GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon RX 5500M

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 RX 5500M 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 RX 5500M: 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

✅5.7% 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.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2014 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 970M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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 5.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5500M instead at 5,954 vs 5,705, 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?

Radeon RX 5500M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 970M is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 5500M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 970M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon RX 5500M 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 RX 5500M

The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970M scores 5,705 and the Radeon RX 5500M reaches 5,954 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 1038 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon RX 5500M
G3D Mark Score	5,705	5,954+4%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1280	1408+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	4.632 TFLOPS+74%
Boost Clock	1038 MHz	1645 MHz+58%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80	88+10%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5500M is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 970M does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 970M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 5500M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon RX 5500M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
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 RX 5500M carries 4 GB. Radeon RX 5500M gives you 33.3% 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 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500M) — a 86.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970M and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 5500M. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500M) — the Radeon RX 5500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon RX 5500M
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	224 GB/s+87%
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5500M). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon RX 5500M
DirectX	12_1	12
Max Displays	0	3

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs VCN 2.0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon RX 5500M
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	VCN 2.0
Codecs	—	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 4.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.