GeForce GTX 980 Ti
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB: 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
2015Why buy it
- ✅17.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
Trade-offs
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
- ❌2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌284% HIGHER MSRP$649 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.1 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
- ❌257.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 70W.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
2024Why buy it
- ✅Costs $480 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 201.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
- ✅Draws 70W instead of 250W, a 180W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 980 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 3050 6GB
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 10,749 — the GeForce GTX 980 Ti leads by 27.6%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1470 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 13,711+28% | 10,749 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Ampere |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Shading Units | 2816+22% | 2304 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 6.06 TFLOPS | 6.774 TFLOPS+12% |
| Boost Clock | 1075 MHz | 1470 MHz+37% |
| ROPs | 96+200% | 32 |
| TMUs | 176+144% | 72 |
| L1 Cache | 1 MB | 2.3 MB+130% |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | DLSS 2 Super Resolution |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | NVIDIA Reflex |
Video Memory (VRAM)
Both cards ship with 6 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce GTX 980 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s+100% | 168 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 384-bit+300% | 96-bit |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). 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 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC (7th Gen). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 3.0 | NVENC (5th Gen) |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP6 | NVDEC (7th Gen) |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC | H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 70W — a 112.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs None. Card length: 267mm vs 160mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 250W | 70W-72% |
| Recommended PSU | 600W | 300W-50% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | None |
| Length | 267mm | 160mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 85°C | 75°C-12% |
| Perf/Watt | 54.8 | 153.6+180% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti came in at $649, while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB launched at $169. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 74% cheaper ($480 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 201.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2015).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $649 | $169-74% |
| Performance per Dollar | 21.1 | 63.6+201% |
| Codename | GM200 | GA107 |
| Release | June 2 2015 | February 2 2024 |
| Ranking | #179 | #252 |
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