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 970M

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 375W, a 294W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 305mm, a 304mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅4.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌363% higher power demand at 375W vs 81W.
❌30400% longer card at 305mm vs 1mm.

GeForce GTX 970M

2014

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 375W, a 294W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 305mm, a 304mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅4.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌363% higher power demand at 375W vs 81W.
❌30400% longer card at 305mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 970M better than Radeon HD 7990?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon HD 7990 averages 4.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,705 vs 5,566 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 970M is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (81W vs 375W).

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

GeForce GTX 970M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013 and 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 970M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 970M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7990 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 7990 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 7990 is 2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM, 5,566 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 970M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7990 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	77 FPS	77 FPS
medium	63 FPS	63 FPS
high	49 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	65 FPS	65 FPS
medium	53 FPS	54 FPS
high	37 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	24 FPS
medium	23 FPS	23 FPS
high	14 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon HD 7990

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	156 FPS	143 FPS
medium	127 FPS	118 FPS
high	102 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	108 FPS	88 FPS
medium	82 FPS	66 FPS
high	65 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	47 FPS	37 FPS
medium	38 FPS	28 FPS
high	35 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	16 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon HD 7990

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	257 FPS	250 FPS
medium	205 FPS	200 FPS
high	171 FPS	167 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	125 FPS
1440p
low	193 FPS	188 FPS
medium	154 FPS	150 FPS
high	128 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	128 FPS	125 FPS
medium	103 FPS	100 FPS
high	86 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	63 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon HD 7990

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	134 FPS	145 FPS
medium	109 FPS	116 FPS
high	94 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	98 FPS	107 FPS
medium	81 FPS	87 FPS
high	70 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	63 FPS
medium	45 FPS	48 FPS
high	35 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon HD 7990

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970M and Radeon HD 7990

GeForce GTX 970M

The GeForce GTX 970M 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: 5,705 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

Radeon HD 7990

The Radeon HD 7990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,566 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970M scores 5,705 and the Radeon HD 7990 reaches 5,566 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 7990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7990). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7990). Boost clocks: 1038 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
G3D Mark Score	5,705+2%	5,566
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	2048 ×2+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+54%
Boost Clock	1038 MHz+4%	1000 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32 ×2
TMUs	80	128 ×2+60%
L1 Cache	480 KB	512 KB+7%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
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 3 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7990) — a 2301.7% advantage for the Radeon HD 7990. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit x2. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7990) — the GeForce GTX 970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+140%
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit x2+100%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7990). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
DirectX	12_1	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	0	5

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (GeForce GTX 970M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7990). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs UVD 3.2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Radeon HD 7990's 375W — a 128.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 750W (Radeon HD 7990). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 305mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon HD 7990
TDP	81W-78%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W-53%	750W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	1mm	305mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	70.4+376%	14.8