NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI
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The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 965M. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture, which is the same chip as found on the GTX 980M, GTX 970M as well as several desktop cards. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 965M (924 MHz GPU, 1250 MHz memory).
With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
GM204 is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, which replaces the previous Kepler generation. Among other changes, Nvidia have restructured the streaming multi processors (SMM) in order to increase workload and efficiency. Now each SMM contains only 128 shader units and 8 TMUs, which is noticeably less than an equivalent Kepler GPU. The GM204 features four GPCs, and each consists of four SMMs. But, in the GeForce GTX 965M, Nvidia have deactivated 8 of 16 SMMs. As a result, only 1024 shader ALUs and 64 TMUs are active. In addition, there are 32 ROPs in two clusters with 16 units each.
The memory interface has a bandwidth of 128-bits (2x 64 bit) for each of the two GPUs. Thanks to an improved compression algorithm, the connection to the GDDR5 memory should be significantly more efficient per MHz. Furthermore, the L1 (96 KB per SMM) and L2 caches (2 MB) have been significantly increased to lower the needed bandwidth. Compared to the mid-range GM107, the newer and larger GM204 has several additional features and changes. Aside from the improved polymorphic engine in the SSMs, it is also the first Nvidia chip to support DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_1.
Performance
With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card. In this case, the GTX 965M SLI beats a single GeForce GTX 980M by about 10 percent. Therefore, the GTX 965M SLI is powerful enough to run even the most demanding games with highest details, AA/AF and/or resolutions exceeding FullHD.
Features
Most of the features are identical to the GeForce GTX 800M series. With the GTX 965M, there can be up to 4 active displays, but this will likely decrease due to Optimus. Displays can be connected with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 (no HDCP @ 4K). HD audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD can be sent to a compatible receiver as bitstream. As with previous models, 3D Vision is not supported with Optimus.
The video processor VP6 supports the usual formats like H.264 and can also decode and encode H.265 with a resolution of up to 4K via the NVENC API (hybrid H.265 decoder, not fully fixed function). Several parallel streams, such as picture-in-picture in a Blu-Ray movie, are also possible.
Further features of the GTX 900M series, which are also partly supported by older cards, include Battery Boost (longer battery life during gaming), Shadowplay (recording of gaming videos up to 4K60p and 130 Mbit/s) and Gamestream (game streaming on Shield console). More information on these features are available here.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of each GeForce GTX 965M including its MXM board and memory should be around 70 W, leading to a total TDP of about 140 W. Therefore, the SLI setup can only be used in very large and heavy gaming notebooks with powerful cooling systems. Under low load, dynamic clock rates help the GPUs to save energy.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
► remove from comparison
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 970M. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture, which is the same chip as found on the GTX 980M as well as several desktop cards. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 970M (924 MHz GPU, 1250 MHz memory).
With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
GM204 is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, which replaces the previous Kepler generation. Among other changes, Nvidia have restructured the streaming multi processors (SMM) in order to increase workload and efficiency. Now each SMM contains only 128 shader units and 8 TMUs, which is noticeably less than an equivalent Kepler GPU. The GM204 features four GPCs, and each consists of four SMMs. But, in the GeForce GTX 970M, Nvidia have deactivated 6 of 16 SMMs. As a result, only 1280 shader ALUs and 80 TMUs are active. In addition, there are 48 ROPs in three clusters with 16 units each.
The memory interface has a bandwidth of 192-bits (3x 64 bit) for each of the two GPUs. Thanks to an improved compression algorithm, the connection to the GDDR5 memory should be significantly more efficient per MHz. Furthermore, the L1 (96 KB per SMM) and L2 caches (2 MB) have been significantly increased to lower the needed bandwidth. Compared to the mid-range GM107, the newer and larger GM204 has several additional features and changes. Aside from the improved polymorphic engine in the SSMs, it is also the first Nvidia chip to support DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_1.
Performance
With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card. The GTX 970M SLI outperforms the former GeForce GTX 880M SLI by about 10 percent and is the second fastest mobile graphics solution in late 2014. Only the significantly more expensive GTX 980M SLI offers even more 3D power and is about 30 percent faster. Nevertheless, the GTX 970M SLI is powerful enough to run even the most demanding games with highest details, AA/AF and resolutions exceeding FullHD.
