Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU vs GeForce GTX 980 SLI Mobile

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Primary details

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

Place in the ranking114not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiency8.16no data
ArchitectureMaxwell (2014−2017)no data
GPU code nameN16E-GXX SLIno data
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date22 September 2015 (9 years ago)31 October 2023 (1 year ago)

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 cores409618
Core clock speed1126 MHzno data
Boost clock speed1228 MHzno data
Number of transistors10400 Millionno data
Manufacturing process technology28 nm5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)330 Wattno data

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 sizelargemedium sized
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 typeGDDR5LPDDR5-6400
Maximum RAM amount2x 8 GBno data
Memory bus width256 Bitno data
Memory clock speed3500 MHzno data
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.

G-SYNC support+-

API compatibility

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

DirectX12_1no data
CUDA+-

Pros & cons summary


Recency 22 September 2015 31 October 2023
Chip lithography 28 nm 5 nm

Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU has an age advantage of 8 years, and a 460% more advanced lithography process.

We couldn't decide between GeForce GTX 980 SLI Mobile and Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU. We've got no test results to judge.


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 980 SLI Mobile
GeForce GTX 980 SLI Mobile
Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU
M3 Pro 18-Core GPU

Comparisons with similar GPUs

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Community ratings

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3.3 66 votes

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3.1 171 vote

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Questions & comments

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