GeForce GTX 980
Radeon Pro SSG
GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro SSG 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 vs Radeon Pro SSG 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro SSG: 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
2014Why buy it
- ✅Costs $6,450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $6,999 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 1187.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 1.6 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $6,999 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 220W instead of 260W, a 40W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Pro SSG across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
Radeon Pro SSG
2016Why buy it
- ✅47.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅More future proof: GCN 3.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌1174.9% HIGHER MSRP$6,999 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.6 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($6,999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
- ❌18.2% higher power demand at 260W vs 220W.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro SSG 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.
Radeon Pro SSG
The Radeon Pro SSG is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 26 2016. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1050 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 260W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,972 points. Launch price was $9,999.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 and the Radeon Pro SSG reaches 10,972 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon Pro SSG uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4,096 (Radeon Pro SSG). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 8.602 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro SSG). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1050 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 11,077 | 10,972 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 3.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2048 | 4096+100% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 4.981 TFLOPS | 8.602 TFLOPS+73% |
| Boost Clock | 1216 MHz+16% | 1050 MHz |
| ROPs | 64 | 64 |
| TMUs | 128 | 256+100% |
| L1 Cache | 0.75 MB | 1 MB+33% |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 4 MB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 980 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Pro SSG leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| 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 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro SSG carries 8 GB. Radeon Pro SSG gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 and 128-bit on the Radeon Pro SSG. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4 MB (Radeon Pro SSG) — the Radeon Pro SSG has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 8 GB+100% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+100% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 4 MB+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12.1 (Radeon Pro SSG). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.1 | 12.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.1 | 1.3+18% |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6+2% |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Pro SSG). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Pro SSG).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| 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 draws 220W versus the Radeon Pro SSG's 260W — a 16.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 980 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 500W (Radeon Pro SSG). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 220W-15% | 260W |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 500W |
| Power Connector | 2x 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 267mm | 267mm |
| Height | 111mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C-6% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 50.4+19% | 42.2 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 came in at $549, while the Radeon Pro SSG launched at $6999. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 980 was 92.2% cheaper ($6450 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 1.6 (Radeon Pro SSG) — the GeForce GTX 980 offers 1162.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro SSG (2016 vs 2014).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon Pro SSG |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $549-92% | $6999 |
| Performance per Dollar | 20.2+1162% | 1.6 |
| Codename | GM204 | Fiji |
| Release | September 19 2014 | July 26 2016 |
| Ranking | #245 | #249 |
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