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 (móvel)

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-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

✅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 980 (móvel)

2015

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅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

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-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 980 (móvel)?

Yes. Radeon RX 6500M is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 7,443 vs 7,366 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 6500M is a 2022 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, while GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) is a 2015 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 2015, 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 1.0% 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 980 (móvel) still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) 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 980 (móvel) Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 6500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	82 FPS	104 FPS
medium	71 FPS	92 FPS
high	60 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	94 FPS
medium	63 FPS	80 FPS
high	47 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	47 FPS
medium	24 FPS	44 FPS
high	17 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)Open Radeon RX 6500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	170 FPS	172 FPS
medium	145 FPS	134 FPS
high	121 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	113 FPS
medium	96 FPS	87 FPS
high	78 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	56 FPS
medium	47 FPS	44 FPS
high	45 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)Open Radeon RX 6500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	331 FPS	334 FPS
medium	265 FPS	268 FPS
high	221 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	249 FPS	245 FPS
medium	199 FPS	201 FPS
high	166 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	166 FPS	146 FPS
medium	133 FPS	128 FPS
high	110 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	57 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)Open Radeon RX 6500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	176 FPS	282 FPS
medium	147 FPS	214 FPS
high	132 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	209 FPS
medium	107 FPS	154 FPS
high	97 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	103 FPS
medium	60 FPS	75 FPS
high	49 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)Open Radeon RX 6500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)

The GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 21 2015. 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 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,366 points. Launch price was $395.82.

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 980 (móvel) scores 7,366 and the Radeon RX 6500M reaches 7,443 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 6500M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500M). Raw compute: 4.358 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs 4.915 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500M). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 2400 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
G3D Mark Score	7,366	7,443+1%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	2048+100%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.358 TFLOPS	4.915 TFLOPS+13%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	2400 MHz+97%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+100%	64
L1 Cache	768 KB+200%	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 980 (móvel) lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) 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 980 (móvel)	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: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6500M) — a 55.6% advantage for the GeForce GTX 980 (móvel). Bus width: 256-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500M) — the GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+56%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 6500M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (2nd Gen) (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6500M). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only) (Radeon RX 6500M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 (móvel)	Radeon RX 6500M
Encoder	NVENC (2nd Gen)	VCN 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	VCN 3.0
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 (móvel) 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 980 (móvel)) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6500M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.