GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
Market Value Leader
Market comparison is currently pending while we verify the latest benchmarks for GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon RX 590.
The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster than the GeForce GTX 970, leading by roughly 40% in our performance index.
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Comparable or lower specs
Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GTX 970: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GTX 970
The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster, around 40% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 970 draws just 145W versus 225W for the Radeon RX 590, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 4GB, the Radeon RX 590 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 970's 4GB can fall short.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 590 is roughly 4 years newer than the GeForce GTX 970 (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 970 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon RX 590?
The Radeon RX 590 is the faster card by about 40%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above — particularly VRAM and power draw — and check current stock before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 590 better than the GeForce GTX 970?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 970 or the Radeon RX 590?
Does the Radeon RX 590 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | GloFo 12nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,664 | 2,304✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,469 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,545 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps | 8 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s | 256 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 145 W✓ | 225 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Nov 2018 |