Radeon RX 6500 XT vs GeForce GTX 970

Place in the ranking	213	218
Place by popularity	57	85
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	13.64	58.35
Power efficiency	11.67	16.02
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code name	GM204	Navi 24
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	19 September 2014 (10 years ago)	19 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$329	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 6500 XT has 328% better value for money than GTX 970.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1664	1024
Core clock speed	1050 MHz	2610 MHz
Boost clock speed	1178 MHz	2815 MHz
Number of transistors	5,200 million	5,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	148 Watt	107 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	98 °C	no data
Texture fill rate	122.5	180.2
Floating-point processing power	3.92 TFLOPS	5.765 TFLOPS
ROPs	56	32
TMUs	104	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Bus support	PCI Express 3.0	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x4
Length	267 mm	no data
Height	4.376" (11.1 cm)	no data
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	500 Watt	no data
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
SLI options	+	-

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	64 Bit
Memory clock speed	7.0 GB/s	2248 MHz
Memory bandwidth	224 GB/s	143.9 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2	1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
Multi monitor support	4 displays	no data
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	+	-
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536	no data
G-SYNC support	+	-
Audio input for HDMI	Internal	no data

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream	+	-
GeForce ShadowPlay	+	-
GPU Boost	2.0	no data
GameWorks	+	-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.4	6.6
OpenGL	4.4	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	2.2
Vulkan	1.1.126	1.3
CUDA	+	-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 970 24.98
+0.7%

RX 6500 XT 24.80

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 970 9637
+0.7%

RX 6500 XT 9569

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 970 16033

RX 6500 XT 22954
+43.2%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 970 42263

RX 6500 XT 76445
+80.9%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 970 11954

RX 6500 XT 15712
+31.4%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 970 72819

RX 6500 XT 91909
+26.2%

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 970 422295
+18.6%

RX 6500 XT 356129

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	80 +27%	63 −27%
1440p	49 +63.3%	30 −63.3%
4K	38 +124%	17 −124%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	4.11	3.16
1440p	6.71	6.63
4K	8.66	11.71

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

40−45

−75.6%

72
+75.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	55−60 +1.9%	50−55 −1.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 −18.6%	51 +18.6%
Battlefield 5	80−85 +1.2%	80−85 −1.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 +2%	50−55 −2%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 −31.7%	54 +31.7%
Far Cry 5	55−60 +0%	55−60 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0.7%	140−150 −0.7%
Hitman 3	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	110−120 +0.9%	110−120 −0.9%
Metro Exodus	85−90 +1.2%	85−90 −1.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	65−70 +1.6%	60−65 −1.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	85−90 +1.2%	80−85 −1.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 +0%	100−110 +0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	55−60 +1.9%	50−55 −1.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 +0%	43 +0%
Battlefield 5	80−85 +1.2%	80−85 −1.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	52 +4%	50−55 −4%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 +20.6%	34 −20.6%
Far Cry 5	55−60 +0%	55−60 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	29 −124%	65−70 +124%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0.7%	140−150 −0.7%
Hitman 3	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	110−120 +0.9%	110−120 −0.9%
Metro Exodus	35 −143%	85−90 +143%
Red Dead Redemption 2	65−70 +1.6%	60−65 −1.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	85−90 −25.9%	107 +25.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	109 +106%	50−55 −106%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 +0%	100−110 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	55−60 +1.9%	50−55 −1.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 +38.7%	31 −38.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	36 −38.9%	50−55 +38.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 +36.7%	30 −36.7%
Far Cry 5	55−60 +0%	55−60 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0.7%	140−150 −0.7%
Hitman 3	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	110−120 +25%	92 −25%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	85−90 +2.4%	83 −2.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	43 −25.6%	54 +25.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 +312%	25 −312%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

65−70
+1.6%

60−65

−1.6%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	45−50 +0%	45−50 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	24−27 +4.3%	23 −4.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	16−18 −6.3%	17 +6.3%
Far Cry 5	27−30 +3.6%	27−30 −3.6%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +1.4%	140−150 −1.4%
Hitman 3	30−33 +3.4%	27−30 −3.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 −26.9%	66 +26.9%
Metro Exodus	45−50 −21.3%	57 +21.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	55−60 −1.8%	56 +1.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	30−35 +3.3%	30−33 −3.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	140−150 +0.7%	140−150 −0.7%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

40−45
+2.4%

40−45

−2.4%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 +4.2%	24−27 −4.2%
Far Cry New Dawn	20 +5.3%	18−20 −5.3%
Hitman 3	20−22 +100%	10 −100%
Horizon Zero Dawn	120−130 +0.8%	120−130 −0.8%
Metro Exodus	23 −21.7%	27−30 +21.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	29 +3.6%	28 −3.6%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +117%	6 −117%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 +50%	4 −50%
Far Cry 5	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	30−35 +0%	30−35 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	30−33 +20%	25 −20%
Watch Dogs: Legion	10−12 +10%	10 −10%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

21−24
+4.8%

21−24

−4.8%

This is how GTX 970 and RX 6500 XT compete in popular games:

GTX 970 is 27% faster in 1080p
GTX 970 is 63% faster in 1440p
GTX 970 is 124% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 970 is 312% faster.
in Metro Exodus, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RX 6500 XT is 143% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 970 is ahead in 41 test (57%)
RX 6500 XT is ahead in 13 tests (18%)
there's a draw in 18 tests (25%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	24.98	24.80
Recency	19 September 2014	19 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	148 Watt	107 Watt

GTX 970 has a 0.7% higher aggregate performance score.

RX 6500 XT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 7 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 366.7% more advanced lithography process, and 38.3% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon RX 6500 XT.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.