GeForce RTX 3070 vs GTX 980 SLI Mobile

Place in the ranking	115	42
Place by popularity	not in top-100	37
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	57.29
Power efficiency	8.21	18.17
Architecture	Maxwell (2014−2017)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	N16E-GXX SLI	GA104
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	22 September 2015 (9 years ago)	1 September 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$499

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	4096	5888
Core clock speed	1126 MHz	1500 MHz
Boost clock speed	1228 MHz	1725 MHz
Number of transistors	10400 Million	17,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	330 Watt	220 Watt
Texture fill rate	no data	317.4
Floating-point processing power	no data	20.31 TFLOPS
ROPs	no data	96
TMUs	no data	184
Tensor Cores	no data	184
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	46

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
Interface	no data	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 12-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	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	2x 8 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	3500 MHz	1750 MHz
Memory bandwidth	no data	448.0 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 data	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
HDMI	-	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12_1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	no data	6.5
OpenGL	no data	4.6
OpenCL	no data	2.0
Vulkan	-	1.2
CUDA	+	8.5

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 980 SLI Mobile 39.38

RTX 3070 58.06
+47.4%

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 980 SLI Mobile 33169

RTX 3070 43005
+29.7%

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 980 SLI Mobile 47704

RTX 3070 88744
+86%

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 980 SLI Mobile 25453

RTX 3070 31020
+21.9%

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 980 SLI Mobile 155238
+0.2%

RTX 3070 154864

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	130 −15.4%	150 +15.4%
1440p	65−70 −50.8%	98 +50.8%
4K	69 +7.8%	64 −7.8%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	3.33
1440p	no data	5.09
4K	no data	7.80

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	80−85 −81.7%	149 +81.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	80−85 −75%	147 +75%
Elden Ring	130−140 −2.9%	142 +2.9%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	100−110 −12.5%	110−120 +12.5%
Counter-Strike 2	80−85 −64.6%	135 +64.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	80−85 −47.6%	124 +47.6%
Forza Horizon 4	190−200 −62.8%	311 +62.8%
Metro Exodus	90−95 −31.9%	124 +31.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	75−80 −53.2%	118 +53.2%
Valorant	150−160 −55.7%	246 +55.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	100−110 −12.5%	110−120 +12.5%
Counter-Strike 2	80−85 −42.7%	117 +42.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	80−85 −29.8%	109 +29.8%
Dota 2	120−130 −11.4%	137 +11.4%
Elden Ring	130−140 −74.6%	241 +74.6%
Far Cry 5	95−100 +6.6%	91 −6.6%
Fortnite	170−180 −33.1%	220−230 +33.1%
Forza Horizon 4	190−200 −34%	256 +34%
Grand Theft Auto V	120−130 −9.8%	134 +9.8%
Metro Exodus	90−95 −13.8%	107 +13.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	200−210 −7%	210−220 +7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	75−80 −27.3%	98 +27.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	141 −23.4%	170−180 +23.4%
Valorant	150−160 −0.6%	159 +0.6%
World of Tanks	270−280 +0%	270−280 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	100−110 −12.5%	110−120 +12.5%
Counter-Strike 2	80−85 −28%	105 +28%
Cyberpunk 2077	80−85 −8.3%	91 +8.3%
Dota 2	120−130 −1.6%	125 +1.6%
Far Cry 5	95−100 −20.6%	110−120 +20.6%
Forza Horizon 4	190−200 −16.8%	223 +16.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	200−210 −7%	210−220 +7%
Valorant	150−160 −50%	237 +50%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	70−75 −34.2%	98 +34.2%
Elden Ring	80−85 −65%	132 +65%
Grand Theft Auto V	70−75 −30.1%	95 +30.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 +0%	170−180 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −61.5%	63 +61.5%
World of Tanks	240−250 −52.6%	350−400 +52.6%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	70−75 −19.2%	85−90 +19.2%
Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −70%	68 +70%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 −45%	58 +45%
Far Cry 5	120−130 −26%	160−170 +26%
Forza Horizon 4	110−120 −45.6%	166 +45.6%
Metro Exodus	85−90 −18.8%	101 +18.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	65−70 −75%	110−120 +75%
Valorant	120−130 −67.7%	208 +67.7%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −4.9%	43 +4.9%
Dota 2	75−80 −51.9%	117 +51.9%
Elden Ring	35−40 −78.9%	68 +78.9%
Grand Theft Auto V	75−80 −47.4%	115 +47.4%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −48.5%	49 +48.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	120−130 −60.9%	200−210 +60.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 −65.4%	43 +65.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	75−80 −50%	117 +50%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	45−50 −60.9%	70−75 +60.9%
Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −63.4%	65−70 +63.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	16−18 −64.7%	28 +64.7%
Dota 2	75−80 −62.3%	125 +62.3%
Far Cry 5	55−60 −81%	100−110 +81%
Fortnite	55−60 −71.4%	95−100 +71.4%
Forza Horizon 4	65−70 −50.8%	98 +50.8%
Valorant	65−70 −78.5%	116 +78.5%

This is how GTX 980 SLI Mobile and RTX 3070 compete in popular games:

RTX 3070 is 15% faster in 1080p
RTX 3070 is 51% faster in 1440p
GTX 980 SLI Mobile is 8% faster in 4K

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

in Far Cry 5, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 980 SLI Mobile is 7% faster.
in Counter-Strike 2, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the RTX 3070 is 82% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 980 SLI Mobile is ahead in 1 test (2%)
RTX 3070 is ahead in 60 tests (95%)
there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	39.38	58.06
Recency	22 September 2015	1 September 2020
Chip lithography	28 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	330 Watt	220 Watt

RTX 3070 has a 47.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 250% more advanced lithography process, and 50% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 3070 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 980 SLI Mobile in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 980 SLI Mobile is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3070 is a desktop one.

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