965M vs 970M

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Combined performance score

GTX 970M
14.79
+52%

970M outperforms 965M by 52% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking327422
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money3.880.90
ArchitectureMaxwell (2014−2018)Maxwell (2014−2018)
GPU code nameGM204N16E-GS, N16E-GR
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date7 October 2014 (9 years old)5 January 2015 (9 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$2,560.89 no data
Current price$848 (0.3x MSRP)$1546
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 970M has 331% better value for money than GTX 965M.

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 cores12801024
CUDA cores12801024
Core clock speed924 MHz944 MHz
Boost clock speed1038 MHz950 / 1151 MHz
Number of transistors5,200 million2,940 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)unknownunknown
Texture fill rate83.0473.60
Floating-point performance2,657 gflops2,355 gflops

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 970M and GeForce GTX 965M 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 sizelargelarge
Bus supportPCI Express 3.0PCI Express 3.0
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectorsNoneNone
SLI options++

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 amount6 GB4 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed2500 MHz2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s80 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 outputsNo outputs
VGA аnalog display support++
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support++
HDMI++
G-SYNC support++

Technologies

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

GameStream++
GeForce ShadowPlay++
GPU Boost2.02.0
GameWorks++
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder++
Optimus++
BatteryBoost++
Ansel++

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
OpenGL4.54.5
OpenCL1.11.1
Vulkan1.1.1261.1
CUDA++

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 970M 14.79
+52%
GTX 965M 9.73

970M outperforms 965M by 52% 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 970M 5732
+52%
GTX 965M 3771

970M outperforms 965M by 52% 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 970M 28845
+22.4%
GTX 965M 23562

970M outperforms 965M by 22% 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 970M 9878
+34.9%
GTX 965M 7322

970M outperforms 965M by 35% 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 970M 7463
+34.8%
GTX 965M 5536

970M outperforms 965M by 35% 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 970M 51247
+47.5%
GTX 965M 34748

970M outperforms 965M by 47% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

Benchmark coverage: 9%

GTX 970M 18330
+27.9%
GTX 965M 14331

970M outperforms 965M by 28% in GeekBench 5 OpenCL.

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 970M 274626
+5.7%
GTX 965M 259766

970M outperforms 965M by 6% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU.

GeekBench 5 Vulkan

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses Vulkan API by AMD & Khronos Group.

Benchmark coverage: 5%

GTX 970M 16481
GTX 965M 16483
+0%

GeekBench 5 CUDA

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses CUDA API by NVIDIA.

Benchmark coverage: 4%

GTX 970M 17191
+24%
GTX 965M 13861

970M outperforms 965M by 24% in GeekBench 5 CUDA.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 4%

GTX 970M 93
+40.3%
GTX 965M 66

970M outperforms 965M by 40% in Unigine Heaven 3.0.

Octane Render OctaneBench

This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists.

Benchmark coverage: 4%

GTX 970M 51
+27.5%
GTX 965M 40

970M outperforms 965M by 28% in Octane Render OctaneBench.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 34
GTX 965M 40
+17.3%

965M outperforms 970M by 17% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 21
GTX 965M 30
+43.8%

965M outperforms 970M by 44% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 3
GTX 965M 3
+6.2%

965M outperforms 970M by 6% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 24
GTX 965M 24
+0.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 37
+90.8%
GTX 965M 20

970M outperforms 965M by 91% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 11
GTX 965M 16
+40.9%

965M outperforms 970M by 41% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 28
+5.4%
GTX 965M 26

970M outperforms 965M by 5% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

GTX 970M 12
+1571%
GTX 965M 1

970M outperforms 965M by 1571% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - Showcase

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 28
+5.4%
GTX 965M 26

970M outperforms 965M by 5% in SPECviewperf 12 - Showcase.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 34
GTX 965M 40
+17.3%

965M outperforms 970M by 17% in SPECviewperf 12 - Maya.

SPECviewperf 12 - Catia

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 24
GTX 965M 24
+0.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - Solidworks

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 21
GTX 965M 30
+43.8%

965M outperforms 970M by 44% in SPECviewperf 12 - Solidworks.

SPECviewperf 12 - Siemens NX

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 3
GTX 965M 3
+6.2%

965M outperforms 970M by 6% in SPECviewperf 12 - Siemens NX.

SPECviewperf 12 - Creo

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 37
+90.8%
GTX 965M 20

970M outperforms 965M by 91% in SPECviewperf 12 - Creo.

SPECviewperf 12 - Medical

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 11
GTX 965M 16
+40.9%

965M outperforms 970M by 41% in SPECviewperf 12 - Medical.

