NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

VS
Performance
GeForce RTX 3090249% better
61,51859% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 980
17,604.517% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 249% better performance than the GeForce GTX 980 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 309028% better
41.0425% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 980
32.0720% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 28% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 980 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q3 2020 with a MSRP of $1,499. It is built on the Ampere GPU microarchitecture (codename GA102) and is manufactured on a 8 nm process.

Memory

The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, with a 1,219 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 936.2 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The RTX 3090 includes 10,496 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,395 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,695 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 328 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 112 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 328 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 82 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RTX 3090 is a large graphics card, occupying 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. With a thermal design power (TDP) of 350 W and a large, 3-slot size, it is recommended to use a power supply of 750 W and a case with sufficient space to accommodate the card. Compare your card's model and your case's dimensions to verify compatibility.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RTX 3090 has the 15th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 58.81% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 61,518 score and $1,499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 41.04. This is the 71st best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q3 2014 with a MSRP of $549. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM204) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 980 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,753 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 224.4 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The GTX 980 includes 2,048 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,127 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,216 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 980 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 165 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 980 has the 127th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 16.83% 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 76th 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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureAmpereMaxwell 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ3 2020Q3 2014
Launch Price (MSRP)$1,499$549
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong
Display FPS for Once Human
Once Human
Display FPS for The First Descendant
The First Descendant
Display FPS for F1 24
F1 24
Display FPS for Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Display FPS for Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Display FPS for Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2

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 Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong
GeForce RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
Low - 1080p
132 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
101 FPS
--
High - 1080p
79 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
47 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
36 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
22 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 RTX 3090 orGeForce GTX 980
GPUFrames Per Second
Radeon RX 7900 XTX32+45%
GeForce RTX 309022
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti13-41%

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 RTX 3090 orGeForce GTX 980
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti30.69-55%
Radeon RX 7900 XTX31.22-54%
GeForce RTX 309068.14

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce RTX 3090249% better
61,51859% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 980
17,604.517% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 249% better performance than the GeForce GTX 980 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 15th with a score of 61,518, and the GeForce GTX 980 is ranked 127th with a score of 17,604.5.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 309028% better
41.0425% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 980
32.0720% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 28% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 980 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 71st with a performance per dollar of 41.04, and the GeForce GTX 980 is ranked 76th with a performance per dollar of 32.07.

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 RTX 3090 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER68,373+11%
Radeon RX 7800 XT65,610.5+7%
GeForce RTX 309061,518
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti60,980-1%
GeForce RTX 407059,969-3%
Radeon RX 48017,919-71%
Radeon RX 47017,624.5-71%
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5-71%
Radeon R9 FURY17,543-71%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401-72%

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 RTX 3090 or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti50.86+24%
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti47.21+15%
GeForce RTX 309041.04
Radeon R9 280X36.09-12%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53-13%
GeForce RTX 3090 Ti34.76-15%
GeForce GTX 98032.07-22%
Radeon R9 FURY31.95-22%
Radeon R9 290X29.45-28%

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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
19,198
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
18,739
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
231,612
(+171.29%)
85,374
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
47,241
(+265.13%)
12,938
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
142,919
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
47,895
(+238.03%)
14,169
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
368
(+235.77%)
109.6
PassMark G3D Mark
26,746
(+140.93%)
11,101
PassMark G2D Mark
1,046
(+32.24%)
791
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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
CodenameGA102GM204
ArchitectureAmpereMaxwell 2.0
Process Size8 nm28 nm
Transistors28,300 million5,200 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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
Memory Size24 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6XGDDR5
Memory Bandwidth936.2 Gb/s224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,219 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface384 bit256 bit
L1 Cache128 KB48 KB
L2 Cache6 MB2 MB

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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
Slots3 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)350 W165 W
Suggested PSU750 W450 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin2x 6-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4aDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2

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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
CUDA Cores10,4962,048
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)82--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)328128
Render Output Units (ROP)11264
Tensor Cores328--
Ray Tracing Cores82--
Core Clock Speed1,395 MHz1,127 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,695 MHz1,216 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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
Pixel Fill Rate189.8 GPixel/s77.82 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate556 GTexel/s155.6 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance35.58 TFLOPS4.98 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance556 GFLOPS155.6 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 RTX 3090GeForce GTX 980
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (12_1)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.8

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