GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
The GeForce GTX 1080 is dramatically faster than the GeForce GTX 970, leading by roughly 160% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce GTX 970: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce GTX 970
The GeForce GTX 1080 is dramatically faster, around 160% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p. The GeForce GTX 1080 packs 2,560 CUDA cores versus 1,664 on the GeForce GTX 970.
Price & Value
Right now the GeForce GTX 970 starts at $344 EUR against $535 EUR for the GeForce GTX 1080. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1080 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 67%. The GeForce GTX 1080 is trading below its $599 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 970 pulls less power (145W vs 180W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster GeForce GTX 1080 draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 4GB, the GeForce GTX 1080 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 970's 4GB can fall short. The GeForce GTX 1080's memory is also faster — 320 GB/s versus 224 GB/s — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce GTX 1080 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 1080 or GeForce GTX 970?
The GeForce GTX 1080 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce GTX 970 if you find it at a steep discount.