NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
► remove from comparisonThe NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 970M. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture, which is the same chip as found on the GTX 980M as well as several desktop cards. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 970M (924 MHz GPU, 1250 MHz memory).
With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
GM204 is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, which replaces the previous Kepler generation. Among other changes, Nvidia have restructured the streaming multi processors (SMM) in order to increase workload and efficiency. Now each SMM contains only 128 shader units and 8 TMUs, which is noticeably less than an equivalent Kepler GPU. The GM204 features four GPCs, and each consists of four SMMs. But, in the GeForce GTX 970M, Nvidia have deactivated 6 of 16 SMMs. As a result, only 1280 shader ALUs and 80 TMUs are active. In addition, there are 48 ROPs in three clusters with 16 units each.
The memory interface has a bandwidth of 192-bits (3x 64 bit) for each of the two GPUs. Thanks to an improved compression algorithm, the connection to the GDDR5 memory should be significantly more efficient per MHz. Furthermore, the L1 (96 KB per SMM) and L2 caches (2 MB) have been significantly increased to lower the needed bandwidth. Compared to the mid-range GM107, the newer and larger GM204 has several additional features and changes. Aside from the improved polymorphic engine in the SSMs, it is also the first Nvidia chip to support DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_1.
Performance
With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card. The GTX 970M SLI outperforms the former GeForce GTX 880M SLI by about 10 percent and is the second fastest mobile graphics solution in late 2014. Only the significantly more expensive GTX 980M SLI offers even more 3D power and is about 30 percent faster. Nevertheless, the GTX 970M SLI is powerful enough to run even the most demanding games with highest details, AA/AF and resolutions exceeding FullHD.
Features
Most of the features are identical to the GeForce GTX 800M series. With the GTX 970M, there can be up to 4 active displays possible, but this will likely decrease due to Optimus. Displays can be connected with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 (no HDCP @ 4K). HD audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD can be sent to a compatible receiver as bitstream. As with previous models, 3D Vision is not supported with Optimus.
The updated video processor VP6 supports the usual formats like H.264 and can also decode and encode H.265 with a resolution of up to 4K via the NVENC API. Several parallel streams, such as picture-in-picture in a Blu-Ray movie, are also possible.
Further features of the GTX 900M series, which are also partly supported by older cards, include Battery Boost (longer battery life during gaming), Shadowplay (recording of gaming videos up to 4K60p and 130 Mbit/s) and Gamestream (game streaming on Shield console). More information on these features are available here.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of each GeForce GTX 970M including its MXM board and memory should be similar to a GTX 870M with a specified TDP of 100 W, leading to a total TDP of about 200 W. Given the significantly higher performance, this can be considered a massive increase in performance-per-watt. Nevertheless, the SLI setup can only be used in very large and heavy gaming notebooks with powerful cooling systems. Under low load, dynamic clock rates help the GPUs to save energy.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
► remove from comparisonThe NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is an upper mid-range, DirectX 11-compatible graphics card for laptops unveiled in March 2015. It is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture (GM107 chip) and manufactured in 28 nm. The GTX 960M offers 640 shader units clocked at 1097 - 1202 MHz (Boost) as well as fast GDDR5 memory (128 bit, 5000 MHz effective, 80 GB/s).
Compared to the previous and technically very similar GTX 860M, the GTX 960M is clocked slightly higher.
Architecture
Compared to Kepler, Maxwell has been optimized in several details to increase power efficiency. Smaller Streaming Multiprocessors (SMM) with only 128 ALUs (Kepler: 192) and an optimized scheduler should lead to better utilization of the shaders. Nvidia promises that a Maxwell SMM with 128 ALUs can offer 90 percent of the performance of a Kepler SMX with 192 ALUs. GM107 features 5 SMMs and thus 640 shader cores, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs (128-bit interface).
Another optimization is the massively enlarged L2 cache (GM107: 2 MB). The increased size can handle some of the memory traffic to allow for a relatively narrow memory interface without significantly reducing the performance.
GM107 supports DirectX 12 with feature level 11_0 only.
Performance
Although the GTX 960M has the same memory bandwidth as the previous GTX 860M, its higher core clock leads to a slightly better performance. Overall, the 960M is almost 10 percent faster and similar to the desktop GTX 750 Ti.
