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

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 17.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌36.9% longer card at 267mm vs 195mm.

Radeon R9 Fury

2015

Why buy it

✅Measures 195mm instead of 267mm, a 72mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.3 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

GeForce GTX 970

2014

Radeon R9 Fury

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 29.3 vs 17.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Measures 195mm instead of 267mm, a 72mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌36.9% longer card at 267mm vs 195mm.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.3 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 970 better than Radeon R9 Fury?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 9,640 vs 9,521 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 970 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (150W vs 275W).

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

GeForce GTX 970 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

GeForce GTX 970 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $329 MSRP. GeForce GTX 970 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 970 is about $220 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 1.2% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 Fury is the newer 2015 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon R9 Fury make more sense than GeForce GTX 970?

Yes. Radeon R9 Fury is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture and staying closer to $549 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 970. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 970 currently gives you 1.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 69%.

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

Radeon R9 Fury Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
1080p
low	81 FPS	92 FPS
medium	69 FPS	80 FPS
high	58 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	76 FPS
medium	62 FPS	66 FPS
high	46 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	30 FPS
medium	24 FPS	27 FPS
high	17 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open Radeon R9 Fury

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
1080p
low	185 FPS	243 FPS
medium	152 FPS	205 FPS
high	122 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	133 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	176 FPS
medium	102 FPS	145 FPS
high	81 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	98 FPS
medium	50 FPS	80 FPS
high	46 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	49 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open Radeon R9 Fury

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
1080p
low	405 FPS	428 FPS
medium	347 FPS	343 FPS
high	289 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	217 FPS	214 FPS
1440p
low	325 FPS	321 FPS
medium	260 FPS	257 FPS
high	217 FPS	214 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	161 FPS
4K
low	210 FPS	214 FPS
medium	174 FPS	171 FPS
high	129 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	107 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open Radeon R9 Fury

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
1080p
low	179 FPS	197 FPS
medium	138 FPS	164 FPS
high	120 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	117 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	137 FPS
medium	107 FPS	118 FPS
high	94 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	82 FPS
medium	59 FPS	68 FPS
high	46 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	42 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open Radeon R9 Fury

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon R9 Fury

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.

Radeon R9 Fury

The Radeon R9 Fury is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 10 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,521 points. Launch price was $549.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the Radeon R9 Fury reaches 9,521 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 Fury uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 3,584 (Radeon R9 Fury). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 7.168 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 Fury). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
G3D Mark Score	9,640+1%	9,521
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1664	3584+115%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS	7.168 TFLOPS+83%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz+18%	1000 MHz
ROPs	56	64+14%
TMUs	104	224+115%
L1 Cache	624 KB	896 KB+44%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 Fury relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 512 GB/s (Radeon R9 Fury) — a 128.6% advantage for the Radeon R9 Fury. Bus width: 256-bit vs 4096-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	HBM
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	512 GB/s+129%
Bus Width	256-bit	4096-bit+1500%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 Fury). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 Fury). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon R9 Fury).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	VCE 3.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 Fury's 275W — a 58.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 970 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 600W (Radeon R9 Fury). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 195mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 65°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	Radeon R9 Fury
TDP	150W-45%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-17%	600W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	267mm	195mm
Height	111mm	115mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	65°C-19%
Perf/Watt	64.3+86%	34.6

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 970 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 Fury launched at $549. The GeForce GTX 970 costs 40.1% less ($220 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 17.3 (Radeon R9 Fury) — the GeForce GTX 970 offers 69.4% better value. The Radeon R9 Fury is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2014).