GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon HD 7990

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 Radeon HD 7990 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 Radeon HD 7990: 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

✅Draws 81W instead of 375W, a 294W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 305mm, a 304mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅4.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌363% higher power demand at 375W vs 81W.
❌30400% longer card at 305mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 970M instead at 5,705 vs 5,566, 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?

GeForce GTX 970M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7990 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, Radeon HD 7990 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 970M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon HD 7990 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.

Radeon HD 7990

The Radeon HD 7990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,566 points. Launch price was $999.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970M scores 5,705 and the Radeon HD 7990 reaches 5,566 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 7990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7990). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7990). Boost clocks: 1038 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
G3D Mark Score	5,705+2%	5,566
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	2048 ×2+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+54%
Boost Clock	1038 MHz+4%	1000 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32 ×2
TMUs	80	128 ×2+60%
L1 Cache	480 KB	512 KB+7%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7990 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
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)

Both cards ship with 3 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7990) — a 2301.7% advantage for the Radeon HD 7990. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970M and 384-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 7990. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7990) — the GeForce GTX 970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+140%
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit x2+100%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7990). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
DirectX	12_1	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	0	5

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7990). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs UVD 3.2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Radeon HD 7990's 375W — a 128.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 750W (Radeon HD 7990). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 305mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
TDP	81W-78%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W-53%	750W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	1mm	305mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	70.4+376%	14.8

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 970M (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
MSRP	—	$999
Codename	GM204	Malta
Release	October 7 2014	April 24 2013
Ranking	#408	#412

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