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 3070 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.
❌
10% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$499 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅140.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 120.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 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 3070

2020

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅140.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 120.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 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.
❌
10% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$499 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 3070 better than GeForce GTX 980?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3070 averages 140.8% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 11,077 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 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 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014, 100.2% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 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 3070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 140.8% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 100.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 120.2%. 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 3070 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 3070 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	82 FPS	158 FPS
medium	71 FPS	140 FPS
high	60 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	134 FPS
medium	63 FPS	109 FPS
high	47 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	80 FPS
medium	24 FPS	67 FPS
high	17 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	45 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	182 FPS	470 FPS
medium	156 FPS	405 FPS
high	128 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	277 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	294 FPS
medium	102 FPS	246 FPS
high	83 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	59 FPS	141 FPS
medium	49 FPS	120 FPS
high	47 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	83 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	478 FPS	885 FPS
medium	399 FPS	712 FPS
high	332 FPS	619 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	499 FPS
1440p
low	374 FPS	692 FPS
medium	299 FPS	557 FPS
high	249 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	374 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	479 FPS
medium	199 FPS	388 FPS
high	154 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	249 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3070

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	153 FPS	600 FPS
medium	127 FPS	527 FPS
high	110 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	489 FPS
medium	96 FPS	433 FPS
high	84 FPS	339 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	297 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	292 FPS
medium	53 FPS	270 FPS
high	41 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	200 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce RTX 3070

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 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 100.2%. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score	11,077	22,172+100%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2048	5888+188%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS+308%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	1725 MHz+42%
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	128	184+44%
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	5.8 MB+673%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
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 3070 has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 980) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 980) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	448 GB/s+100%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
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 3070). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 draws 220W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 0% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). 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°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	GeForce RTX 3070
TDP	220W	220W
Recommended PSU	500W-23%	650W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	50.4	100.8+100%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 980 launched at $549 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. The GeForce RTX 3070 costs 9.1% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 119.8% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2014).