GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 380
The GeForce GTX 970 is a massive performance leap — leading the Radeon R9 380 by roughly 67% in our performance index.
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GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 380: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 380
The GeForce GTX 970 is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the Radeon R9 380. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 970 draws just 145W versus 190W for the Radeon R9 380, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 4GB against 2GB, the GeForce GTX 970 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon R9 380's 2GB can fall short.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 970 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon R9 380 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 R9 380?
The GeForce GTX 970 is the faster card by about 67%. 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 GeForce GTX 970 better than the Radeon R9 380?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 970 or the Radeon R9 380?
Does the GeForce GTX 970 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 380?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 380 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 3.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,664 | 1,792✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 380 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,050 MHz✓ | 970 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz✓ | 970 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 380 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB✓ | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 5.5 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s✓ | 176 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 380 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 145 W✓ | 190 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Jun 2015 |