970. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1650. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 970 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+75%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1650). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs NVDEC 4th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	NVDEC 4th gen
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 66.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 267mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
TDP	150W	75W-50%
Recommended PSU	500W	300W-40%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	None
Length	267mm	229mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	70°C-13%
Perf/Watt	64.3	104.9+63%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 970 came in at $329, while the GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1650 was 54.7% cheaper ($180 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 80.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1650 (2019 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1650
MSRP	$329	$149-55%
Performance per Dollar	29.3	52.8+80%
Codename	GM204	TU117
Release	September 19 2014	April 23 2019
Ranking	#269	#323

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