Features
Most of the features are identical to the GeForce GTX 800M series. With the GTX 970M, there can be up to 4 active displays possible, but this will likely decrease due to Optimus. Displays can be connected with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 (no HDCP @ 4K). HD audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD can be sent to a compatible receiver as bitstream. As with previous models, 3D Vision is not supported with Optimus.
The updated video processor VP6 supports the usual formats like H.264 and can also decode and encode H.265 with a resolution of up to 4K via the NVENC API. Several parallel streams, such as picture-in-picture in a Blu-Ray movie, are also possible.
Further features of the GTX 900M series, which are also partly supported by older cards, include Battery Boost (longer battery life during gaming), Shadowplay (recording of gaming videos up to 4K60p and 130 Mbit/s) and Gamestream (game streaming on Shield console). More information on these features are available here.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of each GeForce GTX 970M including its MXM board and memory should be similar to a GTX 870M with a specified TDP of 100 W, leading to a total TDP of about 200 W. Given the significantly higher performance, this can be considered a massive increase in performance-per-watt. Nevertheless, the SLI setup can only be used in very large and heavy gaming notebooks with powerful cooling systems. Under low load, dynamic clock rates help the GPUs to save energy.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI
► remove from comparison
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 980M. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture, which is the same chip as found on the GTX 970M as well as several desktop cards. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 980M (1038 MHz GPU, 1250 MHz memory).
With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
GM204 is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, which replaces the previous Kepler generation. Among other changes, Nvidia have restructured the streaming multi processors (SMM) in order to increase workload and efficiency. Now each SMM contains only 128 shader units and 8 TMUs, which is noticeably less than an equivalent Kepler GPU. The GM204 features four GPCs, and each consists of four SMMs. But, in the GeForce GTX 980M, Nvidia have deactivated 4 of 16 SMMs. As a result, only 1536 shader ALUs and 96 TMUs are active. In addition, there are 64 ROPs in four clusters with 16 units each.
The memory interface has a bandwidth of 256-bits (4x 64 bit) for each of the two GPUs. Thanks to an improved compression algorithm, the connection to the GDDR5 memory should be significantly more efficient per MHz. Furthermore, the L1 (96 KB per SMM) and L2 caches (2 MB) have been significantly increased to lower the needed bandwidth. Compared to the mid-range GM107, the newer and larger GM204 has several additional features and changes. Aside from the improved polymorphic engine in the SSMs, it is also the first Nvidia chip to support DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_1.
Performance
With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card. The GTX 980M SLI outperforms the GeForce GTX 970M SLI by about 30 percent and is the fastest mobile graphics solution in late 2014. Compared to the former GTX 880M SLI, the advantage is even bigger (40 - 50 percent). Thus, the GTX 980M SLI is powerful enough to run even the most demanding games with highest details, AA/AF and resolutions exceeding FullHD.
Features
Most of the features are identical to the GeForce GTX 800M series. With the GTX 980M, there can be up to 4 active displays possible, but this will likely decrease due to Optimus. Displays can be connected with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 (no HDCP @ 4K). HD audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD can be sent to a compatible receiver as bitstream. As with previous models, 3D Vision is not supported with Optimus.
The updated video processor VP6 supports the usual formats like H.264 and can also decode and encode H.265 with a resolution of up to 4K via the NVENC API. Several parallel streams, such as picture-in-picture in a Blu-Ray movie, are also possible.
Further features of the GTX 900M series, which are also partly supported by older cards, include Battery Boost (longer battery life during gaming), Shadowplay (recording of gaming videos up to 4K60p and 130 Mbit/s) and Gamestream (game streaming on Shield console). More information on these features are available here.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of each GeForce GTX 980M including its MXM board and memory should be about the same as a GTX 880M with a specified TDP of 122 W, leading to a total TDP of about 240 W. Given the significantly higher performance, this can be considered a massive increase in performance-per-watt. Nevertheless, the SLI setup can only be used in very large and heavy gaming notebooks with powerful cooling systems. Under low load, dynamic clock rates help the GPUs to save energy.
