Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE vs GRID P40-3Q

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

2014Core: 924 MHzBoost: 1038 MHz
Similar parts
·
Buy on Amazon
VS

GRID P40-3Q

2013Core: 745 MHz
Similar parts
·
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE vs GRID P40-3Q Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
4 GB 81
6,707
+2.1%
brand logoGeForce MX450
brand logoGeForce MX550
brand logoGeForce GTX 560 Ti 448
brand logoGeForce GTX 770
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080
brand logoGeForce RTX 4060 Ti
GRID P40-3Q
4 GB 225
6,570
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 765M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050 3GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050 Ti (móvel)
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB

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 970XM FORCE vs GRID P40-3Q: 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 970XM FORCE

2014

Why buy it

  • ✅Draws 81W instead of 225W, a 144W reduction.
  • ✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $5,699 MSRP).

GRID P40-3Q

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($5,699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌177.8% higher power demand at 225W vs 81W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (6,707 vs 6,570), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE 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?
GRID P40-3Q 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, GRID P40-3Q is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE vs GRID P40-3Q Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE 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: 6,707 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

NVIDIA

GRID P40-3Q

The GRID P40-3Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 28 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,570 points. Launch price was $469.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE scores 6,707 and the GRID P40-3Q reaches 6,570 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GRID P40-3Q uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 1,536 (GRID P40-3Q). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 2.289 TFLOPS (GRID P40-3Q).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
G3D Mark Score
6,707+2%
6,570
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280
1536+20%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.657 TFLOPS+16%
2.289 TFLOPS
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
80
128+60%
L1 Cache
480 KB+275%
128 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+200%
0.5 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID P40-3Q leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE and 128-bit on the GRID P40-3Q. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 0.5 MB (GRID P40-3Q) — the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+200%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 12 (11_0) (GRID P40-3Q). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs Tesla NVENC x24 (GRID P40-3Q). Decoder: 1st Gen NVDEC vs Tesla NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs H.264,HEVC (GRID P40-3Q).

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
Encoder
5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell)
Tesla NVENC x24
Decoder
1st Gen NVDEC
Tesla NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE draws 81W versus the GRID P40-3Q's 225W — a 94.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 350W (GRID P40-3Q). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
TDP
81W-64%
225W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
267mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
82.8+184%
29.2
💰

Value Analysis

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

FeatureGeForce GTX 970XM FORCEGRID P40-3Q
MSRP
—
$5699
Codename
GM204
GK104
Release
October 7 2014
June 28 2013
Ranking
#408
#628
Search GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE on AmazonSearch GRID P40-3Q on Amazon

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.