GeForce GTX 980M vs Radeon RX 5300

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980M

2014Core: 1038 MHzBoost: 1127 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5300

2020Core: 1327 MHzBoost: 1645 MHz
RX family
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GeForce GTX 980M vs Radeon RX 5300 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 vs Radeon RX 5300 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 Radeon RX 5300: 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

  • 13.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 59.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Radeon RX 5300

2020

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 59.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 980M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 980M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5300 instead at 7,606 vs 7,353, 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?
Radeon RX 5300 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 980M is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 5300 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 980M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 980M vs Radeon RX 5300 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 5300

The Radeon RX 5300 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 28 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1327 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,606 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the Radeon RX 5300 reaches 7,606 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5300 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5300). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5300). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
G3D Mark Score
7,353
7,606+3%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
1536+9%
1408
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.659 TFLOPS
4.632 TFLOPS+179%
Boost Clock
1127 MHz
1645 MHz+46%
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
96+9%
88
L2 Cache
2 MB+33%
1.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5300 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 980M does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 980M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 5300 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980M has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5300 carries 3 GB. GeForce GTX 980M gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 168 GB/s (Radeon RX 5300) — a 5% advantage for the Radeon RX 5300. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 980M and 96-bit on the Radeon RX 5300. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1.5 MB (Radeon RX 5300) — the GeForce GTX 980M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+33%
3 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
160 GB/s
168 GB/s+5%
Bus Width
256-bit+167%
96-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+33%
1.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5300). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
DirectX
12.1
12.1
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5300). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 5300).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
Encoder
NVENC 2.0
VCN 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
VCN 2.0
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the Radeon RX 5300's 100W — a 0% difference. The Radeon RX 5300 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5300). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 180mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
TDP
100W
100W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
0mm
180mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
73.5
76.1+4%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 5300 (2020 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980MRadeon RX 5300
MSRP
$129
Codename
GM204
Navi 14
Release
October 7 2014
May 28 2020
Ranking
#344
#336

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