NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs AMD Radeon R9 Fury

#ad
Buy
VS
#ad
Buy

Combined performance score

R9 Fury
24.78

General info

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

Place in performance ranking200198
Place by popularitynot in top-10082
Value for money8.6222.79
ArchitectureGCN 1.2 (2015−2016)Maxwell (2014−2018)
GPU code nameFijiGM204
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date16 June 2015 (8 years old)19 September 2014 (9 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$549 $329
Current price$44 (0.1x MSRP)$105 (0.3x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 970 has 164% better value for money than R9 Fury.

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 cores35841664
CUDA coresno data1664
Compute units56no data
Core clock speedno data1050 MHz
Boost clock speed1000 MHz1178 MHz
Number of transistors8,900 million5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)275 Watt145 Watt
Maximum GPU temperatureno data98 °C
Texture fill rate224.0109 billion/sec
Floating-point performance7,168 gflops3,920 gflops

Size and 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).

Bus supportPCIe 3.0PCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data10.5" (26.7 cm)
Heightno data4.376" (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)no data500 Watt
Supplementary power connectors​2x 8-pin2x 6-pins
SLI optionsno data+
Bridgeless CrossFire1no 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 typeHigh Bandwidth Memory (HBM)GDDR5
High bandwidth memory (HBM)+no data
Maximum RAM amount4 GB4 GB
Memory bus width4096 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed500 MHz7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth512 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 Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortDual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2
Multi monitor supportno data4 displays
Eyefinity+no data
Number of Eyefinity displays6no data
HDMI++
HDCPno data+
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
DisplayPort support+no data
G-SYNC supportno data+
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

Technologies

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

AppAcceleration+no data
CrossFire1no data
Enduro-no data
FRTC1no data
FreeSync1no data
HD3D+no data
LiquidVR1no data
PowerTune+no data
TressFX1no data
TrueAudio+no data
ZeroCore-no data
UVD+no data
VCE+no data
DDMA audio+no data
GameStreamno data+
GeForce ShadowPlayno data+
GPU Boostno data2.0
GameWorksno data+

API support

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

DirectXDirectX® 1212 (12_1)
Shader Model6.36.4
OpenGL4.54.4
OpenCL2.01.2
Vulkan+1.1.126
Mantle+no data
CUDAno data+

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.

R9 Fury 24.78
GTX 970 24.89
+0.4%

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%

R9 Fury 9602
GTX 970 9645
+0.4%

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%

R9 Fury 42039
GTX 970 42263
+0.5%

GeForce GTX 970 outperforms Radeon R9 Fury by 1% 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%

R9 Fury 17543
+9.4%
GTX 970 16033

Radeon R9 Fury outperforms GeForce GTX 970 by 9% 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%

R9 Fury 14580
+22%
GTX 970 11954

Radeon R9 Fury outperforms GeForce GTX 970 by 22% 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%

R9 Fury 80439
+10.5%
GTX 970 72819

Radeon R9 Fury outperforms GeForce GTX 970 by 10% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

Unigine Heaven 4.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013.

Benchmark coverage: 1%

R9 Fury 1691
+9.6%
GTX 970 1543

Radeon R9 Fury outperforms GeForce GTX 970 by 10% in Unigine Heaven 4.0.

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 HD91
+11%
82
−11%
1440p79
+46.3%
54
−46.3%
4K47
+23.7%
38
−23.7%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 40−45
−2.5%
40−45
+2.5%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Battlefield 5 80−85
−1.3%
80−85
+1.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 65−70
−1.5%
65−70
+1.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 40−45
−2.5%
40−45
+2.5%
Far Cry 5 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
−1.5%
65−70
+1.5%
Forza Horizon 4 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Hitman 3 70−75
−1.4%
75−80
+1.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Battlefield 5 80−85
−1.3%
80−85
+1.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 65−70
−1.5%
65−70
+1.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 40−45
−2.5%
40−45
+2.5%
Far Cry 5 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
−1.5%
65−70
+1.5%
Forza Horizon 4 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Hitman 3 70−75
−1.4%
75−80
+1.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Metro Exodus 40−45
+5.1%
39
−5.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 91
+12.3%
81
−12.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 29
−69%
45−50
+69%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Battlefield 5 80−85
+66.7%
48
−66.7%
Cyberpunk 2077 40−45
−2.5%
40−45
+2.5%
Far Cry 5 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
−1.5%
65−70
+1.5%
Forza Horizon 4 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 46
+7%
43
−7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Hitman 3 40−45
−2.4%
40−45
+2.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Metro Exodus 24−27
+4.2%
24
−4.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Battlefield 5 55−60
−1.8%
55−60
+1.8%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Far Cry 5 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Hitman 3 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+15.4%
13
−15.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 36
+24.1%
29
−24.1%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 11
−45.5%
16−18
+45.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−7.7%
14−16
+7.7%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+45%
20
−45%
Cyberpunk 2077 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%

This is how R9 Fury and GTX 970 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • R9 Fury is 11% faster than GTX 970

1440p resolution:

  • R9 Fury is 46.3% faster than GTX 970

4K resolution:

  • R9 Fury is 23.7% 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 R9 Fury is 66.7% faster than the GTX 970.
  • in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 970 is 69% faster than the R9 Fury.

All in all, in popular games:

  • R9 Fury is ahead in 8 tests (12%)
  • GTX 970 is ahead in 18 tests (26%)
  • there's a draw in 42 tests (62%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 24.78 24.89
Recency 16 June 2015 19 September 2014
Cost $549 $329
Power consumption (TDP) 275 Watt 145 Watt

We couldn't decide between Radeon R9 Fury and GeForce GTX 970. The differences in performance seem too small.


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.


AMD Radeon R9 Fury
Radeon R9 Fury
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.


3.7 160 votes

Rate AMD Radeon R9 Fury 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.