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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+505.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅+505.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon HD 7970M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 3,663 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 7970M is a 2012 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2012, 505.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $499 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 505.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 7970M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3070 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	158 FPS	81 FPS
medium	140 FPS	69 FPS
high	123 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	36 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	71 FPS
medium	109 FPS	61 FPS
high	96 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	25 FPS
medium	67 FPS	24 FPS
high	52 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	470 FPS	142 FPS
medium	405 FPS	106 FPS
high	327 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	50 FPS
1440p
low	294 FPS	97 FPS
medium	246 FPS	68 FPS
high	213 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	141 FPS	49 FPS
medium	120 FPS	36 FPS
high	105 FPS	28 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	885 FPS	165 FPS
medium	712 FPS	132 FPS
high	619 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	499 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	692 FPS	124 FPS
medium	557 FPS	99 FPS
high	473 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	374 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	82 FPS
medium	388 FPS	66 FPS
high	330 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	41 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 7970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	600 FPS	144 FPS
medium	527 FPS	114 FPS
high	433 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	489 FPS	104 FPS
medium	433 FPS	85 FPS
high	339 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	297 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	292 FPS	61 FPS
medium	270 FPS	46 FPS
high	238 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon HD 7970M

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon HD 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 3,663 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 505.3%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	22,172+505%	3,663
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	5888+360%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS+833%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	96+200%	32
TMUs	184+130%	80
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+1771%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7970M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970M has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7970M) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	System
Bus Width	256-bit	System
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 100W — a 75% difference. The Radeon HD 7970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon HD 7970M
TDP	220W	100W-55%
Recommended PSU	650W	350W-46%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75°C-12%	85°C
Perf/Watt	100.8+175%	36.6