GeForce GTX 970M vs Quadro M3000M

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 970M vs Quadro M3000M 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 970M vs Quadro M3000M: 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 970M

2014

Why buy it

✅11.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quadro M3000M

2015

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 970M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 11.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.4% in PassMark G3D (5,705 vs 5,574), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 970M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 970M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 970M vs Quadro M3000M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 970M

The GeForce GTX 970M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 924 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 81W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,705 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

Quadro M3000M

The Quadro M3000M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 1,024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,574 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970M scores 5,705 and the Quadro M3000M reaches 5,574 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro M3000M uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 1 (Quadro M3000M). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 2.15 TFLOPS (Quadro M3000M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Quadro M3000M
G3D Mark Score	5,705+2%	5,574
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+25%	1,024
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS+24%	2.15 TFLOPS
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80+25%	64
L1 Cache	480 KB+25%	384 KB
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro M3000M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Quadro M3000M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 970M has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M3000M carries 4 GB. Quadro M3000M gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970M and 128-bit on the Quadro M3000M. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 2 MB (Quadro M3000M) — the Quadro M3000M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Quadro M3000M
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M3000M). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Quadro M3000M
DirectX	12_1	12 (12_1)
Max Displays	0	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 3rd Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M3000M). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs PureVideo HD VP6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Quadro M3000M
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen	3rd Gen NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	—	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Quadro M3000M's 75W — a 7.7% difference. The Quadro M3000M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 350W (Quadro M3000M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.