GeForce GTX 980M vs GeForce GTX 1650 (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.

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

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

2020

Why buy it

✅3.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 980M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 980M is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

2020

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅3.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 980M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 980M is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) averages 3.7% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,353 vs 6,968 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (50W vs 100W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014 and a 12nm 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 1650 (Mobile) can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around Unknown MSRP. GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 3.7% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (6,968 vs 7,353). Moving to an unclear MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (50W vs 100W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is GeForce GTX 980M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 980M is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below an unclear MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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.

GeForce GTX 980M Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
1080p
low	81 FPS	90 FPS
medium	69 FPS	80 FPS
high	58 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	55 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	83 FPS
medium	62 FPS	71 FPS
high	46 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	39 FPS
medium	24 FPS	36 FPS
high	16 FPS	25 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	22 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
1080p
low	162 FPS	144 FPS
medium	136 FPS	122 FPS
high	112 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	85 FPS
medium	89 FPS	67 FPS
high	71 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	37 FPS
medium	41 FPS	28 FPS
high	38 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
1080p
low	331 FPS	314 FPS
medium	265 FPS	251 FPS
high	221 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	157 FPS
1440p
low	248 FPS	235 FPS
medium	199 FPS	188 FPS
high	165 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	118 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	141 FPS
medium	132 FPS	123 FPS
high	105 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
1080p
low	148 FPS	262 FPS
medium	123 FPS	209 FPS
high	108 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	200 FPS
medium	94 FPS	159 FPS
high	83 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	98 FPS
medium	52 FPS	75 FPS
high	40 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

GeForce GTX 980M

The GeForce GTX 980M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1038 MHz to 1127 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,353 points.

GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)

The GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1350 MHz to 1485 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,968 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 versus the GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)'s 6,968 — the GeForce GTX 980M leads by 5.5%. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1,024 (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 3.041 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1485 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
G3D Mark Score	7,353+6%	6,968
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1536+50%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	3.041 TFLOPS+83%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1485 MHz+32%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	96+50%	64
L1 Cache	0.56 MB	1 MB+79%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)) — a 25% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980M. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)) — the GeForce GTX 980M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s+25%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 6th Gen (Volta/Turing) (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 6th Gen (Volta/Turing)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)'s 50W — a 66.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1650 (Mobile)). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.