RX 5700 XT vs GTX 970 Max-Q
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RX 5700 XT | GTX 970 Max-Q | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,412 | 959 | +255.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 42 | 26 | +61.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 24 | 14 | +71.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 13 | 7 | +85.7% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 9.8 | 2.7 | +255.8% |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR6 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 448 | 224 | +100.0% |
| TDP (W) | 225 | 65 | — |
- RX 5700 XT averages 24 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 71% faster.
- GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 225W).
Verdict: RX 5700 XT or GTX 970 Max-Q?
RX 5700 XT advantages
- 1440p gaming (+42%)
- 4K gaming (+46%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+72%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
GTX 970 Max-Q advantages
- Power efficiency (+71%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RX 5700 XT if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RX 5700 XT if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
RX 5700 XT vs GTX 970 Max-Q: which should you choose?
RX 5700 XT — AMD desktop graphics card (2019, RDNA 1) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 24 fps at 1440p; launched at $399.
GTX 970 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 14 fps at 1440p.
RX 5700 XT vs GTX 970 Max-Q: RX 5700 XT is faster for gaming. RX 5700 XT averages 24 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 71% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 225W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RX 5700 XT averages 24 fps against 14. At 4K (13 vs 7 fps) VRAM (8GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 225 W versus 65 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 RX 5700 XT better than the GTX 970 Max-Q?
RX 5700 XT is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RX 5700 XT averages 24 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 71% faster.
What is the main difference between the RX 5700 XT and the GTX 970 Max-Q?
RX 5700 XT averages 24 fps at 1440p versus 14 fps — about 71% faster. GTX 970 Max-Q draws less power (65W vs 225W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RX 5700 XT if you game at 1440p. Choose the GTX 970 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
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.