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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌212.5% higher power demand at 250W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅19.3% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 250W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅19.3% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 250W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌212.5% higher power demand at 250W vs 80W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design better than GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design averages 19.3% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 13,513 vs 13,711 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 980 Ti is a 2015 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $649 MSRP, and you are getting 19.3% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (13,513 vs 13,711). GeForce GTX 980 Ti really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 980 Ti still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 13,711 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	80 FPS	122 FPS
medium	69 FPS	105 FPS
high	56 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	98 FPS
medium	62 FPS	83 FPS
high	45 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	42 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	40 FPS
medium	24 FPS	36 FPS
high	16 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	186 FPS	195 FPS
medium	164 FPS	162 FPS
high	133 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	119 FPS
1440p
low	128 FPS	148 FPS
medium	104 FPS	120 FPS
high	82 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	81 FPS
medium	50 FPS	67 FPS
high	46 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	617 FPS	608 FPS
medium	494 FPS	486 FPS
high	411 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	304 FPS
1440p
low	463 FPS	456 FPS
medium	370 FPS	365 FPS
high	308 FPS	304 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	228 FPS
4K
low	308 FPS	304 FPS
medium	247 FPS	243 FPS
high	206 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	152 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	232 FPS	245 FPS
medium	197 FPS	212 FPS
high	161 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	177 FPS	188 FPS
medium	156 FPS	166 FPS
high	123 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	102 FPS	112 FPS
medium	83 FPS	94 FPS
high	67 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	58 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 Ti and GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 2 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1075 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,711 points. Launch price was $649.

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 2 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1080 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,513 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design reaches 13,513 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 3,072 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 6.636 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1080 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	13,711+1%	13,513
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2816	3072+9%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	6.636 TFLOPS+10%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1080 MHz
ROPs	96+50%	64
TMUs	176	192+9%
L1 Cache	1 MB	3 MB+200%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 352 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) — a 4.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design. Bus width: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	352 GB/s+5%
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12.1	12.2
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 103% difference. The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design
TDP	250W	80W-68%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	54.8	168.9+208%