970 vs 1070 Max-Q

#ad
Buy
VS
#ad
Buy

Combined performance score

GTX 1070 Max-Q
17.93

970 outperforms 1070 Max-Q by 39% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking283198
Place by popularitynot in top-10082
Value for money5.9922.79
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Maxwell (2014−2018)
GPU code nameN17E-G2 Max-QGM204
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date30 May 2017 (6 years old)19 September 2014 (9 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$329
Current price$1244 $105 (0.3x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 970 has 280% better value for money than GTX 1070 Max-Q.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores20481664
CUDA coresno data1664
Core clock speed1101 - 1215 MHz1050 MHz
Boost clock speed1265 - 1379 MHz1178 MHz
Number of transistors7,200 million5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)115 Watt145 Watt
Maximum GPU temperatureno data98 °C
Texture fill rate176.5109 billion/sec
Floating-point performance5,648 gflops3,920 gflops

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q and GeForce GTX 970 compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop sizelargeno data
Bus supportno dataPCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data10.5" (26.7 cm)
Heightno data4.376" (11.1 cm)
Widthno data2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)no data500 Watt
Supplementary power connectorsNone2x 6-pins
SLI optionsno data+

Memory

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 amount8 GB4 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed8000 MHz7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth256.3 GB/s224 GB/s
Shared memory--

Video outputs and ports

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 ConnectorsNo outputsDual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2
Multi monitor supportno data4 displays
HDMIno data+
HDCPno data+
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
G-SYNC support++
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

Technologies

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

GameStreamno data+
GeForce ShadowPlayno data+
GPU Boostno data2.0
GameWorksno data+
VR Ready+no data

API support

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.4
OpenGL4.64.4
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan1.2.1311.1.126
CUDA6.1+

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance 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 1070 Max-Q 17.93
GTX 970 24.89
+38.8%

970 outperforms 1070 Max-Q by 39% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 6950
GTX 970 9645
+38.8%

970 outperforms 1070 Max-Q by 39% in Passmark.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 44090
+4.3%
GTX 970 42263

1070 Max-Q outperforms 970 by 4% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 18688
+16.6%
GTX 970 16033

1070 Max-Q outperforms 970 by 17% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 14679
+22.8%
GTX 970 11954

1070 Max-Q outperforms 970 by 23% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 99552
+36.7%
GTX 970 72819

1070 Max-Q outperforms 970 by 37% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 8%

GTX 1070 Max-Q 334256
GTX 970 422295
+26.3%

970 outperforms 1070 Max-Q by 26% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU.

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:

Full HD95
+15.9%
82
−15.9%
1440p35−40
−54.3%
54
+54.3%
4K41
+7.9%
38
−7.9%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
−46.4%
40−45
+46.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 62
+26.5%
45−50
−26.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%
Battlefield 5 81
+0%
80−85
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 45−50
−43.5%
65−70
+43.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
−46.4%
40−45
+46.4%
Far Cry 5 81
+24.6%
65−70
−24.6%
Far Cry New Dawn 45−50
−34.7%
65−70
+34.7%
Forza Horizon 4 101
+21.7%
80−85
−21.7%
Hitman 3 50−55
−47.1%
75−80
+47.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
−39.5%
50−55
+39.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
−33.3%
40−45
+33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 72
+30.9%
55−60
−30.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 57
+16.3%
45−50
−16.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%
Battlefield 5 81
+0%
80−85
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 45−50
−43.5%
65−70
+43.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
−46.4%
40−45
+46.4%
Far Cry 5 78
+20%
65−70
−20%
Far Cry New Dawn 45−50
−34.7%
65−70
+34.7%
Forza Horizon 4 97
+16.9%
80−85
−16.9%
Hitman 3 50−55
−47.1%
75−80
+47.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
−39.5%
50−55
+39.5%
Metro Exodus 27−30
−39.3%
39
+39.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
−33.3%
40−45
+33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 63
+14.5%
55−60
−14.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 95
+17.3%
81
−17.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 42
−16.7%
45−50
+16.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%
Battlefield 5 75
+56.3%
48
−56.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
−46.4%
40−45
+46.4%
Far Cry 5 75
+15.4%
65−70
−15.4%
Far Cry New Dawn 45−50
−34.7%
65−70
+34.7%
Forza Horizon 4 79
−5.1%
80−85
+5.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 51
+18.6%
43
−18.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 27−30
−40.7%
35−40
+40.7%
Hitman 3 27−30
−44.8%
40−45
+44.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 24−27
−37.5%
30−35
+37.5%
Metro Exodus 16−18
−41.2%
24
+41.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
−46.2%
18−20
+46.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 21−24
−43.5%
30−35
+43.5%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
−42.1%
27−30
+42.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
−56.3%
24−27
+56.3%
Battlefield 5 35−40
−43.6%
55−60
+43.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 10−11
−60%
16−18
+60%
Far Cry 5 30−33
−43.3%
40−45
+43.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
−41.7%
50−55
+41.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
−57.9%
30−33
+57.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
−58.3%
18−20
+58.3%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
−46.2%
18−20
+46.2%
Hitman 3 16−18
−35.3%
21−24
+35.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%
Metro Exodus 10−11
−30%
13
+30%
Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−30%
12−14
+30%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 20
+17.6%
16−18
−17.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 32
+10.3%
29
−10.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21
+31.3%
16−18
−31.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 9−10
−55.6%
14−16
+55.6%
Battlefield 5 20−22
+0%
20
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−100%
6−7
+100%
Far Cry 5 27
+28.6%
21−24
−28.6%
Far Cry New Dawn 16−18
−41.2%
24−27
+41.2%
Forza Horizon 4 43
+22.9%
35−40
−22.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 7−8
−57.1%
10−12
+57.1%

This is how GTX 1070 Max-Q and GTX 970 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 1070 Max-Q is 15.9% faster than GTX 970

1440p resolution:

  • GTX 970 is 54.3% faster than GTX 1070 Max-Q

4K resolution:

  • GTX 1070 Max-Q is 7.9% faster than GTX 970

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

  • in Battlefield 5, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1070 Max-Q is 56.3% faster than the GTX 970.
  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 970 is 100% faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 1070 Max-Q is ahead in 17 tests (25%)
  • GTX 970 is ahead in 48 tests (71%)
  • there's a draw in 3 tests (4%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 17.93 24.89
Recency 30 May 2017 19 September 2014
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 4 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 115 Watt 145 Watt

The GeForce GTX 970 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 970 is a desktop one.


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

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
GeForce GTX 970

Similar GPU comparisons

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

User ratings: view and submit

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


4 64 votes

Rate NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.2 4145 votes

Rate NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions and comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.