GeForce GTX 980M vs GRID P40-8Q

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 vs GRID P40-8Q 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 vs GRID P40-8Q: 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

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,000 MSRP).

GRID P40-8Q

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GRID P40-8Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (7,507 vs 7,353), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce GTX 980M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GRID P40-8Q makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GRID P40-8Q is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 980M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980M vs GRID P40-8Q Technical Specifications

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

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.

GRID P40-8Q

The GRID P40-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,507 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the GRID P40-8Q reaches 7,507 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GRID P40-8Q uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 2,048 (GRID P40-8Q). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID P40-8Q). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
G3D Mark Score	7,353	7,507+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536	2048+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	4.825 TFLOPS+191%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1178 MHz+5%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	96	128+33%
L1 Cache	576 KB	768 KB+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 980M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID P40-8Q leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
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 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980M and 128-bit on the GRID P40-8Q.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12.0 (GRID P40-8Q). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
DirectX	12.1	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.5
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 4.0 (GRID P40-8Q). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP7. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GRID P40-8Q).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 4.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	PureVideo HD VP7
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the GRID P40-8Q's 225W — a 76.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 980M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (GRID P40-8Q). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
TDP	100W-56%	225W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	267mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Perf/Watt	73.5+120%	33.4

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GRID P40-8Q (2015 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
MSRP	—	$3000
Codename	GM204	GM204
Release	October 7 2014	August 30 2015
Ranking	#344	#505

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