GTX 970 Max-Q vs RX 6900 XT
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 970 Max-Q | RX 6900 XT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 959 | 9,676 | -90.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 26 | 84 | -69.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 14 | 52 | -73.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 7 | 29 | -75.9% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 2.7 | 23.0 | -88.1% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 16 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 448 | -50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 65 | 300 | — |
- RX 6900 XT averages 52 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 73% faster.
- GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 300W).
Verdict: GTX 970 Max-Q or RX 6900 XT?
GTX 970 Max-Q advantages
- Power efficiency (+78%)
RX 6900 XT advantages
- 1440p gaming (+73%)
- 4K gaming (+76%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+90%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RX 6900 XT if you game at 1440p.
GTX 970 Max-Q vs RX 6900 XT: which should you choose?
GTX 970 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 14 fps at 1440p.
RX 6900 XT — AMD desktop graphics card (2020, RDNA 2) with 16 GB of GDDR6, averaging 52 fps at 1440p; launched at $999.
GTX 970 Max-Q vs RX 6900 XT: RX 6900 XT is faster for gaming. RX 6900 XT averages 52 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 73% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 300W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RX 6900 XT averages 52 fps against 14. At 4K (7 vs 29 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 16GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 65 W versus 300 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 RX 6900 XT?
RX 6900 XT is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RX 6900 XT averages 52 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 73% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 970 Max-Q and the RX 6900 XT?
RX 6900 XT averages 52 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 73% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 300W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the RX 6900 XT 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.