Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs GeForce GTX 970M

Place in the ranking	354	279
Place by popularity	not in top-100	61
Power efficiency	12.65	9.18
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)	GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)
GPU code name	GM204	Polaris 20
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	7 October 2014 (10 years ago)	15 October 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$2,560.89	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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	1280	2048
Core clock speed	924 MHz	1168 MHz
Boost clock speed	1038 MHz	1284 MHz
Number of transistors	5,200 million	5,700 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	unknown	150 Watt
Texture fill rate	83.04	164.4
Floating-point processing power	2.657 TFLOPS	5.259 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	32
TMUs	80	128

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	no data
Bus support	PCI Express 3.0	no data
Interface	MXM-B (3.0)	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	no data	241 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 8-pin
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	3 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	2500 MHz	1750 MHz
Memory bandwidth	120 GB/s	224.0 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 Connectors	No outputs	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
VGA аnalog display support	+	no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	+	no 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 Boost	2.0	no data
GameWorks	+	-
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	+	-
Optimus	+	-
BatteryBoost	+	-
Ansel	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (12_0)
Shader Model	6.4	6.4
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.1	2.0
Vulkan	1.1.126	1.2.131
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. 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 14.85

RX 580 2048SP 19.95
+34.3%

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 970M 5712

RX 580 2048SP 7672
+34.3%

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	136 −32.4%	180−190 +32.4%
Full HD	56 −33.9%	75−80 +33.9%
1440p	25 −20%	30−35 +20%
4K	22 −22.7%	27−30 +22.7%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	45.73	no data
1440p	102.44	no data
4K	116.40	no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −20.7%	35−40 +20.7%
Elden Ring	45−50 −33.3%	60−65 +33.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	46 −30.4%	60−65 +30.4%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −20.7%	35−40 +20.7%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −33.3%	80−85 +33.3%
Metro Exodus	41 −34.1%	55−60 +34.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −25%	45−50 +25%
Valorant	55−60 −27.1%	75−80 +27.1%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	46 −30.4%	60−65 +30.4%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −20.7%	35−40 +20.7%
Dota 2	33 −21.2%	40−45 +21.2%
Elden Ring	45−50 −33.3%	60−65 +33.3%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −27.3%	70−75 +27.3%
Fortnite	59 −27.1%	75−80 +27.1%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −33.3%	80−85 +33.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	49 −32.7%	65−70 +32.7%
Metro Exodus	29 −20.7%	35−40 +20.7%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	149 −34.2%	200−210 +34.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −25%	45−50 +25%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	44 −25%	55−60 +25%
Valorant	55−60 −27.1%	75−80 +27.1%
World of Tanks	190−200 −29.5%	250−260 +29.5%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	40 −25%	50−55 +25%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −20.7%	35−40 +20.7%
Dota 2	50−55 −32.1%	70−75 +32.1%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −27.3%	70−75 +27.3%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −33.3%	80−85 +33.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	38 −31.6%	50−55 +31.6%
Valorant	55−60 −27.1%	75−80 +27.1%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	21−24 −28.6%	27−30 +28.6%
Elden Ring	21−24 −30.4%	30−33 +30.4%
Grand Theft Auto V	21−24 −22.7%	27−30 +22.7%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	130−140 −29.8%	170−180 +29.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	12−14 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
World of Tanks	100−110 −25%	130−140 +25%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	27 −29.6%	35−40 +29.6%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −27.3%	14−16 +27.3%
Far Cry 5	35−40 −25%	45−50 +25%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 −25%	45−50 +25%
Metro Exodus	25 −20%	30−33 +20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	18−20 −26.3%	24−27 +26.3%
Valorant	35−40 −21.6%	45−50 +21.6%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	10−11 −20%	12−14 +20%
Dota 2	33 −21.2%	40−45 +21.2%
Elden Ring	10−11 −20%	12−14 +20%
Grand Theft Auto V	33 −21.2%	40−45 +21.2%
Metro Exodus	7 −28.6%	9−10 +28.6%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	38 −31.6%	50−55 +31.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 −20%	12−14 +20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	33 −21.2%	40−45 +21.2%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	13 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
Counter-Strike 2	10−11 −20%	12−14 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 −25%	5−6 +25%
Dota 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Far Cry 5	18−20 −26.3%	24−27 +26.3%
Fortnite	15 −20%	18−20 +20%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −28.6%	27−30 +28.6%
Valorant	16−18 −31.3%	21−24 +31.3%

This is how GTX 970M and RX 580 2048SP compete in popular games:

RX 580 2048SP is 32% faster in 900p
RX 580 2048SP is 34% faster in 1080p
RX 580 2048SP is 20% faster in 1440p
RX 580 2048SP is 23% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	14.85	19.95
Recency	7 October 2014	15 October 2018
Maximum RAM amount	3 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	14 nm

RX 580 2048SP has a 34.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 166.7% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 580 2048SP is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 970M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 970M is a notebook card while Radeon RX 580 2048SP is a desktop one.

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