GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs Intel Arc Pro B50

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

2014Core: 1038 MHzBoost: 1127 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
Intel

Intel Arc Pro B50

2025Core: 1700 MHzBoost: 2600 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 35.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 185.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 70W.
  • 59.9% longer card at 267mm vs 167mm.

Intel Arc Pro B50

2025

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 35.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • More future proof: Xe2 (2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 70W instead of 200W, a 130W reduction.
  • Measures 167mm instead of 267mm, a 100mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 980M SLI better than Intel Arc Pro B50?
Yes. GeForce GTX 980M SLI is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 12,523 vs 12,208 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 980M SLI is a 2014 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Intel Arc Pro B50 is a 2025 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Intel Arc Pro B50 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2014, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 5nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce GTX 980M SLI is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 980M SLI is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $349 MSRP, and you are getting 2.6% higher G3D Mark. Intel Arc Pro B50 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
When does Intel Arc Pro B50 make more sense than GeForce GTX 980M SLI?
Yes. Intel Arc Pro B50 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (70W vs 200W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $349 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 980M SLI. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 980M SLI currently gives you 2.6% higher G3D Mark. Intel Arc Pro B50 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
1080p
low45 FPS64 FPS
medium37 FPS45 FPS
high27 FPS36 FPS
ultra18 FPS26 FPS
1440p
low36 FPS51 FPS
medium26 FPS29 FPS
high17 FPS19 FPS
ultra11 FPS15 FPS
4K
low15 FPS33 FPS
medium12 FPS20 FPS
high7 FPS14 FPS
ultra6 FPS10 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
1080p
low105 FPS183 FPS
medium79 FPS135 FPS
high59 FPS91 FPS
ultra38 FPS62 FPS
1440p
low59 FPS108 FPS
medium39 FPS71 FPS
high28 FPS54 FPS
ultra19 FPS41 FPS
4K
low19 FPS45 FPS
medium13 FPS33 FPS
high11 FPS28 FPS
ultra8 FPS21 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
1080p
low564 FPS549 FPS
medium451 FPS439 FPS
high376 FPS366 FPS
ultra282 FPS275 FPS
1440p
low423 FPS412 FPS
medium338 FPS330 FPS
high282 FPS275 FPS
ultra211 FPS206 FPS
4K
low277 FPS275 FPS
medium225 FPS220 FPS
high175 FPS183 FPS
ultra129 FPS137 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
1080p
low216 FPS549 FPS
medium180 FPS439 FPS
high127 FPS366 FPS
ultra85 FPS275 FPS
1440p
low137 FPS412 FPS
medium108 FPS330 FPS
high79 FPS275 FPS
ultra53 FPS206 FPS
4K
low75 FPS275 FPS
medium56 FPS220 FPS
high43 FPS183 FPS
ultra30 FPS137 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M SLI and Intel Arc Pro B50

NVIDIA

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.

Intel

Intel Arc Pro B50

The Intel Arc Pro B50 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in September 5 2025. It features the Xe2 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1700 MHz to 2600 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,208 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI scores 12,523 and the Intel Arc Pro B50 reaches 12,208 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M SLI is built on Maxwell while the Intel Arc Pro B50 uses Xe2, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 2,048 (Intel Arc Pro B50). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 2600 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
G3D Mark Score
12,523+3%
12,208
Architecture
Maxwell
Xe2
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
3072+50%
2048
Boost Clock
1127 MHz
2600 MHz+131%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Intel Arc Pro B50 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 12.2 (Intel Arc Pro B50). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
DirectX
12.1
12.2
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.4
4.6+5%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (2x) (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs Dual Arc Media Engine (Intel Arc Pro B50). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 (2x) vs Dual Arc Media Engine. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Intel Arc Pro B50).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
Encoder
NVENC 4.0 (2x)
Dual Arc Media Engine
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6 (2x)
Dual Arc Media Engine
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI draws 200W versus the Intel Arc Pro B50's 70W — a 96.3% difference. The Intel Arc Pro B50 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 500W (Intel Arc Pro B50). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 167mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
TDP
200W
70W-65%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
167mm
Height
111mm
69mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
75°C-12%
Perf/Watt
62.6
174.4+179%
💰

Value Analysis

The Intel Arc Pro B50 is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980M SLIIntel Arc Pro B50
MSRP
$349
Codename
BMG-G21
Release
October 7 2014
September 5 2025
Ranking
#263
#221