GeForce GTX 980M vs GeForce GTX 1650

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 980M

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅6.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 980M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 980M is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅6.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 980M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 980M is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. GeForce GTX 1650 averages 6.6% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,353 vs 7,869 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1650 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 100W).

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

GeForce GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014 and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $149 MSRP. GeForce GTX 1650 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1650 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $149 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 6.6% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 7.0% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $149 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (75W vs 100W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 980M is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below an unclear MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 1650 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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 980M Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	81 FPS	94 FPS
medium	69 FPS	83 FPS
high	58 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	87 FPS
medium	62 FPS	74 FPS
high	46 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	50 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	41 FPS
medium	24 FPS	39 FPS
high	16 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	162 FPS	136 FPS
medium	136 FPS	113 FPS
high	112 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	79 FPS
medium	89 FPS	62 FPS
high	71 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	36 FPS
medium	41 FPS	27 FPS
high	38 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	331 FPS	323 FPS
medium	265 FPS	283 FPS
high	221 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	248 FPS	225 FPS
medium	199 FPS	202 FPS
high	165 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	117 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	130 FPS
medium	132 FPS	117 FPS
high	105 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	148 FPS	261 FPS
medium	123 FPS	211 FPS
high	108 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	201 FPS
medium	94 FPS	158 FPS
high	83 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	99 FPS
medium	52 FPS	74 FPS
high	40 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX 980M

The GeForce GTX 980M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1038 MHz to 1127 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,353 points.

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 7,869 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 7%. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	7,353	7,869+7%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1536+71%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	2.984 TFLOPS+80%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1665 MHz+48%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	96+71%	56
L1 Cache	576 KB	896 KB+56%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) — a 25% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980M. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 980M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s+25%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1650). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12.1	12
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 4th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GeForce GTX 1650
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 4th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.