GeForce GTX 980M vs GRID P40-8Q

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

✅Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌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 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,000 MSRP).

GRID P40-8Q

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

GRID P40-8Q

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌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 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,000 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

So, is GRID P40-8Q better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,353 vs 7,507 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GRID P40-8Q is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

GeForce GTX 980M is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

GRID P40-8Q can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $3,000 MSRP. GRID P40-8Q is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GRID P40-8Q is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $3,000 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 2.1% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 980M is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about lower power draw (100W vs 225W) and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 980M make more sense than GRID P40-8Q?

Yes. GeForce GTX 980M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is lower power draw (100W vs 225W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GRID P40-8Q. The trade-off is that GRID P40-8Q currently gives you 2.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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

GRID P40-8Q Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
1080p
low	81 FPS	104 FPS
medium	69 FPS	90 FPS
high	58 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	91 FPS
medium	62 FPS	80 FPS
high	46 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	29 FPS
medium	24 FPS	27 FPS
high	16 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	16 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GRID P40-8Q

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
1080p
low	162 FPS	162 FPS
medium	136 FPS	128 FPS
high	112 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	75 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	119 FPS
medium	89 FPS	92 FPS
high	71 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	68 FPS
medium	41 FPS	52 FPS
high	38 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GRID P40-8Q

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
1080p
low	331 FPS	338 FPS
medium	265 FPS	270 FPS
high	221 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	248 FPS	253 FPS
medium	199 FPS	203 FPS
high	165 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	127 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	169 FPS
medium	132 FPS	135 FPS
high	105 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	84 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GRID P40-8Q

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
1080p
low	148 FPS	182 FPS
medium	123 FPS	148 FPS
high	108 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	132 FPS
medium	94 FPS	110 FPS
high	83 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	77 FPS
medium	52 FPS	60 FPS
high	40 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open GRID P40-8Q

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and GRID P40-8Q

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.

GRID P40-8Q

The GRID P40-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,507 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the GRID P40-8Q reaches 7,507 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GRID P40-8Q uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 2,048 (GRID P40-8Q). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID P40-8Q). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
G3D Mark Score	7,353	7,507+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536	2048+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	4.825 TFLOPS+191%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1178 MHz+5%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	96	128+33%
L1 Cache	576 KB	768 KB+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 980M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The GRID P40-8Q relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12.0 (GRID P40-8Q). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
DirectX	12.1	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.5
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 4.0 (GRID P40-8Q). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP7. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GRID P40-8Q).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	GRID P40-8Q
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 4.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	PureVideo HD VP7
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the GRID P40-8Q's 225W — a 76.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 980M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (GRID P40-8Q). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.