NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
22.5Rasterization23.6
20Ray Tracing20
32.4Memoryspec-based32.4
76.3Efficiencyspec-based73.8
29.8Compute33.1
1 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9706 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 scores 32.6 against 33.1 for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980. Pick by the categories that matter to you — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 edges ahead in compute and rasterization, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
- 12% lower TDP: 145 W vs 165 W
- Lower launch price: $329 vs $549
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
- Stronger compute score: 33 vs 30
- 23% higher Shading units: 2,048 vs 1,664
- 20% higher 3DMark Time Spy: 4,361 vs 3,645
- 15% higher PassMark G3D: 11,071 vs 9,637
General
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2014 | 2014 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell |
| Process | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| TDP | 145 W+12% | 165 W |
| Power connector | 2x 6-pin | 2x 6-pin |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
|---|---|---|
| Shading units | 1,664 | 2,048+23% |
| Base clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,126 MHz+7% |
| Boost clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,216 MHz+3% |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| VRAM type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Bus width | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 224 GB/s |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,645Bottom 11% | 4,361+20%Bottom 18% |
| PassMark G3D | 9,637Bottom 17% | 11,071+15%Bottom 21% |
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