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 4060 Laptop GPU across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌56.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 160W.

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

✅69.0% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 160W instead of 250W, a 90W 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 4060 Laptop GPU

2023

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

✅69.0% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 160W instead of 250W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌56.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 160W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU better than GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU averages 69.0% more FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 17,400 vs 13,711 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, 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 4060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 26.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $649 MSRP, and you are getting 69.0% more estimated average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data and 26.9% higher G3D Mark. 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 4060 Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	80 FPS	177 FPS
medium	69 FPS	162 FPS
high	56 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	143 FPS
medium	62 FPS	118 FPS
high	45 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	93 FPS
medium	24 FPS	79 FPS
high	16 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	59 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	186 FPS	409 FPS
medium	164 FPS	344 FPS
high	133 FPS	280 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	223 FPS
1440p
low	128 FPS	261 FPS
medium	104 FPS	217 FPS
high	82 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	147 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	112 FPS
medium	50 FPS	91 FPS
high	46 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	59 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	617 FPS	783 FPS
medium	494 FPS	626 FPS
high	411 FPS	522 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	463 FPS	587 FPS
medium	370 FPS	470 FPS
high	308 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	308 FPS	392 FPS
medium	247 FPS	313 FPS
high	206 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	196 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
1080p
low	232 FPS	775 FPS
medium	197 FPS	626 FPS
high	161 FPS	522 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	177 FPS	587 FPS
medium	156 FPS	470 FPS
high	123 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	102 FPS	374 FPS
medium	83 FPS	313 FPS
high	67 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	196 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Ti Open GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 Ti and GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 17,400 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU's 17,400 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU leads by 26.9%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 2535 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	13,711	17,400+27%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ada Lovelace
Process Node	28 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2816	4352+55%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	22.06 TFLOPS+264%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	2535 MHz+136%
ROPs	96+100%	48
TMUs	176+29%	136
L1 Cache	1 MB	4.3 MB+330%
L2 Cache	3 MB	32 MB+967%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 256 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) — a 31.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Bus width: 384-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+31%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+200%	128-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	32 MB+967%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060 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 (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4060 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,VP9 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC (8th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU's 160W — a 43.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
TDP	250W	160W-36%
Recommended PSU	600W-8%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	54.8	108.8+99%