AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum, yet both are end-of-life products that still appear in legacy systems. The GTX 970 is a dual-slot desktop card from 2014 with a 148 W TDP, while the Vega 10 Mobile is a 10 W integrated processor from 2019. The data shows a decisive performance gap, but the context of each product’s intended use case matters more than raw numbers alone.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only common benchmark between the two is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is not close. The GTX 970 scores 29,982 points, while the Vega 10 Mobile scores 6,476 points. That translates to a 363% advantage for the NVIDIA card, meaning the GTX 970 delivers roughly 4.6 times the raw compute throughput in this test. This is the single largest win for either product, and it sets the tone for the entire comparison.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite, the GTX 970’s average benchmark score is 7,157, which places it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs. The Vega 10 Mobile’s average score is 6,476, putting it in the 37th percentile. While the percentile gap is small, the absolute score difference is meaningful—the GTX 970 is about 10.5% faster on average across all tested workloads, even though its percentile rank is only 2 points higher due to the distribution of scores in the database.

The nearest rival data confirms that the GTX 970 sits in a crowded midrange field. Its closest competitor, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580, scores 7,170 with a delta of -0.2%, making the two effectively identical. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7,203, which is 0.6% ahead of the GTX 970, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 scores 7,222, 0.9% ahead. This suggests that in the database’s ranking, the GTX 970 is slightly below average for its tier, but the margin is negligible.

For the Vega 10 Mobile, the nearest rivals tell a different story. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 6,481, just 0.1% ahead, while the GeForce GT 555M scores 6,493, 0.3% ahead. The GeForce GTX 670M scores 6,513, 0.6% ahead. Interestingly, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell scores 6,407, which is 1.1% behind the Vega 10 Mobile—a reminder that this integrated GPU is competitive with much older discrete parts, but not with modern high-end hardware.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 970 wins the only head-to-head benchmark decisively, but its strength extends beyond that single test. In the Passmark suite, the GTX 970 scores 9,638 in G3D, 764 in G2D, and 4,073 in GPU Compute. These numbers show a balanced profile: strong 3D rendering, acceptable 2D performance, and solid compute throughput. Its Geekbench scores are particularly telling—29,982 in OpenCL, 20,005 in Vulkan, and 13,595 in Metal. These results indicate that the GTX 970 is well-suited for compute-heavy applications and modern graphics APIs, despite its age.

The Vega 10 Mobile has only one benchmark entry, which is a significant limitation. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 6,476 is the only data point, and it is far below the GTX 970’s score in the same test. However, the Vega 10 Mobile’s architecture supports FP16 at 3.331 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, which the GTX 970 does not list. This means the AMD part could theoretically handle certain half-precision workloads more efficiently, but there is no benchmark data to verify this advantage.

In terms of use cases, the GTX 970 is clearly a desktop gaming and workstation card. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for texture-heavy games and rendering tasks. The Vega 10 Mobile, by contrast, relies on system shared memory, making its bandwidth "System Dependent." This is a fundamental limitation for gaming, but it is acceptable for an integrated solution in a portable device where power efficiency is paramount.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two is stark. The GTX 970 uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It contains 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per mm². The Vega 10 Mobile uses the Raven-M chip with GCN 5.0 architecture, built by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It has 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, resulting in a density of 23.5 million per mm². Despite having fewer transistors, the Vega 10 Mobile achieves higher density due to the smaller process node.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The GTX 970 has 1,664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 56 ROPs. The Vega 10 Mobile has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. This explains the massive performance gap: the GTX 970 has 2.6 times the shading units and 7 times the ROPs. Clock speeds also favor the NVIDIA card, with a base clock of 1050 MHz and boost of 1178 MHz, compared to the Vega 10 Mobile’s 300 MHz base and 1301 MHz boost. The AMD part’s low base clock suggests aggressive power-saving behavior, while its higher boost clock hints at burst performance when needed.

Memory configurations are fundamentally different. The GTX 970 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 10 Mobile uses system shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM, no fixed bus width, and bandwidth that depends entirely on the host system’s memory. This makes the Vega 10 Mobile unsuitable for high-resolution textures or large datasets, while the GTX 970 can handle those workloads reasonably well.

Power consumption is where the Vega 10 Mobile shines. Its TDP is 10 W, compared to the GTX 970’s 148 W. The Vega 10 Mobile requires no power connectors and is an IGP with no slot width, while the GTX 970 is a dual-slot card requiring two 6-pin connectors and a 300 W suggested PSU. The GTX 970 also has a physical footprint of 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, whereas the Vega 10 Mobile has no listed dimensions because it is integrated into a processor.

The Verdict

From a pure performance standpoint, the GTX 970 is the clear winner. Its 363% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with its higher average score and superior memory bandwidth, makes it the only choice for gaming, rendering, or compute workloads. The Vega 10 Mobile cannot compete in any benchmark where the two overlap, and its single data point is not enough to establish any countervailing strength.

However, the verdict changes when considering the intended use cases. The Vega 10 Mobile is a 10 W integrated GPU designed for portable devices where battery life and thermals are critical. It has no power connectors, no slot width, and no physical dimensions because it is embedded in a processor. The GTX 970, with its 148 W TDP and dual-slot design, is not portable in any practical sense. If the requirement is a silent, low-power, integrated solution for basic productivity or light media consumption, the Vega 10 Mobile is the only option that fits.

For desktop builders with a dedicated GPU slot and a 300 W PSU, the GTX 970 is the obvious choice. Its 56 ROPs and 224.4 GB/s bandwidth provide the kind of pixel-pushing power that the Vega 10 Mobile lacks. The GTX 970 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 10 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Vulkan version difference is minor, but it could matter for future software compatibility.

The data does not support choosing the Vega 10 Mobile for any performance-sensitive task. Its only advantage is power efficiency and integration, which are qualitative benefits not captured in benchmark scores. If the choice is between a desktop GPU and an IGP, the GTX 970 wins every measurable metric.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 than the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 970 scores 29,982 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Vega 10 Mobile scores 6,476. This gives the GTX 970 a 363% advantage.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The GTX 970 has an average score of 7,157, while the Vega 10 Mobile has an average score of 6,476. The GTX 970 is approximately 10.5% higher.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 970 has 1,664 shading units, compared to the Vega 10 Mobile’s 640 shading units.

Q: What is the TDP of each GPU?

A: The GTX 970 has a TDP of 148 W, while the Vega 10 Mobile has a TDP of 10 W.

Q: Does the Vega 10 Mobile support FP16 calculations?

A: Yes, the Vega 10 Mobile lists FP16 performance at 3.331 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the GTX 970 does not list FP16 support.

Q: What memory configuration does each use?

A: The GTX 970 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 224.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 10 Mobile uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GM204 | Raven-M |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 4,940 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 210 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 23.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1050 MHz | 300 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | 1301 MHz |

| Memory | 4 GB GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.4 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 1664 | 640 |

| TMUs | 104 | 40 |

| ROPs | 56 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 65.97 GPixel/s | 10.41 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 122.5 GTexel/s | 52.04 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.920 TFLOPS | 1.665 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 3.331 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 148 W | 10 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | Not listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | IGP |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan API | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2014-09-18 | 2019-01-07 |

| Launch MSRP | 329 USD | Not listed |