GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)

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 980M SLI vs GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) 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 980M SLI vs GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile): 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 980M SLI

2014

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)

2025

Why buy it

✅47.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Better long-term bet: Blackwell (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 47.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980M SLI instead at 12,523 vs 12,357, 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?

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 4nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1038 MHz to 1127 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,523 points.

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)

The GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 2 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2235 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 4608 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,357 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI scores 12,523 and the GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) reaches 12,357 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M SLI is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 4,608 (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 2520 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
G3D Mark Score	12,523+1%	12,357
Architecture	Maxwell	Blackwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	3072	4608+50%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	2520 MHz+124%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980M SLI is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)) — a 180% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile). Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980M SLI and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s	448 GB/s+180%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
DirectX	12.1	12.2
Vulkan	1.1	1.1
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (2x) (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 (2x) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
Encoder	NVENC 4.0 (2x)	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6 (2x)	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI draws 200W versus the GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)'s 50W — a 120% difference. The GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
TDP	200W	50W-75%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C	85°C
Perf/Watt	62.6	247.1+295%