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 3060 Laptop GPU across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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.
❌47.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 170W.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅25.1% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 170W instead of 250W, a 80W 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 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

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

✅25.1% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 170W instead of 250W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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.
❌47.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 170W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU better than GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU averages 25.1% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 13,170 vs 13,711 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is a 2022 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 3060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $649 MSRP, and you are getting 25.1% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (13,170 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 3060 Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	80 FPS	109 FPS
medium	69 FPS	98 FPS
high	56 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	70 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	95 FPS
medium	62 FPS	83 FPS
high	45 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	48 FPS
medium	24 FPS	43 FPS
high	16 FPS	30 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	186 FPS	357 FPS
medium	164 FPS	310 FPS
high	133 FPS	248 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	195 FPS
1440p
low	128 FPS	221 FPS
medium	104 FPS	190 FPS
high	82 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	108 FPS
medium	50 FPS	89 FPS
high	46 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	55 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	617 FPS	593 FPS
medium	494 FPS	474 FPS
high	411 FPS	395 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	296 FPS
1440p
low	463 FPS	444 FPS
medium	370 FPS	356 FPS
high	308 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	222 FPS
4K
low	308 FPS	296 FPS
medium	247 FPS	237 FPS
high	206 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	148 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	232 FPS	519 FPS
medium	197 FPS	439 FPS
high	161 FPS	376 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	296 FPS
1440p
low	177 FPS	425 FPS
medium	156 FPS	356 FPS
high	123 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	222 FPS
4K
low	102 FPS	277 FPS
medium	83 FPS	237 FPS
high	67 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	148 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 Ti and GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

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 3060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,170 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU reaches 13,170 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	13,711+4%	13,170
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2816	3584+27%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+110%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1777 MHz+65%
ROPs	96+100%	48
TMUs	176+57%	112
L1 Cache	1 MB	3.5 MB+250%
L2 Cache	3 MB	3 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 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 3060 Laptop GPU
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)

Both cards feature 6 GB of video memory. Bus width: 384-bit vs 192-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	336 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+100%	192-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	3 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 170W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
TDP	250W	170W-32%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	54.8	77.5+41%