GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB vs 970M

Primary Details

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

Place in performance ranking329not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation3.95no data
ArchitectureMaxwell (2014−2018)Pascal (2016−2021)
GPU code nameGM204GP106
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date7 October 2014 (9 years ago)27 June 2017 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$2,560.89 no data
Current price$848 (0.3x MSRP)$979

Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed Specifications

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 cores12801280
CUDA cores1280no data
Core clock speed924 MHz1265 MHz
Boost clock speed1038 MHz1480 MHz
Number of transistors5,200 million4,400 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm16 nm
Power consumption (TDP)unknown80 Watt
Texture fill rate83.04118.4
Floating-point performance2,657 gflops3,789 gflops

Form Factor & Compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 970M and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. 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 supportPCI Express 3.0no data
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectorsNoneNone
SLI options+no data

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount6 GB3 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed2500 MHz8008 MHz
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s192.2 GB/s
Shared memory-no data

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 ConnectorsNo outputsno data
VGA аnalog display support+no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support+no data
HDMI+no data
G-SYNC support+no data

Supported Technologies

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

GameStream+no data
GeForce ShadowPlay+no data
GPU Boost2.0no data
GameWorks+no data
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder+no data
Optimus+no data
BatteryBoost+no data
Ansel+no data

API Compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12.0
Shader Model6.45.0
OpenGL4.54.5
OpenCL1.11.2
Vulkan1.1.126no data
CUDA+6.1

Pros & Cons Summary


Recency 7 October 2014 27 June 2017
Maximum RAM amount 6 GB 3 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 16 nm

We couldn't decide between GeForce GTX 970M and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB. We've got no test results to judge.


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 970M
GeForce GTX 970M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB

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Community Ratings

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4.3 287 votes

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3.5 67 votes

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