GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is a Maxwell-architecture upper-mid-range GPU launched in late 2014, positioned between the mainstream GTX 960 and the high-end GTX 980. It was widely praised at release for delivering near-GTX-980 performance at a considerably lower price.

The GTX 970 features 4GB of GDDR5 memory and a TDP of 145W. Shortly after launch, NVIDIA clarified that the card's memory architecture partitions the 4GB into a 3.5GB pool and a slower 0.5GB pool, which can cause a notable performance drop when VRAM usage exceeds the 3.5GB threshold — a fact that was not disclosed at launch and generated significant controversy. The card uses no hardware ray-tracing cores, no Tensor cores, and predates DLSS.

Despite the VRAM controversy, the GTX 970 was a strong performer at 1080p and capable at 1440p for its era. It targeted enthusiast gamers who wanted high-quality visuals without the flagship price. It is now well into legacy territory and has been thoroughly outpaced by modern mid-range offerings.