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 SLI

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5600 OEM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.
❌10.8% longer card at 267mm vs 241mm.

Radeon RX 5600 OEM

2020

Why buy it

✅56.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 267mm, a 26mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

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

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

2014

Radeon RX 5600 OEM

2020

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅56.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 267mm, a 26mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5600 OEM across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.
❌10.8% longer card at 267mm vs 241mm.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5600 OEM better than GeForce GTX 980M SLI?

Yes. Radeon RX 5600 OEM is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 5600 OEM averages 56.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 12,333 vs 12,523 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5600 OEM is a 2020 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while GeForce GTX 980M SLI 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 5600 OEM is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm 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 5600 OEM is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 56.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (12,333 vs 12,523). G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, Radeon RX 5600 OEM is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce GTX 980M SLI still makes more sense on price alone, but the performance trade-off is much harder to justify by current standards.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 980M SLI is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to an unclear MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, Radeon RX 5600 OEM earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 SLI Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5600 OEM Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
1080p
low	45 FPS	119 FPS
medium	37 FPS	103 FPS
high	27 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	36 FPS	99 FPS
medium	26 FPS	84 FPS
high	17 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	44 FPS
4K
low	15 FPS	41 FPS
medium	12 FPS	36 FPS
high	7 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M SLI Open Radeon RX 5600 OEM

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
1080p
low	98 FPS	225 FPS
medium	74 FPS	193 FPS
high	56 FPS	141 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	56 FPS	149 FPS
medium	38 FPS	125 FPS
high	27 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	19 FPS	83 FPS
medium	13 FPS	70 FPS
high	11 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	8 FPS	39 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M SLI Open Radeon RX 5600 OEM

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
1080p
low	564 FPS	555 FPS
medium	451 FPS	444 FPS
high	376 FPS	370 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	277 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	416 FPS
medium	338 FPS	333 FPS
high	282 FPS	277 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	208 FPS
4K
low	277 FPS	277 FPS
medium	225 FPS	222 FPS
high	175 FPS	185 FPS
ultra	129 FPS	139 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M SLI Open Radeon RX 5600 OEM

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
1080p
low	191 FPS	250 FPS
medium	158 FPS	217 FPS
high	109 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	149 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	193 FPS
medium	97 FPS	172 FPS
high	70 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	111 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	105 FPS
medium	50 FPS	88 FPS
high	37 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980M SLI Open Radeon RX 5600 OEM

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980M SLI and Radeon RX 5600 OEM

GeForce GTX 980M SLI

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1038 MHz to 1127 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,523 points.

Radeon RX 5600 OEM

The Radeon RX 5600 OEM is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 21 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1130 MHz to 1560 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,333 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI scores 12,523 and the Radeon RX 5600 OEM reaches 12,333 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980M SLI is built on Maxwell while the Radeon RX 5600 OEM uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 5600 OEM). Boost clocks: 1127 MHz vs 1560 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
G3D Mark Score	12,523+2%	12,333
Architecture	Maxwell	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	3072+50%	2048
Boost Clock	1127 MHz	1560 MHz+38%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5600 OEM is support for FSR Frame Generation. 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 SLI lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 980M SLI gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 5600 OEM relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 5600 OEM) — a 80% advantage for the Radeon RX 5600 OEM. Bus width: 256-bit vs 192-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	160 GB/s	288 GB/s+80%
Bus Width	256-bit+33%	192-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5600 OEM). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
DirectX	12.1	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (2x) (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5600 OEM). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 (2x) vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5600 OEM).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
Encoder	NVENC 4.0 (2x)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6 (2x)	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980M SLI draws 200W versus the Radeon RX 5600 OEM's 150W — a 28.6% difference. The Radeon RX 5600 OEM is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980M SLI) vs 500W (Radeon RX 5600 OEM). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980M SLI	Radeon RX 5600 OEM
TDP	200W	150W-25%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	241mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	62.6	82.2+31%