GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

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

RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2023Core: 1155 MHzBoost: 2025 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU 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 RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU 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 RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU: 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 RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 614.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 35W.

RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

  • 64.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 35W instead of 250W, a 215W 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?
RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 64.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980 Ti instead at 13,711 vs 13,508, 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?
RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 100 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
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, RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU 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.

NVIDIA

RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

The RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 9 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1155 MHz to 2025 MHz. It has 12800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 100 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,508 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU reaches 13,508 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12,800 (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 65.28 TFLOPS (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 2025 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score
13,711+2%
13,508
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2816
12800+355%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.06 TFLOPS
65.28 TFLOPS+977%
Boost Clock
1075 MHz
2025 MHz+88%
ROPs
96
176+83%
TMUs
176
400+127%
L1 Cache
1 MB
12.5 MB+1150%
L2 Cache
3 MB
72 MB+2300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
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 bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 128-bit on the RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 72 MB (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU) — the RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
384-bit+200%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB
72 MB+2300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
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 8th Gen (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Encoder
NVENC 3.0
NVENC 8th Gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU's 35W — a 150.9% difference. The RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). 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 85.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
TDP
250W
35W-86%
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
85
Perf/Watt
54.8
385.9+604%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
MSRP
$649
Codename
GM200
AD102
Release
June 2 2015
August 9 2023
Ranking
#179
#16

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