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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

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 46 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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

✅15.0% more average FPS across 46 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).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform 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).

GeForce GTX 970

2014

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅15.0% more average FPS across 46 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).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile across 46 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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile better than GeForce GTX 970?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile averages 15.0% more FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,080 vs 9,640 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 970 is a 2014 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 15.0% more estimated average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data and 4.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 970 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 970 is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 9,640 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 970 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
1080p
low	81 FPS	104 FPS
medium	69 FPS	87 FPS
high	58 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	91 FPS
medium	62 FPS	74 FPS
high	46 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	36 FPS
medium	24 FPS	33 FPS
high	17 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
1080p
low	185 FPS	119 FPS
medium	152 FPS	96 FPS
high	122 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	87 FPS
medium	102 FPS	67 FPS
high	81 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	42 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	52 FPS
medium	50 FPS	41 FPS
high	46 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
1080p
low	405 FPS	454 FPS
medium	347 FPS	363 FPS
high	289 FPS	302 FPS
ultra	217 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	325 FPS	340 FPS
medium	260 FPS	272 FPS
high	217 FPS	227 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	170 FPS
4K
low	210 FPS	227 FPS
medium	174 FPS	181 FPS
high	129 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	113 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile
1080p
low	179 FPS	214 FPS
medium	138 FPS	186 FPS
high	120 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	128 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	169 FPS
medium	107 FPS	149 FPS
high	94 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	95 FPS
medium	59 FPS	75 FPS
high	46 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	48 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile

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 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. 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. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce 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%