GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon RX 590
The Radeon RX 590 is a massive performance leap — leading the GeForce GTX 970 by roughly 40% in our performance index. The GeForce GTX 970, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $55 USD cheaper.
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Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GTX 970: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GTX 970
The Radeon RX 590 is dramatically faster, around 40% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
On price, expect to pay $65 USD for the GeForce GTX 970 versus $120 USD for the Radeon RX 590. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 970 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~32% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The GeForce GTX 970 is trading below its $329 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 590 is trading below its $279 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 970 draws just 145W versus 225W for the Radeon RX 590, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 4GB, the Radeon RX 590 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 970's 4GB can fall short.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 590 is roughly 4 years newer than the GeForce GTX 970 (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 970 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 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 RX 590?
Choose the Radeon RX 590 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 970 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 590 better than the GeForce GTX 970?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 970 or the Radeon RX 590?
Is the Radeon RX 590 worth the extra $55 USD over the GeForce GTX 970?
Does the Radeon RX 590 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon RX 590?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | GloFo 12nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,664 | 2,304✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,469 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,545 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps | 8 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s | 256 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 145 W✓ | 225 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Nov 2018 |