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GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 970

2014Core: 1050 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

2021Core: 712 MHzBoost: 1057 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 970
4 GB 150
9,640
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 670
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce GTX Titan
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
brand logoTITAN V CEO Edition
brand logoRTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
8 GB 75
10,080
+4.6%
brand logoGeForce GTX 680
brand logoGeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce GTX TITAN Z
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

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 970 vs GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile 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

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low81 FPS
medium69 FPS
high58 FPS
ultra38 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low104 FPS
medium87 FPS
high72 FPS
ultra48 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low185 FPS
medium152 FPS
high122 FPS
ultra92 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low119 FPS
medium96 FPS
high75 FPS
ultra57 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low405 FPS
medium347 FPS
high289 FPS
ultra217 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low454 FPS
medium363 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra227 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low179 FPS
medium138 FPS
high120 FPS
ultra103 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low214 FPS
medium186 FPS
high150 FPS
ultra128 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low145 FPS
medium127 FPS
high103 FPS
ultra81 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low139 FPS
medium123 FPS
high106 FPS
ultra81 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low82 FPS
medium64 FPS
high53 FPS
ultra37 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low74 FPS
medium57 FPS
high48 FPS
ultra34 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low66 FPS
medium46 FPS
high38 FPS
ultra28 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low94 FPS
medium81 FPS
high65 FPS
ultra50 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low79 FPS
medium62 FPS
high53 FPS
ultra44 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low82 FPS
medium65 FPS
high50 FPS
ultra35 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low73 FPS
medium56 FPS
high45 FPS
ultra34 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
low97 FPS
medium74 FPS
high57 FPS
ultra50 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile: 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 RTX 3050 Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

  • ✅14.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌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 RTX 3050 Mobile is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.6% in PassMark G3D (10,080 vs 9,640), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
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. 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 RTX 3050 Mobile has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 11 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 712 MHz to 1057 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,080 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile reaches 10,080 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 2,048 (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 4.329 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1057 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
G3D Mark Score
9,640
10,080+5%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1664
2048+23%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.92 TFLOPS
4.329 TFLOPS+10%
Boost Clock
1178 MHz+11%
1057 MHz
ROPs
56+40%
40
TMUs
104+63%
64
L1 Cache
0.61 MB
2 MB+228%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 970 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
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 970 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile 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 192 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile) — a 16.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 970. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
8 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
224 GB/s+17%
192 GB/s
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
DirectX
12 (FL 12_1)
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
Encoder
NVENC 2nd gen
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
PureVideo VP6
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile's 75W — a 66.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
TDP
150W
75W-50%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
Mobile
Length
267mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
64.3
134.4+109%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
MSRP
$329
—
Codename
GM204
GA107
Release
September 19 2014
May 11 2021
Ranking
#269
#290
Search GeForce GTX 970 on AmazonSearch GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile on Amazon

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