NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX330 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits the two NVIDIA parts into very different usage profiles. The GeForce MX330 is a low-power Pascal chip built for thin-and-light portables. Its wins are not found in raw compute performance, but in efficiency and portability. The data shows zero benchmark wins for the MX330 across the two shared tests, while the GeForce GTX 970 takes both. That does not make the MX330 irrelevant, it simply means its purpose lies elsewhere.

The GTX 970 dominates heavy graphics workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 29,982 against the MX330's 7,896, a delta of 73.7 percent in favor of the older card. In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 970 again wins with 20,005 versus 9,019, a 54.9 percent advantage. These are not close contests. The GTX 970 was designed as a desktop gaming card, and its memory subsystem, larger chip, and higher power budget reflect that.

The MX330, by contrast, is an integrated-grade part for notebooks, drawing only 10 W. It has no power connectors and a portable-device-dependent display output. The data suggests it is suited for everyday tasks, light media, and battery-conscious systems, not for high-frame-rate gaming or compute-heavy workloads. Its average benchmark score of 8,458 sits at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, placing it just above the midrange of the database. The GTX 970, despite scoring much higher in raw tests, has a lower average benchmark score of 7,157 and sits at the 39th percentile, largely because its score distribution includes older DirectX and 2D tests that drag the average down.

The real story is that the MX330 wins on integration and power behavior, while the GTX 970 wins everywhere performance is measured directly.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The MX330 uses the GP108B chip built on the Pascal architecture at Samsung's 14 nm process. It packs 1,800 million transistors into a 74 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. The GTX 970 uses the GM204 chip on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture at TSMC's 28 nm node. It holds 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, with a density of 13.1 million per square millimeter. The newer process node gives the MX330 a clear density advantage, but the GTX 970 compensates with a much larger die and over 2.8 times the transistor count.

The memory systems are dramatically different. The MX330 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 56.06 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 970 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s. That is four times the bus width and exactly four times the bandwidth. In memory-bound scenarios, the GTX 970 has a structural advantage that no clock adjustment can overcome.

Compute resources also favor the GTX 970 heavily. The MX330 has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 970 has 1,664 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 56 ROPs. Pixel rate for the MX330 is 25.50 GPixel/s, versus 65.97 GPixel/s for the GTX 970. Texture rate is 38.26 GTexel/s versus 122.5 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 1,224.2 GFLOPS for the MX330 and 3.920 TFLOPS for the GTX 970. The GTX 970 is more than three times faster in raw shading throughput.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The MX330 runs at a base of 1531 MHz and a boost of 1594 MHz, while the GTX 970 runs at 1050 MHz base and 1178 MHz boost. The MX330's clocks are higher, but the GTX 970's wider architecture wins decisively. The MX330 lists FP16 at 19.13 GFLOPS with a 1:64 ratio, while the GTX 970 has no recorded FP16 figure. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Power and physical design diverge sharply. The MX330 is rated at 10 W, is an IGP form factor, uses no power connectors, and connects via PCIe 3.0 x4. The GTX 970 is a dual-slot card rated at 148 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, suggests a 300 W PSU, and uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 970 measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The MX330 has no recorded dimensions, as it is meant to be soldered onto a motherboard.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database includes exactly two shared benchmark tests between these GPUs, and the GTX 970 wins both by wide margins.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 970 scores 29,982 against the MX330's 7,896. That is a delta of 73.7 percent in favor of the GTX 970. OpenCL performance is a strong proxy for general compute throughput, and here the GTX 970's 1,664 shading units and 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth simply overwhelm the MX330's 384 shading units and 56.06 GB/s. The MX330's higher boost clock of 1594 MHz cannot compensate for a 4x difference in memory bandwidth and a 4.3x difference in shader count.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 970 scores 20,005 against the MX330's 9,019, a delta of 54.9 percent. Vulkan is a lower-level API that can expose the raw capabilities of a GPU, and the results again show the GTX 970 with a substantial lead. The gap narrows compared to OpenCL, but it remains decisive. The MX330's Vulkan score of 9,019 is higher than its OpenCL score of 7,896, suggesting the Pascal architecture handles the Vulkan API relatively efficiently. Still, the GTX 970's absolute score is more than double.

The MX330's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8870M with an average score of 8,462, the AMD Radeon 880M at 8,436, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX at 8,427, and the Intel Arc A380 at 8,558. The MX330's average of 8,458 sits within one percent of all four. The GTX 970's nearest rivals are the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7,170, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE at 7,171, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7,203, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 at 7,222. The GTX 970's average of 7,157 is within one percent of each of them. This is a useful reminder that average benchmark scores do not always align with peak performance in specific tests.

The GTX 970's best recorded scores are its Geekbench OpenCL result of 29,982 and its Geekbench Metal score of 13,595. Its Passmark G3D score is 9,638, and its Passmark GPU Compute score is 4,073. The MX330 has only two recorded benchmarks, both lower than the GTX 970's equivalents.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: the GeForce GTX 970 is the far more powerful GPU in every shared benchmark. It wins Geekbench OpenCL by 73.7 percent and Geekbench Vulkan by 54.9 percent. For anyone choosing between these two for gaming, rendering, or compute work, the GTX 970 is the only rational pick. Its 4 GB of memory, 256-bit bus, and 1,664 shading units provide a level of performance the MX330 cannot approach.

However, the MX330 is not without a role. Its 10 W power draw, IGP form factor, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for compact notebooks where battery life and thermals matter more than raw speed. The GTX 970, at 148 W with a dual-slot cooler and two 6-pin connectors, is a desktop part through and through. It also carries a launch MSRP of 329 USD, a figure that reflects its original desktop positioning.

The GTX 970's average benchmark score of 7,157 is actually lower than the MX330's 8,458, which shows how averages can be skewed by the mix of tests in the database. The GTX 970's Passmark DirectX 9 score of 143, DirectX 10 score of 46, DirectX 11 score of 71, and DirectX 12 score of 41 are all low relative to its Geekbench results. The MX330 has no such legacy tests recorded, so its average reflects only its two strong Geekbench scores.

The verdict depends entirely on the use case. For performance, the GTX 970 wins without qualification. For efficiency and portability, the MX330 is the designed choice. The GTX 970 is end-of-life, and so is the MX330, but the former remains a capable desktop GPU for older titles and general compute, while the latter serves as a basic integrated solution for lightweight laptops.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 scores 29,982 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GeForce MX330 scores 7,896. The GTX 970 leads by 73.7 percent.

Q: Does the MX330 have any benchmark win over the GTX 970?

A: No. Across the two shared tests in the database, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, the MX330 records zero wins. The GTX 970 wins both.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between these two GPUs?

A: The MX330 has 56.06 GB/s of bandwidth on a 64-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5. The GTX 970 has 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The MX330 is rated at 10 W with no power connectors and an IGP slot width. The GTX 970 is rated at 148 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, a 300 W suggested PSU, and uses a dual-slot cooler.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The MX330 has an average benchmark score of 8,458, which is higher than the GTX 970's 7,157. However, the GTX 970 wins both direct head-to-head tests by large margins.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The MX330, built on Samsung's 14 nm process, has a transistor density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. The GTX 970, built on TSMC's 28 nm process, has a density of 13.1 million per square millimeter.