High-end GPUs like Nvidia's new GTX 980 are all well and good, but not everyone wants to fork out $549 (£429) just to have the latest piece of graphics tech. Traditionally, the sweet spot for GPUs is somewhere in the middle, where the price/performance ratio is more sensibly balanced. Usually, that means taking a significant (if acceptable for the price) performance hit compared to the high-end cards, but something rather special has happened with the GTX 970.
Retailing at around $329 in the US, and £259 in the UK, the GTX 970 features the same GM204 chip as its bigger brother the GTX 980, but comes with less CUDA cores and slightly slower clock speed. However, because The 970 is based on the same power-efficient Maxwell architecture, it's a prime candidate for overclocking. With a stock TDP of just 145W (20W less than the GTX 980), there's a significant amount of headroom available for pushing the GPU--and the results are nothing short of spectacular for the price.

Zotac GTX 970 AMP! Omega Edition Specs
With such potential for overclocking, many Nvidia partners have taken to producing overclocked cards with significant bumps to power and cooling. Notably, while you can buy a cheaper stock version of the GTX 970 and still get a decent boost in performance out of it, these pre-overclocked GPUs don't command too much of price premium over their stock counterparts. The 970 I'm looking at, Zotac's GTX 970 AMP! Omega Edition, goes for £289 in the UK (US pricing TBC). For that price you get a beefy triple-slot cooler, along with two 8-pin power inputs for extra juice when overclocking, letting you boost it all the way to 171W.
| GPU | GTX 770 (Kepler) | Zotac AMP GTX 970 (Maxwell) | GTX 980 (Maxwell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 1536 | 1664 | 2048 |
| Base Clock | 1046 MHz | 1102 MHz | 1126 MHz |
| GPU Boost Clock | 1085 MHz | 1241 MHz | 1216 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 7000 MHz | 7046 MHz | 7000 MHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/sec | 224 GB/sec | 224 GB/sec |
| Memory Bus Width | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| ROPs | 32 | 64 | 64 |
| TDP | 230W | 171W (up to) | 165W |
| Manufacturing Process | 28-nm | 28-nm | 28-nm |

The Zotac 970 comes with a base clock of 1102 MHz, and a boost clock of 1241 MHz, a significant increase over the 1050 MHz and 1178 MHz of the stock card. Impressively, that boost clock is also slightly higher than the 1216 MHz of a stock GTX 980. With all that power and cooling on board, there's definitely room to overclock the Zotac 970 even more (with some reporting stable boost clocks of 1469MHz), but the benchmarks below are based on the out-of-the box experience. Elsewhere, there's the same 4GB of GDDR5 memory as the GTX 980, tied to a 256-bit bus. You also get all the other benefits of Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, including support for VXGI, DSR, and MFAA, which you can read more about in the GTX 980 review.
Benchmarks
But enough of the fluff: just how did the Zotac 970 perform? I tested it out using the same rig I used for the GTX 980, which featured an Intel Core i5-3570K processor overclocked to 4.2Ghz, an Intel Z77 DZ77GA-70K motherboard, 16GB of 1866 MHz Corsair Dominator GT RAM, a 120GB Corsair Force LS SSD, and a Corsair HX 850 PSU.
