GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 380
The GeForce GTX 970 is dramatically faster than the Radeon R9 380, leading by roughly 67% in our performance index. The Radeon R9 380, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $3,152 SEK cheaper.
Market Value Leader
Radeon R9 380 is the clear winner, offering 571.2% better value than GeForce GTX 970.
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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.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon R9 380 starts at $309 SEK against $3,461 SEK for the GeForce GTX 970. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 380 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~571% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 380 still sits about $110 SEK above its $199 SEK MSRP. The GeForce GTX 970 still sits about $3,132 SEK above its $329 SEK MSRP.
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?
Choose the GeForce GTX 970 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 380 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
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?
Is the GeForce GTX 970 worth the extra $3,152 SEK over 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 |