SPECviewperf 12 - Energy

Benchmark coverage: 2%

GTX 970M 11.7
+1571%
GTX 965M 0.7

970M outperforms 965M by 1571% in SPECviewperf 12 - Energy.

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:

900p136
+60%
85−90
−60%
Full HD58
+26.1%
46
−26.1%
1440p27
+8%
25
−8%
4K21
+0%
21
+0%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 21−24
+53.3%
14−16
−53.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 42
+35.5%
31
−35.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+66.7%
14−16
−66.7%
Battlefield 5 66
+26.9%
52
−26.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 35−40
+46.2%
24−27
−46.2%
Cyberpunk 2077 21−24
+53.3%
14−16
−53.3%
Far Cry 5 46
+21.1%
38
−21.1%
Far Cry New Dawn 41
+7.9%
38
−7.9%
Forza Horizon 4 61
+29.8%
47
−29.8%
Hitman 3 40−45
+64%
24−27
−64%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
+55%
20−22
−55%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+47.1%
16−18
−47.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 40
+29%
31
−29%
Watch Dogs: Legion 27−30
+64.7%
16−18
−64.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 36
+50%
24
−50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+66.7%
14−16
−66.7%
Battlefield 5 54
+25.6%
43
−25.6%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 35−40
+46.2%
24−27
−46.2%
Cyberpunk 2077 21−24
+53.3%
14−16
−53.3%
Far Cry 5 43
+22.9%
35
−22.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 38
+8.6%
35
−8.6%
Forza Horizon 4 53
+29.3%
41
−29.3%
Hitman 3 40−45
+64%
24−27
−64%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
+55%
20−22
−55%
Metro Exodus 24
+60%
15
−60%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+47.1%
16−18
−47.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 34
+162%
13
−162%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 45
+45.2%
31
−45.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion 27−30
+64.7%
16−18
−64.7%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21
+61.5%
13
−61.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+66.7%
14−16
−66.7%
Battlefield 5 49
+40%
35
−40%
Cyberpunk 2077 21−24
+53.3%
14−16
−53.3%
Far Cry 5 39
+21.9%
32
−21.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 35
+9.4%
32
−9.4%
Forza Horizon 4 36
+28.6%
28
−28.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 26
+44.4%
18
−44.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion 27−30
+64.7%
16−18
−64.7%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
+57.1%
14−16
−57.1%
Hitman 3 21−24
+53.3%
14−16
−53.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 21−24
+31.3%
16−18
−31.3%
Metro Exodus 14
+75%
8−9
−75%
Red Dead Redemption 2 10−12
+57.1%
7−8
−57.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 20
+53.8%
12−14
−53.8%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 17
+70%
10
−70%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+140%
5−6
−140%
Battlefield 5 33
+106%
16−18
−106%
Cyberpunk 2077 8−9
+60%
5−6
−60%
Far Cry 5 27
+22.7%
22
−22.7%
Far Cry New Dawn 25
+56.3%
16−18
−56.3%
Forza Horizon 4 23
+35.3%
16−18
−35.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14−16
+66.7%
9−10
−66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 9−10
+80%
5−6
−80%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−11
+66.7%
6−7
−66.7%
Hitman 3 14−16
+55.6%
9−10
−55.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 10−11
+25%
8−9
−25%
Metro Exodus 7
+133%
3−4
−133%
Red Dead Redemption 2 8−9
+60%
5−6
−60%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 9
+80%
5−6
−80%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16
+23.1%
13
−23.1%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10
+200%
3
−200%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+75%
4−5
−75%
Battlefield 5 15
+87.5%
8−9
−87.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%
Far Cry 5 13
+30%
10
−30%
Far Cry New Dawn 12
−158%
31
+158%
Forza Horizon 4 6
−133%
14
+133%
Watch Dogs: Legion 6−7
+100%
3−4
−100%

This is how GTX 970M and GTX 965M compete in popular games:

900p resolution:

  • GTX 970M is 60% faster than GTX 965M

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 970M is 26.1% faster than GTX 965M

1440p resolution:

  • GTX 970M is 8% faster than GTX 965M

4K resolution:

  • GTX 965M is 0% faster than GTX 970M

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

  • in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 970M is 200% faster than the GTX 965M.
  • in Far Cry New Dawn, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 965M is 158% faster than the GTX 970M.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 970M is ahead in 66 tests (97%)
  • GTX 965M is ahead in 2 tests (3%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 14.79 9.73
Recency 7 October 2014 5 January 2015
Maximum RAM amount 6 GB 4 GB

The GeForce GTX 970M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 965M in performance tests.


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

User ratings

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
GeForce GTX 970M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
GeForce GTX 965M

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