780M SLI vs 980M

Price now 583$

Games supported 83%

Price now 149$

Games supported 84%

Questions and comments

General info

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

Place in performance rating	232	221
Value for money	8.00	33.85
Architecture	Maxwell (2014−2018)	Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code name	GM204	N14E-GTX
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Release date	7 October 2014 (8 years old)	30 May 2013 (9 years old)
Current price	$583	$149

Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1536	3072
CUDA cores	1536	no data
Core clock speed	1038 MHz	823 MHz
Boost clock speed	1127 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	5,200 million	7080 Million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	28 nm
Thermal design power (TDP)	unknown	200 Watt
Texture fill rate	51.84	no data
Floating-point performance	3,462 gflops	no data

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 980M and GeForce GTX 780M SLI compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop size	large	large
Bus support	PCI Express 3.0	no data
Interface	MXM-B (3.0)	no data
Supplementary power connectors	None	no data
SLI options	+	+

Memory

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

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	2x 4 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	2x 256 Bit
Memory clock speed	2500 MHz	5000 MHz
Memory bandwidth	160 GB/s	no data
Shared memory	-	-

Video outputs and ports

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	no data
VGA аnalog display support	+	no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	+	no data
HDMI	+	no data
G-SYNC support	+	no data

Technologies

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

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

API support

APIs supported, including particular versions of those APIs.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	11
Shader Model	6.4	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data
OpenCL	1.1	no data
Vulkan	1.1.126	no data
CUDA	+	+

Benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. Note that overall benchmark performance is measured in points in 0-100 range.

Overall score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. 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 980M 18.45

GTX 780M SLI 19.18
+4%

3DMark Vantage Performance
3DMark 11 Performance GPU
3DMark Cloud Gate GPU
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3DMark Fire Strike Graphics
Unigine Heaven 3.0

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.

Benchmark coverage: 16%

GTX 980M 31944

GTX 780M SLI 36004
+12.7%

GeForce GTX 780M SLI outperforms GeForce GTX 980M by 13% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 16%

GTX 980M 12517

GTX 780M SLI 14140
+13%

GeForce GTX 780M SLI outperforms GeForce GTX 980M by 13% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

GTX 980M 65241

GTX 780M SLI 66148
+1.4%

GeForce GTX 780M SLI outperforms GeForce GTX 980M by 1% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Score

Benchmark coverage: 13%

GTX 980M 8343
+4.2%

GTX 780M SLI 8009

GeForce GTX 980M outperforms GeForce GTX 780M SLI by 4% in 3DMark Fire Strike Score.

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 seemingly made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic enough graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 13%

GTX 980M 9682

GTX 780M SLI 10091
+4.2%

GeForce GTX 780M SLI outperforms GeForce GTX 980M by 4% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 4%

GTX 980M 111

GTX 780M SLI 133
+20.1%

GeForce GTX 780M SLI outperforms GeForce GTX 980M by 20% in Unigine Heaven 3.0.

Mining hashrates

Cryptocurrency mining performance of GeForce GTX 980M and GeForce GTX 780M SLI. Usually measured in megahashes per second.

Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)

383 Mh/s

no data

Gaming performance

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

Average FPS

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

900p	173	no data
Full HD	72 −37.5%	99 +37.5%
1440p	36	no data
4K	27	no data

Popular games

Full HD
Low Preset
Full HD
Medium Preset
Full HD
High Preset
Full HD
Ultra Preset
1440p
High Preset
1440p
Ultra Preset
4K
High Preset
4K
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

30−35

−3.1%

30−35
+3.1%

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	51 +30.8%	35−40 −30.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Battlefield 5	82 +24.2%	65−70 −24.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	45−50 −4.1%	50−55 +4.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Far Cry 5	58 +11.5%	50−55 −11.5%
Far Cry New Dawn	60 +13.2%	50−55 −13.2%
Forza Horizon 4	74 +10.4%	65−70 −10.4%
Hitman 3	55−60 −3.6%	55−60 +3.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	40−45 −4.9%	40−45 +4.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	51 +21.4%	40−45 −21.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	44 +12.8%	35−40 −12.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Battlefield 5	68 +3%	65−70 −3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	45−50 −4.1%	50−55 +4.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Far Cry 5	53 +1.9%	50−55 −1.9%
Far Cry New Dawn	56 +5.7%	50−55 −5.7%
Forza Horizon 4	68 +1.5%	65−70 −1.5%
Hitman 3	55−60 −3.6%	55−60 +3.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	40−45 −4.9%	40−45 +4.9%
Metro Exodus	31 +0%	30−35 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	42 +0%	40−45 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	61 +41.9%	40−45 −41.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	26 −50%	35−40 +50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Battlefield 5	61 −8.2%	65−70 +8.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	30−35 −3.1%	30−35 +3.1%
Far Cry 5	50 −4%	50−55 +4%
Far Cry New Dawn	51 −3.9%	50−55 +3.9%
Forza Horizon 4	47 −42.6%	65−70 +42.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	33 −30.3%	40−45 +30.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	35−40 −2.8%	35−40 +2.8%

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 −7.1%	30−33 +7.1%
Hitman 3	30−35 −6.5%	30−35 +6.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −3.8%	27−30 +3.8%
Metro Exodus	19 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	14−16 −7.1%	14−16 +7.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	25 +0%	24−27 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14	no data

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	20 −5%	21−24 +5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	16−18 +0%	16−18 +0%
Battlefield 5	45 +2.3%	40−45 −2.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
Far Cry 5	34 +3%	30−35 −3%
Far Cry New Dawn	38 +2.7%	35−40 −2.7%
Forza Horizon 4	39 −2.6%	40−45 +2.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Hitman 3	18−20 −5.6%	18−20 +5.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Metro Exodus	12 +9.1%	10−12 −9.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 −10%	10−12 +10%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12 −8.3%	12−14 +8.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	22 +10%	20−22 −10%

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12 +0%	12−14 +0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Battlefield 5	23 +0%	21−24 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +0%	4−5 +0%
Far Cry 5	16 +0%	16−18 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	20 +5.3%	18−20 −5.3%
Forza Horizon 4	26 +0%	24−27 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	7−8 +0%	7−8 +0%

Advantages and disadvantages

Performance rating	18.45	19.18
Recency	7 October 2014	30 May 2013
Pipelines / CUDA cores	1536	3072

Technical City couldn't decide between

GeForce GTX 980M

and

GeForce GTX 780M SLI

The differences in performance seem too small.

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

Cast your vote

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.

GeForce GTX 980M

GeForce GTX 780M SLI

Competitors of GeForce GTX 980M by AMD

We believe that the nearest equivalent to GeForce GTX 980M from AMD is Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire, which is nearly equal in speed and is lower by 3 positions in our rating.