GeForce GTX 980 vs GTX 1080 Mobile

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile with GeForce GTX 980, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1080 Mobile
2016
8 GB GDDR5, 150 Watt
35.65
+23.4%

GTX 1080 Mobile outperforms GTX 980 by a significant 23% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking139197
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation42.9511.03
Power efficiency16.4012.08
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)
GPU code nameGP104GM204
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date15 August 2016 (8 years ago)19 September 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$499.99 $549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1080 Mobile has 289% better value for money than GTX 980.

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 cores25602048
Core clock speed1607 MHz1064 MHz
Boost clock speed1771 MHz1216 MHz
Number of transistors7,200 million5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)150 Watt165 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature94 °Cno data
Texture fill rate283.4155.6
Floating-point processing power9.068 TFLOPS4.981 TFLOPS
ROPs6464
TMUs160128

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 sizelargeno data
Bus supportPCIe 3.0PCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data267 mm
Heightno data4.376" (11.1 cm)
Widthno data2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)no data500 Watt
Supplementary power connectorsno data2x 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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount8 GB4 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed10 GB/s7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth320 GB/s224 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 ConnectorsDP 1.42, HDMI 2.0b, DL-DVIDual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2
Multi monitor support+4 displays
VGA аnalog display supportno data+
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) supportno data+
HDMI-+
HDCP-+
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
G-SYNC support++
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

Supported technologies

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

GameStream-+
GeForce ShadowPlay-+
GPU Boost3.02.0
GameWorks-+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder-+
Optimus-+
BatteryBoost-+
VR Ready+no data
Ansel+no data

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.4
OpenGL4.54.5
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan1.2.1311.1.126
CUDA++

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 1080 Mobile 35.65
+23.4%
GTX 980 28.89

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 1080 Mobile 28527
+62%
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 1080 Mobile 48874
+28.6%
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 1080 Mobile 21394
+65.4%
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 1080 Mobile 126690
+48.4%
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 1080 Mobile 409018
+26.6%
GTX 980 323076

Unigine Heaven 3.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark using Unigine, a 3D game engine by eponymous Russian company. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. Version 3.0 was released in 2012, and in 2013 it was superseded by Heaven 4.0, which introduced several slight improvements, including a newer version of Unigine.

GTX 1080 Mobile 225
+73.7%
GTX 980 130

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 HD114
+23.9%
92
−23.9%
1440p70
+40%
50
−40%
4K56
+40%
40
−40%

Cost per frame, $

1080p4.39
+36.1%
5.97
−36.1%
1440p7.14
+53.7%
10.98
−53.7%
4K8.93
+53.7%
13.73
−53.7%
  • GTX 1080 Mobile has 36% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • GTX 1080 Mobile has 54% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • GTX 1080 Mobile has 54% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+30.4%
55−60
−30.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 75−80
+25%
60−65
−25%
Elden Ring 120−130
+26.8%
95−100
−26.8%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 57
−31.6%
75
+31.6%
Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+30.4%
55−60
−30.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 32
−87.5%
60−65
+87.5%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+30%
130−140
−30%
Metro Exodus 89
+20.3%
70−75
−20.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 92
+50.8%
60−65
−50.8%
Valorant 156
+35.7%
110−120
−35.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 103
+33.8%
77
−33.8%
Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+30.4%
55−60
−30.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 27
−122%
60−65
+122%
Dota 2 79
+64.6%
48
−64.6%
Elden Ring 120−130
+26.8%
95−100
−26.8%
Far Cry 5 67
−23.9%
80−85
+23.9%
Fortnite 160
+52.4%
105
−52.4%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+30%
130−140
−30%
Grand Theft Auto V 119
+65.3%
72
−65.3%
Metro Exodus 71
−4.2%
70−75
+4.2%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 118
−64.4%
194
+64.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2 51
−19.6%
60−65
+19.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 131
+95.5%
67
−95.5%
Valorant 94
−22.3%
110−120
+22.3%
World of Tanks 270−280
+3%
270−280
−3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 53
−26.4%
67
+26.4%
Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+30.4%
55−60
−30.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 23
−161%
60−65
+161%
Dota 2 120
+23.7%
95−100
−23.7%
Far Cry 5 90−95
+12%
80−85
−12%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+30%
130−140
−30%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 101
+46.4%
69
−46.4%
Valorant 137
+19.1%
110−120
−19.1%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 65−70
+30%
50−55
−30%
Elden Ring 70−75
+32.1%
50−55
−32.1%
Grand Theft Auto V 65−70
+30%
50−55
−30%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 32
+18.5%
27−30
−18.5%
World of Tanks 220−230
+20.7%
180−190
−20.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 53
+12.8%
47
−12.8%
Counter-Strike 2 30−35
+30.8%
24−27
−30.8%
Cyberpunk 2077 14
−85.7%
24−27
+85.7%
Far Cry 5 110−120
+29.5%
85−90
−29.5%
Forza Horizon 4 100−110
+27.8%
75−80
−27.8%
Metro Exodus 74
+13.8%
65−70
−13.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 60−65
+33.3%
45−50
−33.3%
Valorant 94
+16%
80−85
−16%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%
Dota 2 76
+28.8%
59
−28.8%
Elden Ring 30−35
+37.5%
24−27
−37.5%
Grand Theft Auto V 76
+28.8%
59
−28.8%
Metro Exodus 27
+17.4%
21−24
−17.4%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 110
+57.1%
70
−57.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 20
+11.1%
18−20
−11.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 76
+28.8%
59
−28.8%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 42
+90.9%
22
−90.9%
Counter-Strike 2 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 6
−66.7%
10−11
+66.7%
Dota 2 65−70
+30.8%
50−55
−30.8%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+30.8%
35−40
−30.8%
Fortnite 51
+70%
30
−70%
Forza Horizon 4 55−60
+28.9%
45−50
−28.9%
Valorant 50
+25%
40−45
−25%

This is how GTX 1080 Mobile and GTX 980 compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1080 Mobile is 24% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1080 Mobile is 40% faster in 1440p
  • GTX 1080 Mobile is 40% faster in 4K

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

  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 1080 Mobile is 96% faster.
  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 980 is 161% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 1080 Mobile is ahead in 50 tests (79%)
  • GTX 980 is ahead in 12 tests (19%)
  • there's a draw in 1 test (2%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 35.65 28.89
Recency 15 August 2016 19 September 2014
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 4 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 165 Watt

GTX 1080 Mobile has a 23.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 10% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 980 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile 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.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
GeForce GTX 980

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Community ratings

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