Unigine Heaven
| GPU | Ultra @1080p, 8XAA FPS | Ultra @1440p, 8XAA, Extreme Tessellation | Ultra @4K, 8XAA, Extreme Tessellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 55 | 34 | 17 |
| GTX 980 | 61 | 37 | 20 |
| GTX 970 | 53 | 31 | 17 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 55 | 35 | 21 |
| GTX 780 | 49 | 31 | 18 |
| GTX 680 | 34 | 21 | 4 |
Tomb Raider
| GPU | Ultra @1080p, TressFX, FXAA FPS | Ultra @1440p, TressFX, FXAA FPS | Ultra @4K, TressFX, No AA |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 74 | 52 | 27 |
| GTX 980 | 77 | 53 | 28 |
| GTX 970 | 73 | 49 | 25 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 74 | 49 | 27 |
| GTX 780 | 60 | 42 | 22 |
| GTX 680 | 49 | 32 | - |
Metro: Last Light
| GPU | Ultra @1080p, Tessellation Normal, 2XSSAA, Advanced PhysX Off FPS | Ultra @1440p, Tessellation Normal, 2XSSAA, Advanced PhysX Off FPS | Ultra @4K, Tessellation Normal, No AA, Advanced PhysX Off FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 72 | 44 | 39 |
| GTX 980 | 74 | 47 | 43 |
| GTX 970 | 72 | 43 | 38 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 77 | 47 | 41 |
| GTX 780 | 64 | 38 | 35 |
| GTX 680 | 48 | 27 | - |
Battlefield 4
| GPU | Ultra @1080p, 2XMSAA, HBAO FPS | Ultra @1440p, 2XMSAA, HBAO FPS | Ultra @4K, No AA, HBAO FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 77 | 54 | 37 |
| GTX 980 | 93 | 64 | 44 |
| GTX 970 | 83 | 58 | 40 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 82 | 60 | 38 |
| GTX 780 | 78 | 51 | 32 |
| GTX 680 | 60 | 40 | - |
Crysis 3
| GPU | Very High @1080p, 2XMSAA FPS | Very High @1440p, 2XMSAA FPS | Very High @4K, No AA FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 46 | 29 | 17 |
| GTX 980 | 52 | 37 | 20 |
| GTX 970 | 52 | 32 | 16 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 54 | 33 | 19 |
| GTX 780 | 48 | 30 | 16 |
| GTX 680 | 40 | 21 | - |
Bioshock Infinite
| GPU | Ultra @1080p, AO, AA FPS | Ultra @1440p, AO, AA FPS | Ultra @4K, AO, AA FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| R9 290X | 120 | 86 | 46 |
| GTX 980 | 140 | 90 | 52 |
| GTX 970 | 134 | 92 | 48 |
| GTX 780 Ti | 134 | 92 | 49 |
| GTX 780 | 110 | 73 | 39 |
| GTX 680 | 92 | 60 |
Verdict
Ah, the march of progress. The GTX 780 Ti--which commanded a hefty $699 (£559) at launch and used a full 250W of power--is now, less than year later, largely matched by a £289 card that consumes up to just 171W of power. AMD's flagships--the R9 290 and R9 290X--are now essentially irrelevant. They're wildly inefficient, hot GPUs by comparison, and cost around the same price (more in the US), but are easily bested in the benchmarks by the 970. Even AMD's monster dual-gpu R9 295X2, previously the best value choice for 4K gaming, has its work cut out for it. Two 970s would be far cheaper, run cooler, use less power, and--based on the single-gpu benchmarks at least--run faster. Such a setup would only cost slightly more than a single 980 too.

That's a very impressive result, and one that makes the substantially more expensive 980 that much less desirable. Of course, the 980 is more powerful, and if you want the absolute best in performance, it's still the GPU to get. It, too, is a similarly capable overclocker, which'll push its performance even further. But there's not as big a difference between the two as you might expect, and for those with a more modest budget, the 970 is, comparatively speaking, an absolute bargain. You get silky smooth 1080p at the highest settings, and excellent performance at 1440p.
Zotac's AMP! Omega version of the card is a great piece of kit too; under load, temperatures rarely crept above 70 degrees, giving you plenty of headroom for more overclocking, and at only a small bump in price over the stock 970. The only downside to the Zotac is its triple-slot cooler, which means you need a roomy case to fit one, or a pair of them, in. Regardless of whether you pick a stock card or a pre-overclocked one, though, Nvidia's GTX 970 is cool, quiet, and far more powerful than anything in its price range ought to be. Without a doubt, the GTX 970 is the GPU bargain of the year.
Discussion
seems to be on par with the the R9 280x, which can be found a little cheaper, and factor in the 3 games for gold, one being star citizen and the AMD looks like a better value, no?
I've had Radeon 7970 for over 2 years, never been so happy with a graphic cards before. But i think its time to upgrade soon, should i just get another one for dual 7970? Or just get a new card?
So this benchmark shows the GTX 970 at normal stock, correct? I mean both aren't overclocked?
I think right now 270X is the best value for money thing out there. Plus getting some nice bundle games from ati. I'm happy within the 270X high fps in 1080p and I don't see a reason spending money for 2k/4k gaming yet. I like to get the most with less, and don't drop much more money on my pc.
