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 RTX 2070 Super 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 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2070 Super 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 Ti

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌212.5% higher power demand at 250W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅17.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 250W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 17.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980 Ti instead at 13,711 vs 13,444, 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 RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 40 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?

GeForce GTX 980 Ti makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design 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 RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 2 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 930 MHz to 1155 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,444 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design reaches 13,444 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2,560 (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1155 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	13,711+2%	13,444
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2816+10%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS+2%	5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1155 MHz+7%
ROPs	96+50%	64
TMUs	176+10%	160
L1 Cache	1 MB	2.5 MB+150%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
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 RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design 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 352 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design) — a 4.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	352 GB/s+5%
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 103% difference. The GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
TDP	250W	80W-68%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C	75-12%
Perf/Watt	54.8	168.1+207%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design (2020 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
MSRP	$649	—
Codename	GM200	TU104
Release	June 2 2015	April 2 2020
Ranking	#179	#188

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