GTX 970 Max-Q vs RTX 2080 Super
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 970 Max-Q | RTX 2080 Super | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 959 | 3,902 | -75.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 26 | 46 | -43.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 14 | 26 | -46.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 7 | 14 | -50.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 2.7 | 11.2 | -75.4% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 448 | -50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 65 | 250 | — |
- RTX 2080 Super averages 26 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 46% faster.
- GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 250W).
Verdict: GTX 970 Max-Q or RTX 2080 Super?
GTX 970 Max-Q advantages
- Power efficiency (+74%)
RTX 2080 Super advantages
- 1440p gaming (+46%)
- 4K gaming (+50%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+75%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RTX 2080 Super if you game at 1440p.
GTX 970 Max-Q vs RTX 2080 Super: which should you choose?
GTX 970 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 14 fps at 1440p.
RTX 2080 Super — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 26 fps at 1440p; launched at $699.
GTX 970 Max-Q vs RTX 2080 Super: RTX 2080 Super is faster for gaming. RTX 2080 Super averages 26 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 46% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 250W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 2080 Super averages 26 fps against 14. At 4K (7 vs 14 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 65 W versus 250 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 970 Max-Q better than the RTX 2080 Super?
RTX 2080 Super is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 2080 Super averages 26 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 46% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 970 Max-Q and the RTX 2080 Super?
RTX 2080 Super averages 26 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 46% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 250W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the RTX 2080 Super if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.