NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M

The recorded data presents a comparison between two NVIDIA GPUs separated by five years of architectural progress. The RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture, achieves an average benchmark score of 17208, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 965M, based on Maxwell 2.0, records an average score of 14404, placing it in the 56th percentile. The head-to-head benchmark results show the RTX 3070 winning both recorded tests, with a massive 677.6% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL and a 47% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan. This analysis explores where each GPU wins, the architectural differences that explain the performance gap, and the specific benchmark results.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 wins decisively across every recorded benchmark category. In the two head-to-head comparisons available, the RTX 3070 takes both tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 17208 is well above the GTX 965M's 14404, representing a 19.5% advantage in aggregate performance. The RTX 3070 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 61 versus 56, indicating it outperforms a greater proportion of the GPU population.

The GTX 965M does not win any recorded benchmark comparison. Its only competitive context comes from its nearest rivals in the database, where it sits within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, AMD Radeon Vega 11, and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics. This places the GTX 965M in a performance tier that is dramatically below the RTX 3070. The RTX 3070's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% behind), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% behind), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (1.1% behind), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (1.5% ahead). These rival deltas show the RTX 3070 competing in a much higher performance class.

In practical terms, the RTX 3070 is the clear winner for any workload that leverages its compute capabilities. The GTX 965M, with its lower scores and older architecture, is suited only for legacy applications or scenarios where its portable MXM form factor is a requirement. The data does not support any use case where the GTX 965M outperforms the RTX 3070.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The RTX 3070 uses the GA104 chip built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the GTX 965M uses the GM204 chip on TSMC's 28 nm process. The transistor counts reflect this difference: the RTX 3070 packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, yielding a density of 44.4 million transistors per mm². The GTX 965M has 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, with a density of 13.1 million per mm². Although the die sizes are similar, the RTX 3070 fits more than three times the transistors into nearly the same area.

The compute resources differ by an order of magnitude. The RTX 3070 has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The GTX 965M has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 3070 also includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the GTX 965M. Clock speeds favor the newer GPU as well: the RTX 3070 runs at a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz, while the GTX 965M operates at 924 MHz base and 950 MHz boost.

Memory configuration shows a similar gap. The RTX 3070 offers 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 965M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus, with 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3070's memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, while the GTX 965M's memory runs at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective speed. The RTX 3070 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, whereas the GTX 965M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface for portable devices.

The feature set further separates these GPUs. The RTX 3070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 965M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3070 includes display outputs for 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 965M's outputs are listed as portable device dependent. The RTX 3070 is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 12-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 965M is an MXM module with no dedicated power connectors. The production status for both is end-of-life, but the RTX 3070 was released on 2020-08-31, while the GTX 965M dates to 2015-01-08.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are stark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3070 scores 112821 against the GTX 965M's 14509, a delta of 677.6%. This is the largest performance gap in the recorded data, reflecting the combined impact of more shading units, higher clocks, and significantly faster memory. The GTX 965M's OpenCL score of 14509 is less than 13% of the RTX 3070's result.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3070 scores 21022 against the GTX 965M's 14299, a delta of 47%. While still a clear win for the RTX 3070, this narrower gap suggests that the Vulkan workload is less sensitive to the raw compute advantages of the newer GPU. The RTX 3070's Vulkan score of 21022 is about 47% higher than the GTX 965M's 14299.

Beyond the head-to-head tests, the broader benchmark suite reinforces the RTX 3070's dominance. The RTX 3070 records a Passmark G3D score of 22214, a Passmark GPU Compute score of 11195, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3162. Its Passmark DirectX scores are 150 for DX10, 182 for DX11, 85 for DX12, and 247 for DX9, with a Passmark G2D score of 1001. The GTX 965M has no recorded scores in these Passmark or 3DMark tests, meaning the database only contains its two Geekbench results. The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 versus the GTX 965M's 14404 places the newer GPU 19.5% ahead on average, even though the GTX 965M's average is based on only two tests.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice unambiguous. The RTX 3070 outperforms the GTX 965M in every recorded benchmark, with deltas ranging from 47% in Vulkan to 677.6% in OpenCL. Its higher percentile rank (61 versus 56), greater average score (17208 versus 14404), and superior architectural resources all point to the same conclusion: the RTX 3070 is the stronger GPU by a wide margin.

For users seeking maximum compute performance, the RTX 3070 is the only option between these two. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 5888 shading units, and ray tracing and tensor cores provide a level of capability that the GTX 965M cannot approach. The RTX 3070 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, enabling modern rendering features that the GTX 965M's DirectX 12 (12_1) cannot handle.

The GTX 965M is not a competitive alternative for any performance-driven workload. Its only advantage is its MXM module form factor, which makes it suitable for portable devices where the RTX 3070's dual-slot, 220 W power draw (inferred from its PSU requirement of 550 W) would not fit. Users with legacy MXM-based systems may have no choice but to use the GTX 965M, but the benchmark data shows it is dramatically slower in every measurable way.

The launch MSRP of the RTX 3070 is 499 USD, though pricing considerations do not change the performance verdict. The RTX 3070 is the clear choice for desktop users who need high-end graphics performance, while the GTX 965M remains relevant only for specific portable form factors.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3070 in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 112821 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 965M scores 14509, making the RTX 3070 677.6% faster in that test.

Q: Does the GTX 965M support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 965M has no ray tracing cores listed in the database, while the RTX 3070 includes 46 ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 3070 has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, while the GTX 965M has 80.19 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128 bit bus.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, while the GTX 965M averages 14404, a difference of about 19.5%.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3070 has 5888 shading units, compared to 1024 on the GTX 965M.

Q: What is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3070 scores 21022 versus the GTX 965M's 14299, a 47% advantage for the RTX 3070.