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 Radeon RX 6500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

✅1.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

GeForce GTX 980M

2014

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅1.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 6500M better than GeForce GTX 980M?

Yes. Radeon RX 6500M is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 6500M averages 1.5% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 7,443 vs 7,353 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 6500M is a 2022 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, while GeForce GTX 980M is a 2014 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 6500M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2014, 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, and a 6nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

Radeon RX 6500M can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around Unknown MSRP. Radeon RX 6500M is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX 6500M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 1.5% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.2% higher G3D Mark. Moving to an unclear MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (50W vs 100W), and FSR 3 + AFMF.

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. Radeon RX 6500M is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and FSR 3 + AFMF.

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

Radeon RX 6500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	81 FPS	104 FPS
medium	69 FPS	92 FPS
high	58 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	71 FPS	94 FPS
medium	62 FPS	80 FPS
high	46 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	47 FPS
medium	24 FPS	44 FPS
high	16 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Radeon RX 6500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	162 FPS	172 FPS
medium	136 FPS	134 FPS
high	112 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	113 FPS
medium	89 FPS	87 FPS
high	71 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	56 FPS
medium	41 FPS	44 FPS
high	38 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Radeon RX 6500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	331 FPS	334 FPS
medium	265 FPS	268 FPS
high	221 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	165 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	248 FPS	245 FPS
medium	199 FPS	201 FPS
high	165 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	165 FPS	146 FPS
medium	132 FPS	128 FPS
high	105 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	57 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Radeon RX 6500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	148 FPS	282 FPS
medium	123 FPS	214 FPS
high	108 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	209 FPS
medium	94 FPS	154 FPS
high	83 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	103 FPS
medium	52 FPS	75 FPS
high	40 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M Open Radeon RX 6500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M and Radeon RX 6500M

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.

Radeon RX 6500M

The Radeon RX 6500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2400 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,443 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M scores 7,353 and the Radeon RX 6500M reaches 7,443 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 6500M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500M). Raw compute: 1.659 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 4.915 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500M). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 2400 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
G3D Mark Score	7,353	7,443+1%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	1536+50%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.659 TFLOPS	4.915 TFLOPS+196%
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	2400 MHz+113%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	96+50%	64
L1 Cache	576 KB+125%	256 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6500M 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 980M lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 980M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 6500M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6500M) — a 11.1% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980M. Bus width: 256-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500M) — the GeForce GTX 980M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s+11%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 6500M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_2)
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 VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6500M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce GTX 980M) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only) (Radeon RX 6500M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M	Radeon RX 6500M
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	VCN 3.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	VCN 3.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M draws 100W versus the Radeon RX 6500M's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon RX 6500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 980M) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6500M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile.