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 980

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌388.9% higher power demand at 220W vs 45W.

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

2024

Why buy it

✅15.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 45W instead of 220W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 980

2014

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

2024

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅15.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 45W instead of 220W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌388.9% higher power demand at 220W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile better than GeForce GTX 980?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile averages 15.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 11,269 vs 11,077 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is a 2024 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 980 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?

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 15.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.7% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 980 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 980 is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 11,077 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 980 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
1080p
low	82 FPS	107 FPS
medium	71 FPS	89 FPS
high	60 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	51 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	92 FPS
medium	63 FPS	76 FPS
high	47 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	37 FPS
medium	24 FPS	33 FPS
high	17 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
1080p
low	182 FPS	164 FPS
medium	156 FPS	141 FPS
high	128 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	120 FPS
medium	102 FPS	99 FPS
high	83 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	59 FPS	72 FPS
medium	49 FPS	60 FPS
high	47 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
1080p
low	478 FPS	500 FPS
medium	399 FPS	406 FPS
high	332 FPS	338 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	254 FPS
1440p
low	374 FPS	349 FPS
medium	299 FPS	297 FPS
high	249 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	190 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	227 FPS
medium	199 FPS	195 FPS
high	154 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	106 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
1080p
low	153 FPS	238 FPS
medium	127 FPS	208 FPS
high	110 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	143 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	184 FPS
medium	96 FPS	164 FPS
high	84 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	106 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	100 FPS
medium	53 FPS	83 FPS
high	41 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	52 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

GeForce GTX 980

The GeForce GTX 980 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1064 MHz to 1216 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,077 points. Launch price was $549.

GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1065 MHz to 1343 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 14 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,269 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 and the GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile reaches 11,269 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 1,792 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4.813 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1343 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
G3D Mark Score	11,077	11,269+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2048+14%	1792
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS+3%	4.813 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	1343 MHz+10%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+129%	56
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	1.8 MB+140%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 980 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile) — a 75% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980. Bus width: 256-bit vs 64-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+75%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
DirectX	12.1	12.2
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	8th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 draws 220W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile's 45W — a 132.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile
TDP	220W	45W-80%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	50.4	250.4+397%