GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 7600

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1075 MHz

Popular choices:

RX 7600
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 7600

2023Core: 1720 MHzBoost: 2655 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

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

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 7600 across 49 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 FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 141.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $649 MSRPvs$269 MSRP

Radeon RX 7600

2023

Why buy it

  • 34.7% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $380 less on MSRP ($269 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • Delivers 191.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 61.6 vs 21.1 G3D/$ ($269 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 7600 better than GeForce GTX 980 Ti?
Yes. Radeon RX 7600 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 7600 averages 34.7% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,581 vs 13,711 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 7600 is a 2023 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, 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?
Radeon RX 7600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 20.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (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?
Radeon RX 7600 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 7600 is about $380 cheaper on MSRP at $269 MSRP versus $649 MSRP, and you are getting 34.7% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 20.9% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 191.8%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is GeForce GTX 980 Ti still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce GTX 980 Ti is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $649 MSRP, even if Radeon RX 7600 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
1080p
low80 FPS168 FPS
medium69 FPS149 FPS
high56 FPS131 FPS
ultra37 FPS111 FPS
1440p
low70 FPS140 FPS
medium62 FPS114 FPS
high45 FPS101 FPS
ultra28 FPS91 FPS
4K
low26 FPS85 FPS
medium24 FPS72 FPS
high16 FPS59 FPS
ultra14 FPS52 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
1080p
low186 FPS414 FPS
medium164 FPS349 FPS
high133 FPS267 FPS
ultra104 FPS206 FPS
1440p
low128 FPS241 FPS
medium104 FPS205 FPS
high82 FPS163 FPS
ultra62 FPS130 FPS
4K
low60 FPS109 FPS
medium50 FPS91 FPS
high46 FPS75 FPS
ultra37 FPS57 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
1080p
low617 FPS746 FPS
medium494 FPS597 FPS
high411 FPS497 FPS
ultra308 FPS373 FPS
1440p
low463 FPS560 FPS
medium370 FPS448 FPS
high308 FPS373 FPS
ultra231 FPS280 FPS
4K
low308 FPS373 FPS
medium247 FPS298 FPS
high206 FPS249 FPS
ultra154 FPS187 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
1080p
low232 FPS604 FPS
medium197 FPS517 FPS
high161 FPS443 FPS
ultra136 FPS352 FPS
1440p
low177 FPS468 FPS
medium156 FPS397 FPS
high123 FPS322 FPS
ultra102 FPS259 FPS
4K
low102 FPS293 FPS
medium83 FPS271 FPS
high67 FPS235 FPS
ultra53 FPS187 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon RX 7600

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 7600

The Radeon RX 7600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 24 2023. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1720 MHz to 2655 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 165W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,581 points. Launch price was $269.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 versus the Radeon RX 7600's 16,581 — the Radeon RX 7600 leads by 20.9%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 7600 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 7600). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 21.75 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 7600). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 2655 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
G3D Mark Score
13,711
16,581+21%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
6 nm
Shading Units
2816+38%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.06 TFLOPS
21.75 TFLOPS+259%
Boost Clock
1075 MHz
2655 MHz+147%
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
176+38%
128
L1 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+50%
2 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 7600 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 GTX 980 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 7600 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 7600 has 8 GB. The Radeon RX 7600 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 7600) — a 16.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Bus width: 384-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 7600) — the GeForce GTX 980 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+17%
288 GB/s
Bus Width
384-bit+200%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+50%
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 7600). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
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 VCN 4.0 (Radeon RX 7600). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 7600).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
Encoder
NVENC 3.0
VCN 4.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
VCN 4.0
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the Radeon RX 7600's 165W — a 41% difference. The Radeon RX 7600 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 550W (Radeon RX 7600). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
TDP
250W
165W-34%
Recommended PSU
600W
550W-8%
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
8-pin
Length
267mm
240mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
75°C-12%
Perf/Watt
54.8
100.5+83%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti launched at $649 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 7600 launched at $269. The Radeon RX 7600 costs 58.6% less ($380 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 61.6 (Radeon RX 7600) — the Radeon RX 7600 offers 191.9% better value. The Radeon RX 7600 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 7600
MSRP
$649
$269-59%
Performance per Dollar
21.1
61.6+192%
Codename
GM200
Navi 33
Release
June 2 2015
May 24 2023
Ranking
#179
#118