GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) vs Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)

2015Core: 1126 MHzBoost: 1228 MHz
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NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design

2019Core: 600 MHzBoost: 1350 MHz
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GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) vs Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) vs Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) vs Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)

2015

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 312.5% higher power demand at 330W vs 80W.

Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

  • 87.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 8 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 80W instead of 330W, a 250W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 87.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.2% in PassMark G3D (12,675 vs 12,523), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 4 Super Resolution (2025) and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025), while GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 48 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) vs Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)

The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 22 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1126 MHz to 1228 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 330W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,523 points.

NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1350 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,675 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) scores 12,523 and the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design reaches 12,675 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) is built on Maxwell while the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 4,096 (GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)) vs 3,072 (Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1228 MHz vs 1350 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score
12,523
12,675+1%
Architecture
Maxwell
Turing
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
4096+33%
3072
Boost Clock
1228 MHz
1350 MHz+10%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is support for DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 4 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 4 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 4)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design carries 16 GB. Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) and 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
16 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)) vs 12.2 (Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX
12.1
12.2
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.4
4.6+5%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (2x) (GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)) vs 7th Gen NVENC (Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 (2x) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder
NVENC 4.0 (2x)
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6 (2x)
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel) draws 330W versus the Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 122% difference. The Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 SLI (móvel)Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design
TDP
330W
80W-76%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
80°C-6%
Perf/Watt
37.9
158.4+318%