GTX 970M vs L40
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 970M | L40 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 931 | 31,682 | -97.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 26 | 231 | -88.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 14 | 147 | -90.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 7 | 84 | -91.7% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 2.7 | 90.5 | -97.1% |
| VRAM | 3 GB GDDR5 | 48 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 120 | 864 | -86.1% |
| TDP (W) | 81 | 300 | — |
- L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 90% faster.
- GTX 970M draws less power (81W vs 300W).
Verdict: GTX 970M or L40?
GTX 970M advantages
- Power efficiency (+73%)
L40 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+90%)
- 4K gaming (+92%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+97%)
- Video memory (+94%)
- Memory bandwidth (+86%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 970M if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the L40 if you game at 1440p.
GTX 970M vs L40: which should you choose?
GTX 970M — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 3 GB of GDDR5, averaging 14 fps at 1440p.
L40 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2022, Ada Lovelace) with 48 GB of GDDR6, averaging 147 fps at 1440p.
GTX 970M vs L40: L40 is faster for gaming. L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 90% faster. GTX 970M draws less power (81W vs 300W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the L40 averages 147 fps against 14. At 4K (7 vs 84 fps) VRAM (3GB vs 48GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 81 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 970M better than the L40?
L40 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 90% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 970M and the L40?
L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 90% faster. GTX 970M draws less power (81W vs 300W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 970M if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the L40 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.