GeForce GTX 970 vs RTX A2000 Mobile

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 970

2014Core: 1050 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
Similar parts
····
VS
NVIDIA

RTX A2000 Mobile

2021Core: 1215 MHzBoost: 1687 MHz
Similar parts
····

GeForce GTX 970 vs RTX A2000 Mobile 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 RTX A2000 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.

GeForce GTX 970 vs RTX A2000 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 RTX A2000 Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 57.9% higher power demand at 150W vs 95W.

RTX A2000 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

  • 8.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 95W instead of 150W, a 55W 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?
RTX A2000 Mobile is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 8.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 970 instead at 9,640 vs 9,506, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX A2000 Mobile is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 20 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
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, RTX A2000 Mobile has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 970 vs RTX A2000 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

RTX A2000 Mobile

The RTX A2000 Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1215 MHz to 1687 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 95W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,506 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the RTX A2000 Mobile reaches 9,506 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the RTX A2000 Mobile uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 2,560 (RTX A2000 Mobile). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 8.637 TFLOPS (RTX A2000 Mobile). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1687 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 Mobile
G3D Mark Score
9,640+1%
9,506
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1664
2560+54%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.92 TFLOPS
8.637 TFLOPS+120%
Boost Clock
1178 MHz
1687 MHz+43%
ROPs
56+17%
48
TMUs
104+30%
80
L1 Cache
0.61 MB
2.5 MB+310%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 Mobile
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 970 and 128-bit on the RTX A2000 Mobile.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 Mobile
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
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 (RTX A2000 Mobile). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 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 (RTX A2000 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) (RTX A2000 Mobile).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 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 RTX A2000 Mobile's 95W — a 44.9% difference. The RTX A2000 Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 500W (RTX A2000 Mobile). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 Mobile
TDP
150W
95W-37%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
64.3
100.1+56%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is RTX A2000 Mobile (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970RTX A2000 Mobile
MSRP
$329
Codename
GM204
GA107
Release
September 19 2014
April 12 2021
Ranking
#269
#273

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.