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

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).
✅Delivers 39.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 14.4 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than RTX A1000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌340% higher power demand at 220W vs 50W.
❌63.8% longer card at 267mm vs 163mm.

RTX A1000

2024

Why buy it

✅20.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅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 50W instead of 220W, a 170W reduction.
✅Measures 163mm instead of 267mm, a 104mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
36.4% HIGHER MSRP
$749 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.4 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($749 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 980

2014

RTX A1000

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).
✅Delivers 39.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 14.4 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅20.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅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 50W instead of 220W, a 170W reduction.
✅Measures 163mm instead of 267mm, a 104mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than RTX A1000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌340% higher power demand at 220W vs 50W.
❌63.8% longer card at 267mm vs 163mm.

Trade-offs

❌
36.4% HIGHER MSRP
$749 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.4 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($749 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is RTX A1000 better than GeForce GTX 980?

Yes. RTX A1000 is clearly the better overall GPU here. RTX A1000 averages 20.6% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,814 vs 11,077 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX A1000 is a 2024 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, 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?

RTX A1000 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, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, 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?

RTX A1000 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX A1000 is about 36.4% more expensive on MSRP at $749 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 20.6% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (10,814 vs 11,077). 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

RTX A1000 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
1080p
low	82 FPS	107 FPS
medium	71 FPS	90 FPS
high	60 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	50 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	93 FPS
medium	63 FPS	77 FPS
high	47 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	37 FPS
medium	24 FPS	34 FPS
high	17 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open RTX A1000

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
1080p
low	182 FPS	120 FPS
medium	156 FPS	97 FPS
high	128 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	88 FPS
medium	102 FPS	68 FPS
high	83 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	59 FPS	53 FPS
medium	49 FPS	42 FPS
high	47 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open RTX A1000

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
1080p
low	478 FPS	487 FPS
medium	399 FPS	389 FPS
high	332 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	243 FPS
1440p
low	374 FPS	365 FPS
medium	299 FPS	292 FPS
high	249 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	182 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	243 FPS
medium	199 FPS	195 FPS
high	154 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	122 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open RTX A1000

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
1080p
low	153 FPS	243 FPS
medium	127 FPS	209 FPS
high	110 FPS	170 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	142 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	182 FPS
medium	96 FPS	159 FPS
high	84 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	102 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	103 FPS
medium	53 FPS	85 FPS
high	41 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 980 Open RTX A1000

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 980 and RTX A1000

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.

RTX A1000

The RTX A1000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 16 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 727 MHz to 1462 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,814 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 scores 11,077 and the RTX A1000 reaches 10,814 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the RTX A1000 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 2,304 (RTX A1000). Raw compute: 4.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980) vs 6.737 TFLOPS (RTX A1000). Boost clocks: 1216 MHz vs 1462 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
G3D Mark Score	11,077+2%	10,814
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.981 TFLOPS	6.737 TFLOPS+35%
Boost Clock	1216 MHz	1462 MHz+20%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+78%	72
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	2.3 MB+207%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
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 RTX A1000 has 8 GB. The RTX A1000 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 12.2 (RTX A1000). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
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 7th Gen NVENC (RTX A1000). 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 (Decode) (RTX A1000).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 draws 220W versus the RTX A1000's 50W — a 125.9% difference. The RTX A1000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 980) vs 500W (RTX A1000). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 163mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980	RTX A1000
TDP	220W	50W-77%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	163mm
Height	111mm	69mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	50.4	216.3+329%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 980 launched at $549 MSRP, while the RTX A1000 launched at $749. The GeForce GTX 980 costs 26.7% less ($200 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (GeForce GTX 980) vs 14.4 (RTX A1000) — the GeForce GTX 980 offers 40.3% better value. The RTX A1000 is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2014).