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GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 4070

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 970

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

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 4070 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 4070
12 GB 200
26,919
+179.2%
brand logoRTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 SLI
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060
brand logoRTX 5000 Ada Generation Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 5070
brand logoGeForce RTX 4090 D
brand logoGeForce RTX 5070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

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 4070 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 4070
low183 FPS
medium167 FPS
high151 FPS
ultra131 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low185 FPS
medium152 FPS
high122 FPS
ultra92 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low544 FPS
medium454 FPS
high353 FPS
ultra299 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low405 FPS
medium347 FPS
high289 FPS
ultra217 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low884 FPS
medium713 FPS
high643 FPS
ultra569 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low179 FPS
medium138 FPS
high120 FPS
ultra103 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low751 FPS
medium612 FPS
high536 FPS
ultra497 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
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 4070
low300 FPS
medium300 FPS
high300 FPS
ultra282 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low82 FPS
medium64 FPS
high53 FPS
ultra37 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low232 FPS
medium180 FPS
high154 FPS
ultra126 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low66 FPS
medium46 FPS
high38 FPS
ultra28 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low175 FPS
medium148 FPS
high128 FPS
ultra103 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 4070
low219 FPS
medium198 FPS
high163 FPS
ultra144 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 970
low73 FPS
medium56 FPS
high45 FPS
ultra34 FPS
1080P
GeForce RTX 4070
low224 FPS
medium214 FPS
high187 FPS
ultra173 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 4070: 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

  • ✅Costs $270 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 267mm instead of 304mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 29.3 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • ✅161.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Delivers 53.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • ✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.
  • ❌13.9% longer card at 304mm vs 267mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 161.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 179.2% in PassMark G3D (26,919 vs 9,640), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) and DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 970 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, and 46 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 RTX 4070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $270 more expensive on MSRP at $599 vs $329, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 53.4% (44.9 vs 29.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 970 vs GeForce RTX 4070 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 4070

The GeForce RTX 4070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1920 MHz to 2475 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,919 points. Launch price was $599.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 26,919 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 179.2%. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 2475 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
G3D Mark Score
9,640
26,919+179%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1664
5888+254%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.92 TFLOPS
29.15 TFLOPS+644%
Boost Clock
1178 MHz
2475 MHz+110%
ROPs
56
64+14%
TMUs
104
184+77%
L1 Cache
0.61 MB
5.8 MB+851%
L2 Cache
2 MB
36 MB+1700%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4070 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 970 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 970 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 970 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4070 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 4070 gives you 200% 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 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070) — a 125% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 4070. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) vs 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
12 GB+200%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
224 GB/s
504 GB/s+125%
Bus Width
256-bit+33%
192-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
36 MB+1700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
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 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070). 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 (GeForce RTX 4070).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
Encoder
NVENC 2nd gen
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
PureVideo VP6
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 970 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4070). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 304mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
TDP
150W-25%
200W
Recommended PSU
500W-23%
650W
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
267mm
304mm
Height
111mm
137mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
64.3
134.6+109%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 970 came in at $329, while the GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 970 was 45.1% cheaper ($270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 53.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4070 (2023 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970GeForce RTX 4070
MSRP
$329-45%
$599
Performance per Dollar
29.3
44.9+53%
Codename
GM204
AD104
Release
September 19 2014
April 12 2023
Ranking
#269
#32
Search GeForce GTX 970 on AmazonSearch GeForce RTX 4070 on Amazon

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