GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop vs GeForce GTX 970
On raw speed the GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop comes out dramatically faster — about 80% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970.
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Only verified data for GeForce GTX 970 is available. Benchmarks for other models are currently being processed.
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GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop vs GeForce GTX 970: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop vs GeForce GTX 970
The GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop is dramatically faster, around 80% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Power & Efficiency
At 80W against 145W, the GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop carries 6GB versus 4GB on the GeForce GTX 970. The extra 2GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers. The GeForce GTX 970's memory is also faster — 224 GB/s versus 192 GB/s (256-bit vs 192-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce GTX 970 (Pascal vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop or GeForce GTX 970?
The GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop is the faster card by about 80%. Since one of these is a laptop GPU, its listed price covers the whole system rather than just the chip, so it isn't directly comparable — base your decision on the spec differences above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop better than the GeForce GTX 970?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop or the GeForce GTX 970?
Does the GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop or GeForce GTX 970?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | Maxwell |
| Process Node | TSMC 16nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / CUDA Cores) | 1,280 | 1,664✓ |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 0 | — |
| Tensor / AI Cores | 0 | — |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,404 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,670 MHz✓ | 1,178 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB✓ | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 256-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 8 Gbps✓ | 7 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 224.3 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1060 Laptop | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 80 W✓ | 145 W |
| Power Connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |
| Released | Aug 2016 | Sep 2014 |