GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE vs Radeon R9 285

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 Radeon R9 285 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 970XM FORCE vs Radeon R9 285: 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 190W, a 109W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 285 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 26.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌20.8% longer card at 267mm vs 221mm.

Radeon R9 285

2014

Why buy it

✅1.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Measures 221mm instead of 267mm, a 46mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌134.6% higher power demand at 190W vs 81W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 285 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE instead at 6,707 vs 6,680, 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 970XM FORCE 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?

Radeon R9 285 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 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 Radeon R9 285 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R9 285

The Radeon R9 285 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: 6,680 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE scores 6,707 and the Radeon R9 285 reaches 6,680 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 285 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 285). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 3.29 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 285).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
G3D Mark Score	6,707	6,680
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 970XM FORCE gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 285 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 176 GB/s (Radeon R9 285) — a 46.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 285. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 285. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 285) — the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 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 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 285). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12.0
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 285). Decoder: 1st Gen NVDEC vs UVD 5.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Radeon R9 285).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
Encoder	5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell)	VCE 3.0
Decoder	1st Gen NVDEC	UVD 5.0
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2	MPEG-2,H.264

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE draws 81W versus the Radeon R9 285's 190W — a 80.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 500W (Radeon R9 285). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 221mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 65°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	Radeon R9 285
TDP	81W-57%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	267mm	221mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	65°C-13%
Perf/Watt	82.8+135%	35.2