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 Ti vs GeForce GTX 1070 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 Ti vs GeForce GTX 1070: 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 Ti

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
71.2% HIGHER MSRP
$649 MSRPvs$379 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.1 vs 35.6 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $379 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1070

2016

Why buy it

✅9.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $270 less on MSRP ($379 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 35.6 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($379 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980 Ti instead at 13,711 vs 13,507, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $270 cheaper on MSRP at $379 vs $649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 68.7% (35.6 vs 21.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce GTX 1070 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 980 Ti has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce GTX 1070 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 2 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1075 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,711 points. Launch price was $649.

GeForce GTX 1070

The GeForce GTX 1070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 10 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1683 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,507 points. Launch price was $379.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the GeForce GTX 1070 reaches 13,507 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1070 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 1,920 (GeForce GTX 1070). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 6.463 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1070). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1683 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
G3D Mark Score	13,711+2%	13,507
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	2816+47%	1920
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	6.463 TFLOPS+7%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1683 MHz+57%
ROPs	96+50%	64
TMUs	176+47%	120
L1 Cache	1 MB+43%	0.7 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+50%	2 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1070 carries 8 GB. GeForce GTX 1070 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1070) — a 31.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1070. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1070) — the GeForce GTX 980 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+31%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB+50%	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
DirectX	12.1	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs NVENC 6th gen (GeForce GTX 1070). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 3rd gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1070).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC 6th gen
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 3rd gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce GTX 1070's 150W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 1070). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
TDP	250W	150W-40%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	267mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	54.8	90.0+64%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti came in at $649, while the GeForce GTX 1070 launched at $379. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1070 was 41.6% cheaper ($270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 35.6 (GeForce GTX 1070) — the GeForce GTX 1070 offers 68.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1070 (2016 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce GTX 1070
MSRP	$649	$379-42%
Performance per Dollar	21.1	35.6+69%
Codename	GM200	GP104
Release	June 2 2015	June 10 2016
Ranking	#179	#185

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