Great review Mark. I'm in the market for a new gpu and was watching R9 290x price drops. That card however, comes out of the box with the clocks so high it runs at 95C already. For the same price I can get a card with better benchmarks at stock specs and headroom for some serious overclocking in the future. What a difference a year makes.
You need 3G+ to do high res gaming (2K/4K). 2G just does not cut it. If you are only running 1080P or 1200P, don't bother, 2G is awesome.
Oh yeah, I also have an Xbox One and a PS4....Don't even come close. They do look good, but side to side, not even close.
Impressive. But I think I'll stick with my "incredible" bargain of last year's cards. My GTX 650 Ti Boost OC 2GB Windforce. The card has given me performance that has made me rather disinterested in the current market at large.
Does the m series normally come out around the same time? because I was thinking about getting a laptop with an 860m should I wait for the 960m?
Hope the 960 is as impressive and competitively priced. Sub $250 please!!!
So I suppose the question is.. Should I sell my 690 and get two 970s? Hmmmmmm
LOL Okay PC fanboys, I'll wait till PC's catch up to PS4 till I consider 'upgrading'.
This cards are almost 500$ in Europe right now, and thus more expensive than their AMD counterparts, I wonder why that is...
ASUS & MSI versions are better
If it's that much of a bargain, they must see something coming in the future nobody knows about and they're trying to get these sold as fast as possible.
My 970 should be turning up today, I have been an AMD/ATI user for years jumping ship for 2 reasons:
1) AMD drivers are not getting released quick quick enough (last non beta driver was April)
2) For that price it would be stupid not to get one of these
Damn.
That is cheaper than I paid for my MSI GTX 770 in April.
Soo 970 is good pick also , there's not much difference between those two.
k, guess I'll sell my 280x then.
Anyone here understands why laptop gpus comes with more vram than their desktop counterparts?A laptop gtx 880m has 8gb of vram!While the much stronger gtx 980 has only 4gb of vram?Why?
@mundus i wouldnt recommend getting a second 2 year old card. A new single card this year and definitely next year will be faster than 2 of your cards. If you are doing fine with your current card, then I'd say get a big dog next year
@amiga499 r9 280x over here!!!!! and quite pleased
@cratecruncher That's only a reference 290/X. Cards like MSI Gaming 290 or XFX 290X or Sapphire Tri-X 290 run at 70-85C and are quiet too. I still think a 970 at $330 is a good value but MSI Gaming 290 at $250 is even better. Even though 290X has dropped to $330 now, the $80 premium over R9 290 isn't worth it at all. The Zotac Omega reviewed is actually $370, 48% more expensive than R9 290 for 10% more performance.
@mantiis you might have been fine..but the new games coming out now will be needed more than 2gigs of ram to run at the highest settngs. I have the 650 too..and I'm thinking of upgrading after the new year
@mantiis 600 series is getting old now. I'll replace my gtx 660 with a gtx 960 if it comes out.
@mantiis Huh? How would a 650 Ti make you disinterested? These cards are immensely stronger than one of those...
@FuzzyPancakes I don't think laptops will get the 900 series since the 800 series (800m) is only for laptops and also has maxwell.
@YoungSinatra25 960 is delayed to Q1 2015.
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/nvidia-geforce-gtx-960-pushed-back-to-q1-2015.html
No point in waiting that long since you can get ~ 970 level of performance at $250 already:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127774
Or just get the 970 at $330 and enjoy 6 months of gaming over the winter.
@IJONOI Honestly, if you're up for it yes, but if you're willing to wait about a year or two then wait for their next line-up, pascal, it is going to be way more innovative and cost affective, as well as strong.
@pyosisified you sir live in console distortion space.
So you're considering already then? I mean the ps4 was old technology when it released bro. How can you buld a high end gaming PC for 400 dollars? The answer is you couldnt then and you still can't now. Anyone who buys a console for anything but console exclusives is being lied to
So you're considering then? Ps4 was already old technology when it released
@pyosisified Incredible you're isolated from the world, PS4 it's like having a 2010 PC, hard to run 1080p.
@pyosisified By comparison. if the war between PS4 and PC was an arm wrestling match, PC would smack PS4's hand so hard it would hit the table so hard it would make a sonic boom.
