GTX 970 vs RTX 3070 Mobile
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 970 | RTX 3070 Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,372 | 7,443 | -81.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 69 | -58.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 15 | 42 | -64.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 23 | -65.2% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 3.9 | 17.3 | -77.4% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 448 | -50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 145 | 132 | — |
- RTX 3070 Mobile averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster.
- RTX 3070 Mobile draws less power (132W vs 145W).
Verdict: GTX 970 or RTX 3070 Mobile?
GTX 970 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
RTX 3070 Mobile advantages
- 1440p gaming (+64%)
- 4K gaming (+65%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+82%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
- Power efficiency (+9%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 3070 Mobile if you game at 1440p.
GTX 970 vs RTX 3070 Mobile: which should you choose?
GTX 970 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 15 fps at 1440p; launched at $329.
RTX 3070 Mobile — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2020, Ampere) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 42 fps at 1440p.
GTX 970 vs RTX 3070 Mobile: RTX 3070 Mobile is faster for gaming. RTX 3070 Mobile averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster. RTX 3070 Mobile draws less power (132W vs 145W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 3070 Mobile averages 42 fps against 15. At 4K (8 vs 23 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 145 W versus 132 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 better than the RTX 3070 Mobile?
RTX 3070 Mobile is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 3070 Mobile averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 970 and the RTX 3070 Mobile?
RTX 3070 Mobile averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster. RTX 3070 Mobile draws less power (132W vs 145W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 3070 Mobile 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.