GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX Vega 64

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1075 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX Vega 64

2017Core: 1247 MHzBoost: 1546 MHz
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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX Vega 64 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 Vega 64 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 Vega 64: 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

  • Draws 250W instead of 295W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX Vega 64 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.
  • 30.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $649 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.1 vs 28.0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Radeon RX Vega 64

2017

Why buy it

  • 23.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $150 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • Delivers 32.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 28.0 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 18% higher power demand at 295W vs 250W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX Vega 64 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 23.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (13,949 vs 13,711), so the answer here is pretty clean.
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?
Radeon RX Vega 64 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 32.3% (28.0 vs 21.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, Radeon RX Vega 64 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 Radeon RX Vega 64 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 Vega 64

The Radeon RX Vega 64 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 7 2017. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1247 MHz to 1546 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 295W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,949 points. Launch price was $499.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the Radeon RX Vega 64 reaches 13,949 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX Vega 64 uses GCN 5.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4,096 (Radeon RX Vega 64). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.66 TFLOPS (Radeon RX Vega 64). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1546 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
G3D Mark Score
13,711
13,949+2%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
GCN 5.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2816
4096+45%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.06 TFLOPS
12.66 TFLOPS+109%
Boost Clock
1075 MHz
1546 MHz+44%
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
176
256+45%
L1 Cache
1 MB
1 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX Vega 64 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
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 Vega 64 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX Vega 64 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 484 GB/s (Radeon RX Vega 64) — a 44% advantage for the Radeon RX Vega 64. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 2048-bit on the Radeon RX Vega 64. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX Vega 64) — the Radeon RX Vega 64 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
HBM2
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
484 GB/s+44%
Bus Width
384-bit
2048-bit+433%
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX Vega 64). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
DirectX
12.1
12.1
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 VCE 4.0 (Radeon RX Vega 64). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX Vega 64).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
Encoder
NVENC 3.0
VCE 4.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
UVD 7.0
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 Vega 64's 295W — a 16.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 750W (Radeon RX Vega 64). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
TDP
250W-15%
295W
Recommended PSU
600W-20%
750W
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
267mm
267mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
85°C
Perf/Watt
54.8+16%
47.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti came in at $649, while the Radeon RX Vega 64 launched at $499. On MSRP, Radeon RX Vega 64 was 23.1% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 28.0 (Radeon RX Vega 64) — the Radeon RX Vega 64 offers 32.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX Vega 64 (2017 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 64
MSRP
$649
$499-23%
Performance per Dollar
21.1
28.0+33%
Codename
GM200
Vega 10
Release
June 2 2015
August 7 2017
Ranking
#179
#171

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