@pyosisified http://theunsanity.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/gloriouspc.jpg
https://www.elitedangerous.com/extra/newsletter_2014_07_25/16K_Type6_7.jpg?utm_source=Elite%253A+Dangerous+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c5e7202cb7-Newsletter_33&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb767c006f-c5e7202cb7-302066473
@pyosisified a single card is running next gen games at almost max settings in 4k at mostly playable frame rates... Most games on PS4 and Xbox one are struggling to get some games to play at 720p at 30 fps where most cards that are a few years old can run the same games at 1080 above 60 fps. although you do get a good deal on consoles if you are considering price, and some PC's do get around similar specs currently for the same price, and the only way you are going to get the same specs for less than console is if you build it your self... so console is not a bad deal, but if you're not talking about price than PC's are obviously pretty far ahead.
@pyosisified Have you been living in a deserted island? PCs surpassed New-gen consoles years ago mate. ;)
@pyosisified lol
@Kristhomas123 More or less, talking about nvidia Zotac is good but i always go Gigabyte, the best cooling system
@Kristhomas123 EVGA all the way
@saturatedbutter These cards are still using 28nm. It was rumored that these were going to use 20nm. I think the 980 is a bad deal. Upgrading the 970 a few years later with the money you save would be smarter. Play the waiting game though, and you'll never buy new hardware lol
@lon3wolf2002 Good luck, Nvidia had a shocker beta and didn't fix it for ages (cards overheating). At least AMD will quickly re release beta and they work just fine. I always use beta on my 290x's and they release them pretty often. If you have a new card use beta drivers as they are constantly releasing drivers when new GPU and games come out. Much better system IMO.
@danjammer69
Yeah must be a bit annoying for people that have just done that, someone at work bought a 780 ti not so long ago, bet he is a bit mad now.
@wexorian Overclock the 970 about +125mhz core and +400mhz mem and you get a stock 980. ;)
@skrypa
Onboard graphics use the system RAM as well as what is on the dedicated chip, well that's how it used to always work before.
@skrypa because 980 has more cuda cores and speed it don't need so much vram.
@BestJinjo Interesting. I actually prefer AMD products having had Nvidia issues in the past. I'll take a second look. I have an AMD 5770 ridiculously overclocked at the moment so it's just a matter of time..... Surely AMD has got something new in the pipeline too. At the very least, a new AMD card would cause a 970 price drop to $250.
@rusher25 @FuzzyPancakes oh thanks, I just found this: http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980m-mobile-maxwell-flagship-in-october.html
I hope its true, it talks about the 900m series and they say the 980m will be out around October or November
This is the problem with PC upgrading. You could play the waiting game indefinitely :) seems the price of the 690 has dropped dramatically as well lately. Even though it's still the most powerful single unit out there. Hmmm what to do. I don't know if I can deal with just 4gb of vram going forward.
@ecter1216 @Kristhomas123 The only advantage EVGA has is extended 5 and 10 year warranty. MSI Gaming and Asus Strix turn off the fans up to 60C which makes them inaudible at idle. They also have less chance of coil whine that's common in EVGA 970 non-reference cards. And of course the coolers on Asus Strix, MSI Gaming and especially Gigabyte G1 970 are far superior in temperatures and noise levels at load than the EVGA ACX 2.0. EVGA really dropped the ball this generation.
@astrix_au
I used AMD/ATI for 10 years before swapping back to NVidia it is only lately they have been bad with drivers for their cards. Was time for an upgrade anyway and the 970 sounds like an excellent mid price card, if I have enough issues with NVidia software/hardware then I'll swap back. Simples
@lon3wolf2002 @skrypa Actually, the gtx 880m is a top laptop gpu and it really has 8gb of gddr5 dedicated video ram!This 8gb is not shared with the main ram.
@IJONOI You should be ok with a 690. I would wait till next year if I were you
@lon3wolf2002 @astrix_au i went from nvidia to amd because of 3d problems, and i realize latest amd drivers and mantle are something nvidia will have to fight to. Is amazing how good mantle games perform.
@skrypa @lon3wolf2002
Actually that's why I said "well that's how it used work before", things change and I have not had to look Onboard/Laptop graphics in years as I game on a desktop. :D
@lon3wolf2002 @skrypa I see :)
@skrypa @lon3wolf2002 They most likely are just doing it for marketing, as I doubt the thing can even utilize all 8 gb. Don't take me up on that though, just an inference.