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 970XM FORCE

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 170W, a 89W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,707 vs 13,170).
❌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.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅+96.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅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: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌109.9% higher power demand at 170W vs 81W.

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

2014

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 170W, a 89W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+96.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅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: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,707 vs 13,170).
❌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.

Trade-offs

❌109.9% higher power demand at 170W vs 81W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU better than GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 13,170 vs 6,707 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE 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 3060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2014, 96.4% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 96.4% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE still makes more sense on price alone, but the performance trade-off is much harder to justify by current standards.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to an unclear MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 970XM FORCE Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	100 FPS	109 FPS
medium	85 FPS	98 FPS
high	68 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	70 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	95 FPS
medium	75 FPS	83 FPS
high	54 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	48 FPS
medium	26 FPS	43 FPS
high	17 FPS	30 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	166 FPS	357 FPS
medium	135 FPS	310 FPS
high	108 FPS	248 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	195 FPS
1440p
low	113 FPS	221 FPS
medium	86 FPS	190 FPS
high	68 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	48 FPS	108 FPS
medium	39 FPS	89 FPS
high	35 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	55 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	302 FPS	593 FPS
medium	241 FPS	474 FPS
high	201 FPS	395 FPS
ultra	151 FPS	296 FPS
1440p
low	226 FPS	444 FPS
medium	181 FPS	356 FPS
high	151 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	222 FPS
4K
low	151 FPS	296 FPS
medium	121 FPS	237 FPS
high	101 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	148 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	167 FPS	565 FPS
medium	137 FPS	474 FPS
high	123 FPS	395 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	296 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	444 FPS
medium	98 FPS	356 FPS
high	88 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	222 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	296 FPS
medium	54 FPS	237 FPS
high	44 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	148 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE and GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 924 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 81W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,707 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,170 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE scores 6,707 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 13,170 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 96.4%. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1038 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	6,707	13,170+96%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1280	3584+180%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+379%
Boost Clock	1038 MHz	1777 MHz+71%
ROPs	48	48
TMUs	80	112+40%
L1 Cache	0.47 MB	3.5 MB+645%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	3 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
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 970XM FORCE comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has 6 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) — a 180% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	6 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	336 GB/s+180%
Bus Width	192-bit	192-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	3 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: 1st Gen NVDEC vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	5th Gen NVENC (Maxwell)	NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder	1st Gen NVDEC	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE draws 81W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 170W — a 70.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.