GeForce GTX 980M vs Quadro P4000 Max-Q

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 P4000 Max-Q 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.

Quadro P4000 Max-Q

2017

Why buy it

✅13.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

Quadro P4000 Max-Q

2017

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅13.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro P4000 Max-Q 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.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro P4000 Max-Q better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Quadro P4000 Max-Q averages 13.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,353 vs 7,500 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Quadro P4000 Max-Q 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?

Quadro P4000 Max-Q is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 13.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.0% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, Quadro P4000 Max-Q 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 P4000 Max-Q?

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 P4000 Max-Q. The trade-off is that Quadro P4000 Max-Q currently gives you 2.0% higher G3D Mark and 13.3% 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 P4000 Max-Q Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
1080p
low	81 FPS	82 FPS
medium	69 FPS	71 FPS
high	58 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	72 FPS
medium	62 FPS	63 FPS
high	46 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	26 FPS
medium	24 FPS	24 FPS
high	16 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro P4000 Max-Q

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
1080p
low	162 FPS	210 FPS
medium	136 FPS	180 FPS
high	112 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	160 FPS
medium	89 FPS	134 FPS
high	71 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	94 FPS
medium	41 FPS	77 FPS
high	38 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	49 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro P4000 Max-Q

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
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	202 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	112 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	84 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro P4000 Max-Q

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
1080p
low	148 FPS	162 FPS
medium	123 FPS	133 FPS
high	108 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	118 FPS
medium	94 FPS	99 FPS
high	83 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	67 FPS
medium	52 FPS	54 FPS
high	40 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Quadro P4000 Max-Q

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and Quadro P4000 Max-Q

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 P4000 Max-Q

The Quadro P4000 Max-Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1114 MHz to 1228 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,500 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the Quadro P4000 Max-Q reaches 7,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro P4000 Max-Q uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1,792 (Quadro P4000 Max-Q). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 4.401 TFLOPS (Quadro P4000 Max-Q). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1228 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
G3D Mark Score	7,353	7,500+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	1536	1792+17%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	4.401 TFLOPS+165%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1228 MHz+9%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	96	112+17%
L1 Cache	576 KB	672 KB+17%
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 P4000 Max-Q relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
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 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
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 P4000 Max-Q). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
DirectX	12.1	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs NVENC 6.0 (Quadro P4000 Max-Q). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP8. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Quadro P4000 Max-Q).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Quadro P4000 Max-Q
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	NVENC 6.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	PureVideo HD VP8
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the Quadro P4000 Max-Q's 100W — a 0% difference. The Quadro P4000 Max-Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (Quadro P4000 Max-Q). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.