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 vs GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design 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 vs GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design: 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

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌175% higher power demand at 220W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅52.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 220W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 52.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.5% in PassMark G3D (11,461 vs 11,077), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 36 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 GTX 980 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 980 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 vs GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 980

The GeForce GTX 980 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1064 MHz to 1216 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,077 points. Launch price was $549.

GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 29 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 885 MHz to 1185 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,461 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 and the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design reaches 11,461 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 5.46 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1185 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	11,077	11,461+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS	5.46 TFLOPS+10%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz+3%	1185 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	144+13%
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	2.3 MB+207%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980) vs 384 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design) — a 71.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	384 GB/s+71%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12.1	12.2
Vulkan	1.1	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 draws 220W versus the GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 93.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
TDP	220W	80W-64%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C-6%	85°C
Perf/Watt	50.4	143.3+184%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design
MSRP	$549	—
Codename	GM204	TU106B
Release	September 19 2014	January 29 2019
Ranking	#245	#237

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