GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs Intel Arc Pro B50

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

2014Core: 1038 MHzBoost: 1127 MHz
VS
Intel

Intel Arc Pro B50

2025Core: 1700 MHzBoost: 2600 MHz

GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs Intel Arc Pro B50 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 980M SLI vs Intel Arc Pro B50 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 Intel Arc Pro B50: 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 Intel Arc Pro B50 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory 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

  • 57.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 35.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Better long-term bet: Xe2 (2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base 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

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Intel Arc Pro B50 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 57.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980M SLI instead at 12,523 vs 12,208, 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?
Intel Arc Pro B50 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Intel Arc Pro B50 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 980M SLI vs Intel Arc Pro B50 Technical Specifications

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

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 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Intel Arc Pro B50 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

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 ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980M SLI and 128-bit on the Intel Arc Pro B50.

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 newer card here is Intel Arc Pro B50 (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

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