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GeForce GTX 900M Series |
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| Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell | Maxwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pipelines | 2048 - unified | 2560 - unified | 3072 - unified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Core Speed | 924 - 950 (Boost) MHz | 924 - 1038 (Boost) MHz | 1038 - 1127 (Boost) MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Speed | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128 Bit | 2x 192 Bit | 2x 256 Bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max. Amount of Memory | 2x 4096 MB | 2x 6144 MB | 2x 8192 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shared Memory | no | no | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| API | DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0 | DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0 | DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transistors | 0 Billion | 0 Billion | 0 Billion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| technology | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notebook Size | large | large | large | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of Announcement | 05.01.2015 | 07.10.2014 | 07.10.2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Consumption | 162 Watt | 200 Watt |
Benchmarks
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
specvp11 snx-01 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI
specvp12 sw-03 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI → 100% n=14
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI → 150% n=14
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI → 176% n=14
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
Game Benchmarks
The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
Need for Speed 2016
2016
Hitman 2016
2016
The Division
2016
Far Cry Primal
2016
XCOM 2
2016
Rainbow Six Siege
2015
Just Cause 3
2015
Fallout 4
2015
Anno 2205
2015
FIFA 16
2015
Mad Max
2015
The Witcher 3
2015
Dirt Rally
2015
Battlefield Hardline
2015
Evolve
2015
The Crew
2014
Far Cry 4
2014
F1 2014
2014
The Evil Within
2014
Ryse: Son of Rome
2014
Alien: Isolation
2014
Fifa 15
2014
Sims 4
2014
Risen 3: Titan Lords
2014
GRID: Autosport
2014
Watch Dogs
2014
Thief
2014
Call of Duty: Ghosts
2013
Battlefield 4
2013
Total War: Rome II
2013
Saints Row IV
2013
Dota 2
2013
Company of Heroes 2
2013
Metro: Last Light
2013
BioShock Infinite
2013
Tomb Raider
2013
Crysis 3
2013
Far Cry 3
2012
Hitman: Absolution
2012
Guild Wars 2
2012
Sleeping Dogs
2012
Anno 2070
2011
Mafia 2
2010
Metro 2033
2010Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI → 100%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%
Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI → 131%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 131%
Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI → 144%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 109%
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | ||||
| Need for Speed 2016 | 107.6 | 102.5 | 90.7 | 68.1 | 37.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hitman 2016 | 60.7 | 60.3 | 52.2 | 50.2 | 25.1 | ||||||||||||||||
| The Division | 161.3 | 129.4 | 71.9 | 54.9 | 26.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Far Cry Primal | 69 | 64 | 63 | 60 | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
| XCOM 2 | 94.6 | 80.2 | 67.2 | 31.7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 78.7 | 72.4 | 71.4 | 68 | 31.9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rainbow Six Siege | 234.5 | 185.5 | 110.7 | 94.6 | 33.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Just Cause 3 | 127.6 | 104.5 | 60.1 | 51.7 | 21.3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Star Wars Battlefront | 199.8 | 196.9 | 127.1 | 109.3 | 40.8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 83.6 | 81.4 | 76.3 | 37.6 | 30.8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fallout 4 | 145.9 | 139.2 | 96 | 78.4 | 32.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 | 141.1 | 138.4 | 109.2 | 98.9 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||
