GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro Vega 48

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 980

2014Core: 1064 MHzBoost: 1216 MHz

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Radeon Pro Vega 48

2019Core: 1200 MHzBoost: 1300 MHz

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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro Vega 48 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 980

4 GB 220

11,077

0.0%

GeForce GTX 960

GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile

RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile

Radeon Pro Vega 48

Shared System RAM 30

11,270

+1.7%

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 Vega 48 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 Radeon Pro Vega 48: 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

✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs Unknown).
✅Radeon Pro Vega 48 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 980 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Pro Vega 48 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
22% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$450 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.2 vs 25.0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
❌633.3% higher power demand at 220W vs 30W.

Radeon Pro Vega 48

2019

Why buy it

✅19.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($450 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 24.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.0 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 220W, a 190W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2019 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (11,270 vs 11,077), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 980 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs Unknown of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon Pro Vega 48 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $450 vs $549, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 24.1% (25.0 vs 20.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p, Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 980 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon Pro Vega 48 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 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)

The GeForce GTX 980 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
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 Vega 48 carries 0 MB. GeForce GTX 980 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 Vega 48. 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

At launch, the GeForce GTX 980 came in at $549, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 launched at $450. On MSRP, Radeon Pro Vega 48 was 18% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 25.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48) — the Radeon Pro Vega 48 offers 23.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro Vega 48 (2019 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	Radeon Pro Vega 48
MSRP	$549	$450-18%
Performance per Dollar	20.2	25.0+24%
Codename	GM204	Vega 10
Release	September 19 2014	March 19 2019
Ranking	#245	#241

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