GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro Vega 48

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon Pro Vega 48

#11

Quadro RTX 4000 (móvel)

MSRP: $900|Avg: $300

133%

#16

Radeon PRO W7500

MSRP: $429|Avg: $401

124%

#18

Radeon Pro V520 MxGPU

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $340

122%

#19

RTX A2000 12GB

MSRP: $449|Avg: $380

122%

#20

Radeon Pro Vega 56

MSRP: $399|Avg: $60

121%

#21

RTX A2000

MSRP: $450|Avg: $320

119%

#23

Intel Arc Pro B60

MSRP: $500|Avg: $450

110%

#24

Radeon PRO W7600

MSRP: $599|Avg: $599

110%

#25

RTX 2000 Ada Generation

MSRP: $625|Avg: $750

110%

#26

Radeon Pro Vega 48

MSRP: $450|Avg: $450

100%

#27

Radeon Pro 5700 XT

MSRP: $500|Avg: $280

99%

#28

Quadro P5200

MSRP: $500|Avg: $240

93%

#29

Radeon PRO W7700

MSRP: $999|Avg: $999

92%

#30

Radeon PRO W6600

MSRP: $649|Avg: $649

92%

#32

Radeon AI PRO R9700

MSRP: $1299|Avg: $1450

88%

#33

Radeon Pro Vega 64

MSRP: $599|Avg: $114

86%

#38

Radeon PRO W6600X

MSRP: $699|Avg: $699

75%

#41

Quadro RTX 3000 (móvel)

MSRP: $600|Avg: $600

72%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

⚠️ Generational Difference

The Radeon Pro Vega 48 uses modern memory architecture. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The GeForce GTX 980 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 980 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.7%)	✅Leading raw performance (+1.7%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019))	GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) (14nm)
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	✅ More VRAM (+100+%)	Standard Buffer (0 MB)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	Standard Size (267mm)	—

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GTX 980 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $50 versus $450 for the Radeon Pro Vega 48, it costs 89% less. While it maintains competitive performance, this results in a 784.6% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
Cost Efficiency	✅Better overall value (+784.6%)	❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅More affordable ($50)	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($450)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 980 Benchmark Check

Radeon Pro Vega 48 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon Pro Vega 48

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 Vega 48

The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 19 2019. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1200 MHz to 1300 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,270 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 and the Radeon Pro Vega 48 reaches 11,270 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 uses GCN 5.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 3,072 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 7.987 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1300 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
G3D Mark Score	11,077	11,270+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 5.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2048	3072+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS	7.987 TFLOPS+60%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	1300 MHz+7%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	192+50%
L1 Cache	768 KB	768 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
Upscaling Tech	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	FSR 3 (Compatible)	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 has 0 MB. The GeForce GTX 980 offers 100+% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4 MB (Radeon Pro Vega 48) — the Radeon Pro Vega 48 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	Shared System RAM
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 Vega 48). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
DirectX	12.1	12.1
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) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). 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 Vega 48).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
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 Vega 48's 30W — a 152% difference. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 1W (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
TDP	220W	30W-86%
Recommended PSU	500W	1W-100%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Integrated
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C-6%	85°C
Perf/Watt	50.4	375.7+645%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 980 launched at $549 MSRP and currently averages $50, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 launched at $450 and now averages $450. The GeForce GTX 980 costs 88.9% less ($400 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 221.5 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 25.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48) — the GeForce GTX 980 offers 786% better value. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
MSRP	$549	$450-18%
Avg Price (30d)	$50-89%	$450
Performance per Dollar	221.5+786%	25.0
Codename	GM204	Vega 10
Release	September 19 2014	March 19 2019
Ranking	#245	#241