Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs GeForce GTX 970M SLI
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce GTX 970M SLI and Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
GTX 970M SLI outperforms HD 7970M Crossfire by an impressive 52% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 245 | 352 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 10.25 | 5.46 |
| Architecture | Maxwell (2014−2017) | GCN (2012−2015) |
| GPU code name | no data | Wimbledon XT |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Release date | 7 October 2014 (10 years ago) | 1 May 2012 (12 years ago) |
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 cores | 2560 | 2560 |
| Core clock speed | 924 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1038 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2x 5200 Million | no data |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 162 Watt | 200 Watt |
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 size | large | large |
| 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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2x 6 GB | no data |
| Memory bus width | 2x 192 Bit | 2x 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 5000 MHz | 4800 MHz |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| Optimus | + | - |
API and SDK compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12_1 | 11.1 |
| CUDA | + | - |
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.
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.
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.
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:
| 900p | 200−210
+51.5%
| 132
−51.5%
|
| Full HD | 88
−15.9%
| 102
+15.9%
|
| 4K | 41
+70.8%
| 24−27
−70.8%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 130−140
+55.3%
|
85−90
−55.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+64.3%
|
27−30
−64.3%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 90−95
+42.2%
|
60−65
−42.2%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 130−140
+55.3%
|
85−90
−55.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 75−80
+52%
|
50−55
−52%
|
| Fortnite | 110−120
+36.9%
|
80−85
−36.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 90−95
+44.4%
|
60−65
−44.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 70−75
+52.1%
|
45−50
−52.1%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+64.3%
|
27−30
−64.3%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 85−90
+61.8%
|
55−60
−61.8%
|
| Valorant | 160−170
+31.1%
|
120−130
−31.1%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 90−95
+42.2%
|
60−65
−42.2%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 130−140
+55.3%
|
85−90
−55.3%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 250−260
+26.1%
|
190−200
−26.1%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
| Dota 2 | 110−120
+26.6%
|
90−95
−26.6%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 75−80
+52%
|
50−55
−52%
|
| Fortnite | 110−120
+36.9%
|
80−85
−36.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 90−95
+44.4%
|
60−65
−44.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 70−75
+52.1%
|
45−50
−52.1%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 80−85
+47.4%
|
55−60
−47.4%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+64.3%
|
27−30
−64.3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 50−55
+61.3%
|
30−35
−61.3%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 85−90
+61.8%
|
55−60
−61.8%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 85
+113%
|
40−45
−113%
|
| Valorant | 160−170
+31.1%
|
120−130
−31.1%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 90−95
+42.2%
|
60−65
−42.2%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 45−50
+58.1%
|
30−35
−58.1%
|
| Dota 2 | 110−120
+26.6%
|
90−95
−26.6%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 75−80
+52%
|
50−55
−52%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 90−95
+44.4%
|
60−65
−44.4%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 45−50
+64.3%
|
27−30
−64.3%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 85−90
+61.8%
|
55−60
−61.8%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 48
+20%
|
40−45
−20%
|
| Valorant | 160−170
+31.1%
|
120−130
−31.1%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 110−120
+36.9%
|
80−85
−36.9%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
+66.7%
|
30−33
−66.7%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 160−170
+45.9%
|
110−120
−45.9%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 40−45
+70.8%
|
24−27
−70.8%
|
| Metro Exodus | 30−33
+57.9%
|
18−20
−57.9%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+20%
|
140−150
−20%
|
| Valorant | 190−200
+30.1%
|
150−160
−30.1%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 60−65
+52.4%
|
40−45
−52.4%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+69.2%
|
12−14
−69.2%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 50−55
+59.4%
|
30−35
−59.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 55−60
+59.5%
|
35−40
−59.5%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 24−27
+56.3%
|
16−18
−56.3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 35−40
+68.2%
|
21−24
−68.2%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 50−55
+63.6%
|
30−35
−63.6%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+100%
|
10−12
−100%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 40−45
+50%
|
27−30
−50%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 14−16
+66.7%
|
9−10
−66.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
+72.7%
|
10−12
−72.7%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 28
+40%
|
20−22
−40%
|
| Valorant | 130−140
+62.2%
|
80−85
−62.2%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+59.1%
|
21−24
−59.1%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+100%
|
10−12
−100%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 10−11
+66.7%
|
6−7
−66.7%
|
| Dota 2 | 75−80
+43.4%
|
50−55
−43.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 24−27
+56.3%
|
16−18
−56.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
+53.8%
|
24−27
−53.8%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 14−16
+66.7%
|
9−10
−66.7%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 24−27
+71.4%
|
14−16
−71.4%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Fortnite | 24−27
+66.7%
|
14−16
−66.7%
|
This is how GTX 970M SLI and HD 7970M Crossfire compete in popular games:
- GTX 970M SLI is 52% faster in 900p
- HD 7970M Crossfire is 16% faster in 1080p
- GTX 970M SLI is 71% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 970M SLI is 113% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, GTX 970M SLI surpassed HD 7970M Crossfire in all 66 of our tests.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 23.47 | 15.43 |
| Recency | 7 October 2014 | 1 May 2012 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 162 Watt | 200 Watt |
GTX 970M SLI has a 52.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and 23.5% lower power consumption.
The GeForce GTX 970M SLI is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire in performance tests.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
