GeForce GTX 970M vs GTX 1060 6 GB

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB with GeForce GTX 970M, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1060 6 GB
2016
6 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
26.66
+79.5%

GTX 1060 6 GB outperforms GTX 970M by an impressive 80% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking208354
Place by popularity10not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation17.25no data
Power efficiency15.3312.65
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)
GPU code nameGP106GM204
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date19 July 2016 (8 years ago)7 October 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$299 $2,560.89

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1060 6 GB and GTX 970M have a nearly equal value for money.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores12801280
Core clock speed1506 MHz924 MHz
Boost clock speed1709 MHz1038 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Wattunknown
Texture fill rate136.783.04
Floating-point processing power4.375 TFLOPS2.657 TFLOPS
ROPs4848
TMUs8080

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
Bus supportno dataPCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16MXM-B (3.0)
Length250 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pinNone
SLI options-+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount6 GB3 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s120 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortNo outputs
VGA аnalog display supportno data+
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) supportno data+
HDMI++
G-SYNC support++

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream-+
GeForce ShadowPlay-+
GPU Boostno data2.0
GameWorks-+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder-+
Optimus-+
BatteryBoost-+
VR Ready+no data
Anselno data+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.4
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan1.2.1311.1.126
CUDA6.1+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1060 6 GB 26.66
+79.5%
GTX 970M 14.85

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1060 6 GB 10252
+79.5%
GTX 970M 5712

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 1060 6 GB 17401
+76.2%
GTX 970M 9878

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 1060 6 GB 55893
+93.8%
GTX 970M 28845

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 1060 6 GB 12984
+74%
GTX 970M 7463

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 1060 6 GB 77035
+50.3%
GTX 970M 51247

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 1060 6 GB 437988
+59.5%
GTX 970M 274626

Unigine Heaven 3.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark using Unigine, a 3D game engine by eponymous Russian company. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. Version 3.0 was released in 2012, and in 2013 it was superseded by Heaven 4.0, which introduced several slight improvements, including a newer version of Unigine.

GTX 1060 6 GB 9091
+9676%
GTX 970M 93

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

GTX 1060 6 GB 103
+202%
GTX 970M 34

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

GTX 1060 6 GB 46
+119%
GTX 970M 21

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

GTX 1060 6 GB 6
+84.4%
GTX 970M 3

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

GTX 1060 6 GB 51
+113%
GTX 970M 24

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

GTX 1060 6 GB 35
GTX 970M 37
+5.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

GTX 1060 6 GB 32
+188%
GTX 970M 11

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

GTX 1060 6 GB 64
+134%
GTX 970M 28

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01

GTX 1060 6 GB 6
GTX 970M 12
+95%

SPECviewperf 12 - Showcase

GTX 1060 6 GB 64
+134%
GTX 970M 28

SPECviewperf 12 - Maya

This part of SPECviewperf 12 workstation benchmark uses Autodesk Maya 13 engine to render a superhero energy plant static scene consisting of more than 700 thousand polygons, in six different modes.

GTX 1060 6 GB 103
+202%
GTX 970M 34

SPECviewperf 12 - Catia

GTX 1060 6 GB 51
+113%
GTX 970M 24

SPECviewperf 12 - Solidworks

GTX 1060 6 GB 46
+119%
GTX 970M 21

SPECviewperf 12 - Siemens NX

GTX 1060 6 GB 6
+84.4%
GTX 970M 3

SPECviewperf 12 - Creo

GTX 1060 6 GB 35
GTX 970M 37
+5.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - Medical

GTX 1060 6 GB 32
+188%
GTX 970M 11

SPECviewperf 12 - Energy

GTX 1060 6 GB 6
GTX 970M 11.7
+95%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p240−250
+76.5%
136
−76.5%
Full HD90
+60.7%
56
−60.7%
1440p47
+88%
25
−88%
4K32
+45.5%
22
−45.5%