Many games of 2014/2015 can be played fluently in FullHD resolution and high detail settings. However, very demanding games such as Assassin's Creed Unity will require lower resolutions and/or details.
Features
GM107 integrates the sixth generation of the PureVideo HD video engine (VP6), offering a better decoding performance for H.264 and MPEG-2 videos. Of course, VP6 supports all features of previous generations (4K support, PIP, video encoding via NVENC API). Unfortunately, HDMI 2.0 is still not supported.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 960M should be similar to the old GTX 860M (about 60 watts). Therefore, the GPU is best suited for 15-inch laptops or larger. The 900M series also supports Optimus to automatically switch between an integrated graphics card and the Nvidia GPU.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GeForce GTX 900M Series |
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Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pipelines | 2560 - unified | 640 - unified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Core Speed | 924 - 1038 (Boost) MHz | 1096 - 1202 (Boost) MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memory Speed | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memory Bus Width | 2x 192 Bit | 128 Bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Max. Amount of Memory | 2x 6144 MB | 4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shared Memory | no | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
API | DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0 | DirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Power Consumption | 162 Watt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transistors | 0 Billion | 1.9 Billion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
technology | 28 nm | 28 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Features | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience, GameWorks, Adaptive VSync, DSR, Ansel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notebook Size | large | medium sized | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of Announcement | 07.10.2014 | 12.03.2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Codename | N16P-GX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Link to Manufacturer Page | www.geforce.com |
Benchmarks
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
specvp11 snx-01 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
specvp12 sw-03 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
Game Benchmarks
The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
Rage 2
2019Anno 1800
2019The Division 2
2019Dirt Rally 2.0
2019Anthem
2019Far Cry New Dawn
2019Metro Exodus
2019Apex Legends
2019Just Cause 4
2018Darksiders III
2018Battlefield V
2018Farming Simulator 19
2018Fallout 76
2018Hitman 2
2018Forza Horizon 4
2018FIFA 19
2018F1 2018
2018Monster Hunter World
2018The Crew 2
2018Far Cry 5
2018Fortnite
2018Call of Duty WWII
2017Destiny 2
2017ELEX
2017The Evil Within 2
2017FIFA 18
2017F1 2017
2017Dirt 4
2017Rocket League
2017Prey
2017For Honor
2017Resident Evil 7
2017Watch Dogs 2
2016Dishonored 2
2016Titanfall 2
2016Farming Simulator 17
2016Battlefield 1
2016Civilization VI
2016Mafia 3
2016FIFA 17
2016No Man's Sky
2016Overwatch
2016Doom
2016Need for Speed 2016
2016Hitman 2016
2016The Division
2016Far Cry Primal
2016XCOM 2
2016Rainbow Six Siege
2015Just Cause 3
2015Fallout 4
2015Anno 2205
2015FIFA 16
2015World of Warships
2015Metal Gear Solid V
2015Mad Max
2015The Witcher 3
2015Dirt Rally
2015GTA V
2015Battlefield Hardline
