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 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti: 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 RTX 3060 Ti 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.
❌
62.7% HIGHER MSRP
$649 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅63.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $250 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 141% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

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?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 63.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 48.1% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 13,711), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 38 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 RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $250 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 141% (50.9 vs 21.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 48.1%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	13,711	20,312+48%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2816	4864+73%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+167%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1665 MHz+55%
ROPs	96+20%	80
TMUs	176+16%	152
L1 Cache	1 MB	4.8 MB+380%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti
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)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	448 GB/s+33%
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). 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 3060 Ti
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
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 (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	250W	200W-20%
Recommended PSU	600W	600W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75-12%
Perf/Watt	54.8	101.6+85%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti came in at $649, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti was 38.5% cheaper ($250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 141.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP	$649	$399-39%
Performance per Dollar	21.1	50.9+141%
Codename	GM200	GA104
Release	June 2 2015	December 1 2020
Ranking	#179	#73

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