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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

NVIDIA
VS
NVIDIA
Performance
GeForce GTX 980251% better
17,604.517% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 480
5,0145% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 980 has 251% better performance than the GeForce GTX 480 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 980219% better
32.0720% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 480
10.056% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 has 219% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 480 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPU

The GeForce GTX 980 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q3 2014 with a suggested retail price of $549. Its GM204 chip that powers the GPU uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.

Memory

This GPU is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,753 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 224.4 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

Compatibility

The GTX 980 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 165 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 450 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GeForce GTX 980 has the 125th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 16.78% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,604.5 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 32.07. This is the 74th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 GPU

The GeForce GTX 480 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2010 with a suggested retail price of $499. Its GF100 chip that powers the GPU uses the Fermi architecture and is fabricated on the 40 nm process.

Memory

This GPU is paired with 1,536 MB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 924 MHz memory clock and 384 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 177.4 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

Compatibility

The GTX 480 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, mini-HDMI 1.3a display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 250 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 600 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GeForce GTX 480 has the 245th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 4.78% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 5,014 score and $499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 10.05. This is the 99th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0Fermi
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ3 2014Q1 2010
Launch Price (MSRP)$549$499
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4
Display FPS for Darksiders III
Darksiders III
Display FPS for Battlefield V
Battlefield V
Display FPS for Hitman 2
Hitman 2
Display FPS for Assassin´s Creed Odyssey
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey
Display FPS for Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4
Display FPS for Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4
GeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
Low - 720p
109 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
77 FPS
--
High - 1080p
67 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
62 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
44 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
24 FPS
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 980 orGeForce GTX 480

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 980 orGeForce GTX 480
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)13.53-42%
Radeon RX Vega 6413.71-41%
Radeon VII15.3-35%
GeForce GTX 97016.53-29%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti22.46-4%
GeForce GTX 98023.36

Benchmark Performance

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Performance
GeForce GTX 980251% better
17,604.517% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 480
5,0145% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 980 has 251% better performance than the GeForce GTX 480 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 980 is ranked 125th with a score of 17,604.5, and the GeForce GTX 480 is ranked 245th with a score of 5,014.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 980219% better
32.0720% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 480
10.056% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 has 219% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 480 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 980 is ranked 74th with a performance per dollar of 32.07, and the GeForce GTX 480 is ranked 99th with a performance per dollar of 10.05.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 980 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon RX 48017,919+2%
Radeon RX 47017,624.5+0%
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5
Radeon R9 FURY17,543-0%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401-1%
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)6,194-65%
GeForce GTX 750 Ti5,378-69%
GeForce GTX 4805,014-72%
GeForce GT 10304,727.5-73%
GeForce GTX 4704,342-75%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 980 or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
Radeon R9 280X36.09+13%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53+11%
GeForce GTX 98032.07
Radeon R9 FURY31.95-0%
Radeon R9 290X29.45-8%
GeForce GTX 47012.44-61%
Radeon HD 645011.33-65%
GeForce GTX 48010.05-69%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
85,374
--
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
12,938
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
14,169
(+184.4%)
4,982
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
109.6
--
PassMark G3D Mark
11,123
(+170.83%)
4,107
PassMark G2D Mark
789
(+79.73%)
439
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
129.7
--
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
CodenameGM204GF100
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0Fermi
Process Size28 nm40 nm
Transistors5,200 million3,100 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
Memory Size4 GB1,536 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth224.4 Gb/s177.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,753 MHz924 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit384 bit
L1 Cache48 KB64 KB
L2 Cache2 MB768 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)165 W250 W
Suggested PSU450 W600 W
Power Connectors2x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2DVI, mini-HDMI 1.3a

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
CUDA Cores2,048480
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)--15
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)12860
Render Output Units (ROP)6448
Core Clock Speed1,127 MHz700 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,216 MHz--

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
Pixel Fill Rate77.82 GPixel/s21.03 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate155.6 GTexel/s42.06 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance4.98 TFLOPS1,345 GFLOPS
FP64 Performance155.6 GFLOPS168.1 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce GTX 980GeForce GTX 480
DirectX12 (12_1)12 (11_0)
OpenCL3.01.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.7 (6.4)5.1

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.