GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 5700

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1075 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5700

2019Core: 1465 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RX family
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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 5700 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 Radeon RX 5700 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 Radeon RX 5700: 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 Radeon RX 5700 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 71.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $649 MSRPvs$379 MSRP

Radeon RX 5700

2019

Why buy it

  • 8.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $270 less on MSRP ($379 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • Delivers 78.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.7 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($379 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 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?
Radeon RX 5700 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 8.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.3% in PassMark G3D (14,296 vs 13,711), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 5700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 980 Ti is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 5700 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $270 cheaper on MSRP at $379 vs $649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 78.5% (37.7 vs 21.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 5700 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 5700

The Radeon RX 5700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1465 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,296 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the Radeon RX 5700 reaches 14,296 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5700 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 5700). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 7.949 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5700). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
G3D Mark Score
13,711
14,296+4%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2816+22%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.06 TFLOPS
7.949 TFLOPS+31%
Boost Clock
1075 MHz
1725 MHz+60%
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
176+22%
144
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5700 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 980 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 5700 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5700 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 5700 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 (Radeon RX 5700) — a 33.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 5700. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 5700. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 5700) — the Radeon RX 5700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
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 12.0 (Radeon RX 5700). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
DirectX
12.1
12.0
Vulkan
1.1
1.1
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5700). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5700).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
Encoder
NVENC 3.0
VCN 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
VCN 2.0
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the Radeon RX 5700's 180W — a 32.6% difference. The Radeon RX 5700 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 600W (Radeon RX 5700). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 270mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
TDP
250W
180W-28%
Recommended PSU
600W
600W
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
267mm
270mm
Height
111mm
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
85°C
Perf/Watt
54.8
79.4+45%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti came in at $649, while the Radeon RX 5700 launched at $379. On MSRP, Radeon RX 5700 was 41.6% cheaper ($270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 37.7 (Radeon RX 5700) — the Radeon RX 5700 offers 78.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 5700 (2019 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 5700
MSRP
$649
$379-42%
Performance per Dollar
21.1
37.7+79%
Codename
GM200
Navi 10
Release
June 2 2015
July 7 2019
Ranking
#179
#167

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