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

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 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.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

✅92.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 156% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

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

GeForce GTX 980

2014

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅92.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 156% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 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.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than GeForce GTX 980?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 92.5% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 11,077 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 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 3060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2014, 53.4% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is about $220 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 92.5% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 53.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 156%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 980 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $549 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 3060 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
1080p
low	82 FPS	149 FPS
medium	71 FPS	131 FPS
high	60 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	126 FPS
medium	63 FPS	104 FPS
high	47 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	67 FPS
medium	24 FPS	58 FPS
high	17 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3060

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
1080p
low	182 FPS	354 FPS
medium	156 FPS	310 FPS
high	128 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	195 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	222 FPS
medium	102 FPS	196 FPS
high	83 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	128 FPS
4K
low	59 FPS	110 FPS
medium	49 FPS	94 FPS
high	47 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	60 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3060

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
1080p
low	478 FPS	765 FPS
medium	399 FPS	612 FPS
high	332 FPS	510 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	382 FPS
1440p
low	374 FPS	535 FPS
medium	299 FPS	432 FPS
high	249 FPS	366 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	287 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	367 FPS
medium	199 FPS	298 FPS
high	154 FPS	221 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	176 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3060

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
1080p
low	153 FPS	523 FPS
medium	127 FPS	452 FPS
high	110 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	319 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	428 FPS
medium	96 FPS	371 FPS
high	84 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	245 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	279 FPS
medium	53 FPS	259 FPS
high	41 FPS	225 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	186 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3060

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce RTX 3060

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 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 16,995 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 53.4%. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
G3D Mark Score	11,077	16,995+53%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2048	3584+75%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+156%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	1777 MHz+46%
ROPs	64+33%	48
TMUs	128+14%	112
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	3.5 MB+367%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
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 3060 has 12 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980) vs 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) — a 60.7% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 256-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	12 GB+200%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	360 GB/s+61%
Bus Width	256-bit+33%	192-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
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 NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980) vs AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 draws 220W versus the GeForce RTX 3060's 170W — a 25.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 3060). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3060
TDP	220W	170W-23%
Recommended PSU	500W-9%	550W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75-6%
Perf/Watt	50.4	100.0+98%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 980 launched at $549 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 40.1% less ($220 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 155.9% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2014).