GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB vs GTX 970M

Place in the ranking	355	348
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	12.62	13.18
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)	Pascal (2016−2021)
GPU code name	GM204	GP106
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Release date	7 October 2014 (10 years ago)	27 June 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$2,560.89	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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	1280	1280
Core clock speed	924 MHz	1063 MHz
Boost clock speed	1038 MHz	1480 MHz
Number of transistors	5,200 million	4,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	16 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	unknown	80 Watt
Texture fill rate	83.04	118.4
Floating-point processing power	2.657 TFLOPS	3.789 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	48
TMUs	80	80

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).

Laptop size	large	large
Bus support	PCI Express 3.0	no data
Interface	MXM-B (3.0)	PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors	None	None
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	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	3 GB	6 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	2500 MHz	2002 MHz
Memory bandwidth	120 GB/s	192.2 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	No outputs	No outputs
VGA аnalog display support	+	no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	+	no data
HDMI	+	-
G-SYNC support	+	+

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	+	-
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	+	-
Optimus	+	-
BatteryBoost	+	-
VR Ready	no data	+
Ansel	+	no data

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (12_1)
Shader Model	6.4	6.4
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.1	1.2
Vulkan	1.1.126	1.2.131
CUDA	+	6.1

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 970M 14.85

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 15.32
+3.2%

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 970M 5710

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 5891
+3.2%

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 970M 9878

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 13334
+35%

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 970M 7463

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 10430
+39.8%

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 970M 51247

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 74101
+44.6%

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 970M 274626

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB 367999
+34%

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:

900p	136 −2.9%	140−150 +2.9%
Full HD	56 −42.9%	80 +42.9%
1440p	25 +66.7%	15 −66.7%
4K	22 −36.4%	30 +36.4%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	45.73	no data
1440p	102.44	no data
4K	116.40	no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −3.4%	30−33 +3.4%
Elden Ring	45−50 −4.4%	45−50 +4.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	46 −8.7%	50−55 +8.7%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −3.4%	30−33 +3.4%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −3.3%	60−65 +3.3%
Metro Exodus	41 −2.4%	40−45 +2.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%
Valorant	55−60 −3.4%	60−65 +3.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	46 −8.7%	50−55 +8.7%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −3.4%	30−33 +3.4%
Dota 2	33 −69.7%	56 +69.7%
Elden Ring	45−50 −4.4%	45−50 +4.4%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −1.8%	55−60 +1.8%
Fortnite	59 −55.9%	92 +55.9%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −3.3%	60−65 +3.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	49 −71.4%	84 +71.4%
Metro Exodus	29 −44.8%	40−45 +44.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	149 −17.4%	175 +17.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	44 −6.8%	45−50 +6.8%
Valorant	55−60 −3.4%	60−65 +3.4%
World of Tanks	190−200 −2.1%	190−200 +2.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	40 −25%	50−55 +25%
Counter-Strike 2	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −3.4%	30−33 +3.4%
Dota 2	50−55 −3.8%	55−60 +3.8%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −1.8%	55−60 +1.8%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −3.3%	60−65 +3.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	38 −26.3%	48 +26.3%
Valorant	55−60 −3.4%	60−65 +3.4%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	21−24 −4.8%	21−24 +4.8%
Elden Ring	21−24 −4.3%	24−27 +4.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	21−24 −4.5%	21−24 +4.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	130−140 −5.3%	130−140 +5.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
World of Tanks	100−110 −2.9%	100−110 +2.9%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	27 −14.8%	30−35 +14.8%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 +0%	10−12 +0%
Far Cry 5	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%
Metro Exodus	25 −36%	30−35 +36%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	18−20 −5.3%	20−22 +5.3%
Valorant	35−40 −2.7%	35−40 +2.7%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	10−11 −10%	10−12 +10%
Dota 2	33 −63.6%	54 +63.6%
Elden Ring	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
Grand Theft Auto V	33 −63.6%	54 +63.6%
Metro Exodus	7 −42.9%	10−11 +42.9%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	38 −50%	57 +50%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	33 −63.6%	54 +63.6%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	13 −7.7%	14−16 +7.7%
Counter-Strike 2	10−11 −10%	10−12 +10%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Dota 2	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Far Cry 5	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Fortnite	15 −60%	24 +60%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −4.8%	21−24 +4.8%
Valorant	16−18 −6.3%	16−18 +6.3%

This is how GTX 970M and GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB compete in popular games:

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is 3% faster in 900p
GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is 43% faster in 1080p
GTX 970M is 67% faster in 1440p
GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is 36% faster in 4K

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

in Grand Theft Auto V, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is 71% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB is ahead in 56 tests (89%)
there's a draw in 7 tests (11%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	14.85	15.32
Recency	7 October 2014	27 June 2017
Maximum RAM amount	3 GB	6 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	16 nm

GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB has a 3.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 75% more advanced lithography process.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 970M and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 6 GB.

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