NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
Maxwell 2.0 GPU best suited to lighter Blender scenes, learning workflows, and budget-conscious rendering setups.
Last updated: March 31, 2026
270
Entry-level speed — fine for learning and lighter scenes.
4 GB
Limited — best for simpler scenes and lighter workflows.
1,664
Lower core count — adequate for lighter rendering workloads.
Maxwell 2.0
Older architecture — check benchmark scores for a practical performance picture.
224.4 GB/s
Lower bandwidth may become a bottleneck in texture-heavy or complex scenes.
1178 MHz
Lower clock speed — typical of older or workstation-class GPUs.
OptiX, CUDA
OptiX is typically the fastest option; CUDA provides a reliable fallback.
148 W
Low power — easy to cool and efficient for smaller builds.
2014
More technical details
Core specs
- Base clock: 1050 MHz
- Process size: 28 nm
Memory specs
- Memory type: GDDR5
- Memory bus: 256-bit
Benchmark performance
This chart gives a compact estimate of how this GPU handles Blender benchmark scenes, so you can compare practical rendering speed without reading raw benchmark tables.
These timings are derived from Blender Open Data benchmark medians and should be treated as comparative estimates, not guaranteed real-project render times.
View Blender Open Data sourceIs GTX 970 good for Blender?
A concise editorial read on where this GPU looks strong, the tradeoffs to keep in mind, and who it suits best.
What stands out
- Maxwell 2.0 architecture
- 1664 CUDA cores
- Efficient power consumption for its time
- Solid performance for basic 3D modeling and rendering
Tradeoffs to know
- Limited VRAM for current professional standards
- Older generation technology
Who should choose it
- Cost-effective for basic rendering tasks
- Reliable performance for older software versions
Compare GTX 970 to…
Pick another GPU to see a side-by-side comparison.
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