GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon R9 285 / 380

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 R9 285 / 380 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 R9 285 / 380: 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

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 81W instead of 190W, a 109W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 221mm, a 220mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 285 / 380 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 27.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Radeon R9 285 / 380

2014

Why buy it

✅1.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 27.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌134.6% higher power demand at 190W vs 81W.
❌22000% longer card at 221mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 285 / 380 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 970M instead at 5,705 vs 5,550, 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: 3 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 285 / 380 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 R9 285 / 380 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 R9 285 / 380 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 R9 285 / 380

The Radeon R9 285 / 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 2 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 918 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,550 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970M scores 5,705 and the Radeon R9 285 / 380 reaches 5,550 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 285 / 380 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 285 / 380). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 3.29 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 285 / 380).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 285 / 380
G3D Mark Score	5,705+3%	5,550
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	1792+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	3.29 TFLOPS+24%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80	112+40%
L1 Cache	480 KB+7%	448 KB
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+200%	0.5 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 R9 285 / 380 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 285 / 380
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 970M has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 285 / 380 carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 970M gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 176 GB/s (Radeon R9 285 / 380) — a 46.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 285 / 380. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970M and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 285 / 380. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 285 / 380) — the GeForce GTX 970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 285 / 380
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+50%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	176 GB/s+47%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+200%	0.5 MB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 12 (Radeon R9 285 / 380). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 285 / 380
DirectX	12_1	12
Max Displays	0	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 285 / 380). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs UVD 5.0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 285 / 380
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen	VCE 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	UVD 5.0
Codecs	—	H.264,HEVC,VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Radeon R9 285 / 380's 190W — a 80.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 500W (Radeon R9 285 / 380). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 221mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.