GeForce GTX 970
Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT
GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT Performance Spectrum
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 Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT 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
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT: 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
2014Why buy it
- ✅43.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs Unknown).
Trade-offs
- ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌900% higher power demand at 150W vs 15W.
Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT
2020Why buy it
- ✅Draws 15W instead of 150W, a 135W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: Vega (2017−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2020 hardware with Unknown of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT 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.
Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT
The Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2020. It features the Vega architecture. The boost clock speed is 2100 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,558 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT reaches 9,558 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT uses Vega, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 512 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 2100 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 9,640 | 9,558 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Vega |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 1664+225% | 512 |
| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | 2100 MHz+78% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 970 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 970 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT carries 0 MB. GeForce GTX 970 gives you 100+% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and System on the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | Shared System RAM |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | System |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (FL 12_1) | 12.1 |
| 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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 2nd gen | VCN 2.0 |
| Decoder | PureVideo VP6 | VCN 2.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT's 15W — a 163.6% difference. The Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1W (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W | 15W-90% |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 1W-100% |
| Power Connector | 2x 6-pin | Integrated |
| Length | 267mm | 0mm |
| Height | 111mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C | — |
| Perf/Watt | 64.3 | 637.2+891% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 970 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT was 100+% cheaper ($329 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) vs Infinity (Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT) — the Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT (2020 vs 2014).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX Vega Ryzen 5 5600GT |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $0-100% |
| Performance per Dollar | 29.3 | Infinity |
| Codename | GM204 | Vega |
| Release | September 19 2014 | January 7 2020 |
| Ranking | #269 | #545 |
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