Cost per frame, $

1080p3.32
+1276%
45.73
−1276%
1440p6.36
+1510%
102.44
−1510%
4K9.34
+1146%
116.40
−1146%
  • GTX 1060 6 GB has 1276% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 6 GB has 1510% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • GTX 1060 6 GB has 1146% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 50−55
+92.3%
24−27
−92.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 50−55
+86.2%
27−30
−86.2%
Elden Ring 85−90
+95.6%
45−50
−95.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 75
+63%
46
−63%
Counter-Strike 2 50−55
+92.3%
24−27
−92.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 50−55
+86.2%
27−30
−86.2%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
+96.7%
60−65
−96.7%
Metro Exodus 81
+97.6%
41
−97.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2 100
+178%
35−40
−178%
Valorant 100−110
+81.4%
55−60
−81.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 80
+73.9%
46
−73.9%
Counter-Strike 2 50−55
+92.3%
24−27
−92.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 50−55
+86.2%
27−30
−86.2%
Dota 2 90−95
+176%
33
−176%
Elden Ring 85−90
+95.6%
45−50
−95.6%
Far Cry 5 80−85
+45.5%
55−60
−45.5%
Fortnite 104
+76.3%
59
−76.3%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
+96.7%
60−65
−96.7%
Grand Theft Auto V 90−95
+83.7%
49
−83.7%
Metro Exodus 54
+86.2%
29
−86.2%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 217
+45.6%
149
−45.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30
−20%
35−40
+20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 82
+86.4%
44
−86.4%
Valorant 100−110
+81.4%
55−60
−81.4%
World of Tanks 260−270
+36.8%
190−200
−36.8%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 66
+65%
40
−65%
Counter-Strike 2 50−55
+92.3%
24−27
−92.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 50−55
+86.2%
27−30
−86.2%
Dota 2 90−95
+71.7%
50−55
−71.7%
Far Cry 5 80−85
+45.5%
55−60
−45.5%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
+96.7%
60−65
−96.7%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 65
+71.1%
38
−71.1%
Valorant 100−110
+81.4%
55−60
−81.4%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 45−50
+114%
21−24
−114%
Elden Ring 45−50
+109%
21−24
−109%
Grand Theft Auto V 45−50
+109%
21−24
−109%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+33.6%
130−140
−33.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2 19
+46.2%
12−14
−46.2%
World of Tanks 170−180
+68.3%
100−110
−68.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 46
+70.4%
27
−70.4%
Counter-Strike 2 21−24
+76.9%
12−14
−76.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 21−24
+109%
10−12
−109%
Far Cry 5 75−80
+119%
35−40
−119%
Forza Horizon 4 70−75
+100%
35−40
−100%
Metro Exodus 50
+100%
25
−100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 40−45
+111%
18−20
−111%
Valorant 70−75
+97.3%
35−40
−97.3%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+150%
10−11
−150%
Dota 2 45−50
+42.4%
33
−42.4%
Elden Ring 21−24
+120%
10−11
−120%
Grand Theft Auto V 45−50
+42.4%
33
−42.4%
Metro Exodus 16
+129%
7
−129%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 67
+76.3%
38
−76.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12
+20%
10−11
−20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 45−50
+42.4%
33
−42.4%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 24
+84.6%
13
−84.6%
Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+150%
10−11
−150%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
+125%
4−5
−125%
Dota 2 45−50
+80.8%
24−27
−80.8%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+89.5%
18−20
−89.5%
Fortnite 30
+100%
15
−100%
Forza Horizon 4 40−45
+95.2%
21−24
−95.2%
Valorant 35−40
+125%
16−18
−125%

This is how GTX 1060 6 GB and GTX 970M compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 6 GB is 76% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1060 6 GB is 61% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 6 GB is 88% faster in 1440p
  • GTX 1060 6 GB is 45% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 1060 6 GB is 178% faster.
  • in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 970M is 20% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 6 GB is ahead in 62 tests (98%)
  • GTX 970M is ahead in 1 test (2%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 26.66 14.85
Recency 19 July 2016 7 October 2014
Maximum RAM amount 6 GB 3 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm

GTX 1060 6 GB has a 79.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 75% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 970M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 970M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
GeForce GTX 970M

Other comparisons

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

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