| Anno 2205 | 116.3 | 110.3 | 55.6 | 17.5 | 21.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| FIFA 16 | 302.4 | 247 | 173.1 | 70.8 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mad Max | 225 | 157.4 | 145.1 | 49.7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham Knight | 69 | 40 | 27 | 119 | 108 | 61 | 42 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| The Witcher 3 | 205.1 | 144.7 | 84.8 | 47.6 | 28.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Dirt Rally | 374.4 | 168 | 135.6 | 83.3 | 71.4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Battlefield Hardline | 105.2 | 71.9 | 163.1 | 155 | 123 | 100 | |||||||||||||||
| Evolve | 189.3 | 178.3 | 130.7 | 117.2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dragon Age: Inquisition | 72 | 49.8 | 161.3 | 147.8 | 100 | 70 | 207.9 | 190.9 | 120 | 86 | |||||||||||
| Far Cry 4 | 117.4 | 114.3 | 101.7 | 89.9 | 148.4 | 143.5 | 124.9 | 113.3 | |||||||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Unity | 117.1 | 110.5 | 83.6 | 46 | 104.1 | 95.9 | 74.8 | 55.2 | |||||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 153.9 | 115.4 | 106.8 | 65.6 | 238.1 | 144.4 | 115 | 66 | |||||||||||||
| Civilization: Beyond Earth | 159.4 | 150.9 | 115.2 | 104.6 | 175.2 | 172.5 | 154.6 | 141.9 | |||||||||||||
| F1 2014 | 115 | 90 | 118 | 118 | 118 | 112 | 118 | 118 | 118 | 110 | |||||||||||
| The Evil Within | 74.8 | 73.8 | 53.8 | 156.3 | 137.4 | 88.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Ryse: Son of Rome | 61.2 | 58.8 | 63.6 | 62.9 | 65 | 65 | 63.4 | 63.3 | 87 | 83 | |||||||||||
| Alien: Isolation | 264.9 | 237.9 | 153 | 114.1 | 292.4 | 270.4 | 192.3 | 140.1 | |||||||||||||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 89.5 | 69.2 | 268.9 | 209.4 | 119 | 98 | 187.4 | 176.5 | 148 | 116.4 | |||||||||||
| Fifa 15 | 380.3 | 288.1 | 211.7 | 96 | 453.2 | 334.3 | 265.1 | ||||||||||||||
| Sims 4 | 193.2 | 157.7 | 119.8 | 104.8 | 188.4 | 171.2 | 135 | 127.2 | |||||||||||||
| Risen 3: Titan Lords | 35.2 | 35.2 | 35 | 37.6 | |||||||||||||||||
| GRID: Autosport | 374.1 | 207.4 | 165.7 | 118.8 | 429.8 | 230.7 | 182 | 146 | |||||||||||||
| Watch Dogs | 103.6 | 89.4 | 63.9 | 45.5 | 108 | 92.9 | 72.5 | 52.4 | |||||||||||||
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | 60 | 60 | 60 | 55.7 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 59.4 | |||||||||||||
| Thief | 84.7 | 60.1 | 125.5 | 119.7 | 107 | 85 | 138.9 | 133.5 | 115 | 96 | |||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | 238.3 | 204.1 | 140.2 | 90.2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Battlefield 4 | 199.6 | 199 | 196.6 | 104.3 | 48.7 | 199.3 | 199 | 197.9 | 124.8 | ||||||||||||
| Saints Row IV | 76.6 | 88.9 | 90.9 | 92.5 | 72 | 96 | 95.3 | 93.9 | |||||||||||||
| Dota 2 | 119.7 | 119.7 | 119.4 | 119.8 | 120 | 120 | |||||||||||||||
| Metro: Last Light | 85.8 | 56.9 | 139.7 | 137 | 116 | 81 | 153.4 | 148.7 | 130 | 97 | |||||||||||
| BioShock Infinite | 165.3 | 93.1 | 290.2 | 273.1 | 220 | 131 | 278.3 | 251.8 | 223 | 148 | |||||||||||
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | 145 | 76.2 | 138.1 | 85.9 | 141 | 92 | |||||||||||||||
| Tomb Raider | 244.5 | 117.6 | 519 | 465.4 | 358 | 166 | 589 | 570 | 447 | 199 | |||||||||||
| Crysis 3 | 154.4 | 138.3 | 111.7 | 56.3 | 163.4 | 150.1 | 123.7 | 72.3 | |||||||||||||
| Far Cry 3 | 145.4 | 137.9 | 117.1 | 74.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hitman: Absolution | 113.1 | 108.3 | 99.3 | 76.2 | 123.8 | 118.6 | 108.6 | 97 | |||||||||||||
| Guild Wars 2 | 64.5 | 57.3 | 160.7 | 76 | 70 | 69 | 64 | ||||||||||||||
| Sleeping Dogs | 159.9 | 62.8 | 182.8 | 92.5 | 191 | 101 | |||||||||||||||
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI | |||||||||||||||||||
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | | 1 | 1 8 4 | 1 4 8 | | | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 1 18 28 | 1 21 23 | 4 30 15 | 1 12 31 5 | | 7 9 3 | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 7 17 | 7 16 | 11 15 | 3 14 9 | | |
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