G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 970

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅32.0% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 970

2014

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅32.0% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 29.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design better than GeForce GTX 970?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design averages 32.0% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 9,674 vs 9,640 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 970 is a 2014 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 32.0% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.4% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 970 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 970 is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 9,640 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 970 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	81 FPS	82 FPS
medium	69 FPS	71 FPS
high	58 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	72 FPS
medium	62 FPS	63 FPS
high	46 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	27 FPS
medium	24 FPS	26 FPS
high	17 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	185 FPS	219 FPS
medium	152 FPS	187 FPS
high	122 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	163 FPS
medium	102 FPS	136 FPS
high	81 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	95 FPS
medium	50 FPS	79 FPS
high	46 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	47 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	405 FPS	435 FPS
medium	347 FPS	348 FPS
high	289 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	217 FPS	218 FPS
1440p
low	325 FPS	326 FPS
medium	260 FPS	261 FPS
high	217 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	163 FPS
4K
low	210 FPS	218 FPS
medium	174 FPS	174 FPS
high	129 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	109 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	179 FPS	231 FPS
medium	138 FPS	195 FPS
high	120 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	180 FPS
medium	107 FPS	157 FPS
high	94 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	106 FPS
medium	59 FPS	89 FPS
high	46 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1050 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1664 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,640 points. Launch price was $329.

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 29 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 975 MHz to 1185 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,674 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design reaches 9,674 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 4.55 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1185 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	9,640	9,674
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1664	1920+15%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS	4.55 TFLOPS+16%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1185 MHz
ROPs	56+17%	48
TMUs	104	120+15%
L1 Cache	0.61 MB	1.9 MB+211%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 970 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 970 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design has 6 GB. The GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 264 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design) — a 17.9% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design. Bus width: 256-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	6 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	264 GB/s+18%
Bus Width	256-bit+33%	192-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs NVDEC (4th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	NVDEC (4th Gen)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design's 65W — a 79.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
TDP	150W	65W-57%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	64.3	148.8+131%