GeForce GTX 980 vs GTX 1070 Max-Q

Place in the ranking	302	193
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	10.88
Power efficiency	10.92	12.16
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)
GPU code name	GP104	GM204
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	27 June 2017 (7 years ago)	19 September 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	2048	2048
Core clock speed	1215 MHz	1064 MHz
Boost clock speed	1379 MHz	1216 MHz
Number of transistors	7,200 million	5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology	16 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	115 Watt	165 Watt
Texture fill rate	176.5	155.6
Floating-point processing power	5.648 TFLOPS	4.981 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	128

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Bus support	no data	PCI Express 3.0
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	no data	267 mm
Height	no data	4.376" (11.1 cm)
Width	no data	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	no data	500 Watt
Supplementary power connectors	None	2x 6-pin
SLI options	-	+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	2002 MHz	7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth	256.3 GB/s	224 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2
Multi monitor support	no data	4 displays
VGA аnalog display support	no data	+
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	no data	+
HDMI	-	+
HDCP	-	+
Maximum VGA resolution	no data	2048x1536
G-SYNC support	+	+
Audio input for HDMI	no data	Internal

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream	-	+
GeForce ShadowPlay	-	+
GPU Boost	no data	2.0
GameWorks	-	+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	-	+
Optimus	-	+
BatteryBoost	-	+
VR Ready	+	no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (12_1)
Shader Model	6.4	6.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.5
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.1.126
CUDA	6.1	+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 18.02

GTX 980 28.78
+59.7%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 6950

GTX 980 11104
+59.8%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 18688
+6.2%

GTX 980 17605

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 44090
+16%

GTX 980 37997

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 14679
+13.5%

GTX 980 12938

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 99552
+16.6%

GTX 980 85374

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

GTX 1070 Max-Q 334256
+3.5%

GTX 980 323076

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	94 +3.3%	91 −3.3%
1440p	30−35 −66.7%	50 +66.7%
4K	43 +10.3%	39 −10.3%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	6.03
1440p	no data	10.98
4K	no data	14.08

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

27−30

−71.4%

45−50
+71.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	62 −11.3%	69 +11.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−33 −63.3%	45−50 +63.3%
Battlefield 5	105 +22.1%	86 −22.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 −63.9%	55−60 +63.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −71.4%	45−50 +71.4%
Far Cry 5	40−45 −100%	84 +100%
Far Cry New Dawn	86 +11.7%	77 −11.7%
Forza Horizon 4	110−120 −122%	253 +122%
Hitman 3	35−40 −68.6%	55−60 +68.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	85−90 −46.6%	120−130 +46.6%
Metro Exodus	60−65 −58.1%	95−100 +58.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	45−50 −49%	70−75 +49%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	130 +0%	130 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	85−90 −29.1%	110−120 +29.1%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	97 +16.9%	83 −16.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−33 −63.3%	45−50 +63.3%
Battlefield 5	92 +24.3%	74 −24.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 −63.9%	55−60 +63.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −71.4%	45−50 +71.4%
Far Cry 5	70 +1.4%	69 −1.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	77 +20.3%	64 −20.3%
Forza Horizon 4	199 −15.6%	230 +15.6%
Hitman 3	35−40 −68.6%	55−60 +68.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	85−90 −46.6%	120−130 +46.6%
Metro Exodus	60−65 −58.1%	95−100 +58.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	45−50 −49%	70−75 +49%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	55−60 −69.5%	100−105 +69.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	40−45 −222%	132 +222%
Watch Dogs: Legion	85−90 −29.1%	110−120 +29.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	42 +20%	35 −20%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−33 −63.3%	45−50 +63.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 −63.9%	55−60 +63.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −71.4%	45−50 +71.4%
Far Cry 5	53 +6%	50 −6%
Forza Horizon 4	79 +33.9%	59 −33.9%
Hitman 3	35−40 −68.6%	55−60 +68.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	85−90 −46.6%	120−130 +46.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	55−60 −69.5%	100−105 +69.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	51 +10.9%	46 −10.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion	85−90 −29.1%	110−120 +29.1%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

45−50

−49%

70−75
+49%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −34.3%	47 +34.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	27−30 −63%	44 +63%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	18−20 −50%	27 +50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	16−18 −81.3%	27−30 +81.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	20−22 −65%	30−35 +65%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 −100%	20−22 +100%
Far Cry 5	21−24 −57.1%	33 +57.1%
Forza Horizon 4	95−100 −50%	147 +50%
Hitman 3	21−24 −66.7%	35−40 +66.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn	35−40 −62.2%	60−65 +62.2%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −66.7%	55−60 +66.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	35−40 −85.7%	65−70 +85.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	20−22 −85%	35−40 +85%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 −45.4%	150−160 +45.4%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

30−33

−63.3%

45−50
+63.3%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	18−20 −22.2%	22 +22.2%
Far Cry New Dawn	14−16 −71.4%	24 +71.4%
Hitman 3	12−14 −76.9%	21−24 +76.9%
Horizon Zero Dawn	90−95 −57.6%	140−150 +57.6%
Metro Exodus	18−20 −78.9%	30−35 +78.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	32 +10.3%	29 −10.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21 +50%	14 −50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	9−10 −77.8%	16−18 +77.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 −88.9%	16−18 +88.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −167%	8−9 +167%
Far Cry 5	10−11 −60%	16 +60%
Forza Horizon 4	43 +26.5%	34 −26.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	18−20 −94.7%	35−40 +94.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	7−8 −85.7%	12−14 +85.7%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

16−18

−56.3%

24−27
+56.3%

This is how GTX 1070 Max-Q and GTX 980 compete in popular games:

GTX 1070 Max-Q is 3% faster in 1080p
GTX 980 is 67% faster in 1440p
GTX 1070 Max-Q is 10% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1070 Max-Q is 50% faster.
in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 980 is 222% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1070 Max-Q is ahead in 13 tests (18%)
GTX 980 is ahead in 58 tests (81%)
there's a draw in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	18.02	28.78
Recency	27 June 2017	19 September 2014
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	4 GB
Chip lithography	16 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	115 Watt	165 Watt

GTX 1070 Max-Q has an age advantage of 2 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 43.5% lower power consumption.

GTX 980, on the other hand, has a 59.7% higher aggregate performance score.

The GeForce GTX 980 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 980 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.