GeForce GTX 980M vs Quadro M5000M

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 Quadro M5000M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quadro M5000M

2015

Why buy it

✅23.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅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 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

Quadro M5000M

2015

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅23.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5000M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5000M better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes. Quadro M5000M is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 23.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 4.2% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2015 instead of 2014, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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?

Quadro M5000M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 23.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (7,056 vs 7,353). G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, Quadro M5000M is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce GTX 980M still makes more sense on price alone, but the performance trade-off is much harder to justify by current standards.

When does GeForce GTX 980M make more sense than Quadro M5000M?

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 future-proofing and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Quadro M5000M. The trade-off is that Quadro M5000M currently gives you a lower G3D Mark (7,056 vs 7,353) and 23.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them.

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

Quadro M5000M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
1080p
low	81 FPS	105 FPS
medium	69 FPS	89 FPS
high	58 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	89 FPS
medium	62 FPS	75 FPS
high	46 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	36 FPS
medium	24 FPS	32 FPS
high	16 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro M5000M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
1080p
low	162 FPS	203 FPS
medium	136 FPS	174 FPS
high	112 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	151 FPS
medium	89 FPS	125 FPS
high	71 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	85 FPS
medium	41 FPS	71 FPS
high	38 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro M5000M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
1080p
low	331 FPS	318 FPS
medium	265 FPS	254 FPS
high	221 FPS	212 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	159 FPS
1440p
low	248 FPS	238 FPS
medium	199 FPS	191 FPS
high	165 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	159 FPS
medium	132 FPS	127 FPS
high	105 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	79 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro M5000M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
1080p
low	148 FPS	219 FPS
medium	123 FPS	186 FPS
high	108 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	127 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	172 FPS
medium	94 FPS	149 FPS
high	83 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	97 FPS
medium	52 FPS	76 FPS
high	40 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	48 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro M5000M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and Quadro M5000M

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.

Quadro M5000M

The Quadro M5000M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 975 MHz to 1051 MHz. It has 1,536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,056 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the Quadro M5000M reaches 7,056 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro M5000M uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1 (Quadro M5000M). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 2.995 TFLOPS (Quadro M5000M). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1051 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
G3D Mark Score	7,353+4%	7,056
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536	1,536
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	2.995 TFLOPS+81%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz+7%	1051 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	96	96
L1 Cache	576 KB	576 KB
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 Quadro M5000M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5000M has 8 GB. The Quadro M5000M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12.1 (Quadro M5000M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
DirectX	12.1	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 5.0 (Quadro M5000M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Quadro M5000M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro M5000M
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 5.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	MPEG-2,H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the Quadro M5000M's 100W — a 0% difference. The Quadro M5000M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (Quadro M5000M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.