2015Evolve
2015The Crew
2014Far Cry 4
2014F1 2014
2014The Evil Within
2014Ryse: Son of Rome
2014Alien: Isolation
2014Fifa 15
2014Sims 4
2014Risen 3: Titan Lords
2014GRID: Autosport
2014Watch Dogs
2014Thief
2014X-Plane 10.25
2013Call of Duty: Ghosts
2013Battlefield 4
2013Total War: Rome II
2013Saints Row IV
2013Company of Heroes 2
2013Metro: Last Light
2013BioShock Infinite
2013Tomb Raider
2013Crysis 3
2013Dead Space 3
2013Far Cry 3
2012Hitman: Absolution
2012Guild Wars 2
2012Sleeping Dogs
2012Diablo III
2012Alan Wake
2012Anno 2070
2011Mafia 2
2010Metro 2033
2010Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI → 100%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%
Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M → 53%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Need for Speed 2016 | 107.6 | 102.5 | 90.7 | 68.1 | 37.1 | |
Hitman 2016 | 60.7 | 60.3 | 52.2 | 50.2 | 25.1 | |
The Division | 161.3 | 129.4 | 71.9 | 54.9 | 26.2 | |
Far Cry Primal | 69 | 64 | 63 | 60 | 27 | |
XCOM 2 | 94.6 | 80.2 | 67.2 | 31.7 | ||
Rise of the Tomb Raider | 78.7 | 72.4 | 71.4 | 68 | 31.9 | |
Rainbow Six Siege | 234.5 | 185.5 | 110.7 | 94.6 | 33.5 | |
Just Cause 3 | 127.6 | 104.5 | 60.1 | 51.7 | 21.3 | |
Star Wars Battlefront | 199.8 | 196.9 | 127.1 | 109.3 | 40.8 | |
Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 83.6 | 81.4 | 76.3 | 37.6 | 30.8 | |
Fallout 4 | 145.9 | 139.2 | 96 | 78.4 | 32.4 | |
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 | 141.1 | 138.4 | 109.2 | 98.9 | 36 | |
Anno 2205 | 116.3 | 110.3 | 55.6 | 17.5 | 21.4 | |
FIFA 16 | 302.4 | 247 | 173.1 | 70.8 | ||
Mad Max | 225 | 157.4 | 145.1 | 49.7 | ||
Batman: Arkham Knight | 119 | 108 | 61 | 42 | 18 | |
The Witcher 3 | 205.1 | 144.7 | 84.8 | 47.6 | 28.4 | |
Dirt Rally | 374.4 | 168 | 135.6 | 83.3 | 71.4 | |
Battlefield Hardline | 163.1 | 155 | 123 | 100 | ||
Evolve | 189.3 | 178.3 | 130.7 | 117.2 | ||
Dragon Age: Inquisition | 161.3 | 147.8 | 100 | 70 | ||
Far Cry 4 | 117.4 | 114.3 | 101.7 | 89.9 | ||
Assassin's Creed Unity | 117.1 | 110.5 | 83.6 | 46 | ||
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 153.9 | 115.4 | 106.8 | 65.6 | ||
Civilization: Beyond Earth | 159.4 | 150.9 | 115.2 | 104.6 | ||
F1 2014 | 118 | 118 | 118 | 112 | ||
The Evil Within | 74.8 | 73.8 | 53.8 | |||
Ryse: Son of Rome | 63.6 | 62.9 | 65 | 65 | ||
Alien: Isolation | 264.9 | 237.9 | 153 | 114.1 | ||
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 268.9 | 209.4 | 119 | 98 | ||
Fifa 15 | 380.3 | 288.1 | 211.7 | 96 | ||
Sims 4 | 193.2 | 157.7 | 119.8 | 104.8 | ||
Risen 3: Titan Lords | 35.2 | 35.2 | 35 | 37.6 | ||
GRID: Autosport | 374.1 | 207.4 | 165.7 | 118.8 | ||
Watch Dogs | 103.6 | 89.4 | 63.9 | 45.5 | ||
Wolfenstein: The New Order | 60 | 60 | 60 | 55.7 | ||
Thief | 125.5 | 119.7 | 107 | 85 | ||
Call of Duty: Ghosts | 238.3 | 204.1 | 140.2 | 90.2 | ||
Battlefield 4 | 199.6 | 199 | 196.6 | 104.3 | 48.7 | |
Saints Row IV | 76.6 | 88.9 | 90.9 | 92.5 | ||
Dota 2 | 119.7 | 119.7 | 119.4 | |||
Metro: Last Light | 139.7 | 137 | 116 | 81 | ||
BioShock Infinite | 290.2 | 273.1 | 220 | 131 | ||
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | 138.1 | 85.9 | ||||
Tomb Raider | 519 | 465.4 | 358 | 166 | ||
Crysis 3 | 154.4 | 138.3 | 111.7 | 56.3 | ||
Far Cry 3 | 145.4 | 137.9 | 117.1 | 74.5 | ||
Hitman: Absolution | 113.1 | 108.3 | 99.3 | 76.2 | ||
Guild Wars 2 | 160.7 | 76 | 70 | |||
Sleeping Dogs | 182.8 | 92.5 | ||||
< 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 1 18 28 | 1 21 23 | 4 30 15 | 1 12 31 5 | | 7 9 3 |
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List