RTX A5000 vs GeForce GTX 980

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 980 with RTX A5000, including specs and performance data.

GTX 980
2014
4 GB GDDR5, 165 Watt
28.82

RTX A5000 outperforms GTX 980 by a whopping 106% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking19535
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation10.98no data
Power efficiency11.9717.68
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code nameGM204GA102
Market segmentDesktopWorkstation
Release date19 September 2014 (10 years ago)12 April 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$549 no data

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 cores20488192
Core clock speed1064 MHz1170 MHz
Boost clock speed1216 MHz1695 MHz
Number of transistors5,200 million28,300 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)165 Watt230 Watt
Texture fill rate155.6433.9
Floating-point processing power4.981 TFLOPS27.77 TFLOPS
ROPs6496
TMUs128256
Tensor Coresno data256
Ray Tracing Coresno data64

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).

Bus supportPCI Express 3.0no data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length267 mm267 mm
Height4.376" (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slot2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)500 Wattno data
Supplementary power connectors2x 6-pin1x 8-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 typeGDDR5GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount4 GB24 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed7.0 GB/s2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth224 GB/s768.0 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 ConnectorsDual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.24x DisplayPort 1.4a
Multi monitor support4 displaysno data
VGA аnalog display support+no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support+no data
HDMI+-
HDCP+-
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
G-SYNC support+-
Audio input for HDMIInternalno data

Supported technologies

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

GameStream+-
GeForce ShadowPlay+-
GPU Boost2.0no data
GameWorks+-
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder+-
Optimus+-
BatteryBoost+-

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.46.7
OpenGL4.54.6
OpenCL1.23.0
Vulkan1.1.1261.3
CUDA+8.6

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 28.82
RTX A5000 59.31
+106%

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 980 11104
RTX A5000 22854
+106%

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 980 34883
RTX A5000 154494
+343%

GeekBench 5 Vulkan

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses Vulkan API by AMD & Khronos Group.

GTX 980 40029
RTX A5000 138017
+245%

GeekBench 5 CUDA

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses CUDA API by NVIDIA.

GTX 980 29546
RTX A5000 190987
+546%

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 HD93
−104%
190−200
+104%
1440p52
−92.3%
100−110
+92.3%
4K38
−97.4%
75−80
+97.4%

Cost per frame, $

1080p5.90no data
1440p10.56no data
4K14.45no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 45−50
−97.9%
95−100
+97.9%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 69
−103%
140−150
+103%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 45−50
−104%
100−105
+104%
Battlefield 5 86
−97.7%
170−180
+97.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Cyberpunk 2077 45−50
−97.9%
95−100
+97.9%
Far Cry 5 84
−102%
170−180
+102%
Far Cry New Dawn 77
−94.8%
150−160
+94.8%
Forza Horizon 4 253
−97.6%
500−550
+97.6%
Hitman 3 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Horizon Zero Dawn 120−130
−102%
260−270
+102%
Metro Exodus 95−100
−104%
200−210
+104%
Red Dead Redemption 2 70−75
−105%
150−160
+105%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 130
−100%
260−270
+100%
Watch Dogs: Legion 110−120
−98.2%
220−230
+98.2%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 83
−105%
170−180
+105%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 45−50
−104%
100−105
+104%
Battlefield 5 74
−103%
150−160
+103%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Cyberpunk 2077 45−50
−97.9%
95−100
+97.9%
Far Cry 5 69
−103%
140−150
+103%
Far Cry New Dawn 64
−103%
130−140
+103%
Forza Horizon 4 230
−95.7%
450−500
+95.7%
Hitman 3 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Horizon Zero Dawn 120−130
−102%
260−270
+102%
Metro Exodus 95−100
−104%
200−210
+104%
Red Dead Redemption 2 70−75
−105%
150−160
+105%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 100−105
−100%
200−210
+100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 132
−105%
270−280
+105%
Watch Dogs: Legion 110−120
−98.2%
220−230
+98.2%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 35
−100%
70−75
+100%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 45−50
−104%
100−105
+104%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Cyberpunk 2077 45−50
−97.9%
95−100
+97.9%
Far Cry 5 50
−100%
100−105
+100%
Forza Horizon 4 59
−103%
120−130
+103%
Hitman 3 55−60
−103%
120−130
+103%
Horizon Zero Dawn 120−130
−102%
260−270
+102%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 100−105
−100%
200−210
+100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 46
−95.7%
90−95
+95.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 110−120
−98.2%
220−230
+98.2%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 70−75
−105%
150−160
+105%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 47
−102%
95−100
+102%
Far Cry New Dawn 44
−105%
90−95
+105%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 27
−104%
55−60
+104%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 27−30
−89.7%
55−60
+89.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 30−35
−97%
65−70
+97%
Cyberpunk 2077 20−22
−100%
40−45
+100%
Far Cry 5 33
−97%
65−70
+97%
Forza Horizon 4 147
−104%
300−310
+104%
Hitman 3 35−40
−100%
70−75
+100%
Horizon Zero Dawn 60−65
−100%
120−130
+100%
Metro Exodus 55−60
−100%
110−120
+100%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 65−70
−100%
130−140
+100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 35−40
−103%
75−80
+103%
Watch Dogs: Legion 150−160
−91.1%
300−310
+91.1%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 45−50
−104%
100−105
+104%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 22
−105%
45−50
+105%
Far Cry New Dawn 24
−87.5%
45−50
+87.5%
Hitman 3 21−24
−95.7%
45−50
+95.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 140−150
−100%
290−300
+100%
Metro Exodus 30−35
−91.2%
65−70
+91.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 29
−89.7%
55−60
+89.7%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14
−92.9%
27−30
+92.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
−87.5%
30−33
+87.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 16−18
−76.5%
30−33
+76.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 8−9
−100%
16−18
+100%
Far Cry 5 16
−87.5%
30−33
+87.5%
Forza Horizon 4 34
−91.2%
65−70
+91.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 35−40
−103%
75−80
+103%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
−84.6%
24−27
+84.6%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−100%
50−55
+100%

This is how GTX 980 and RTX A5000 compete in popular games:

  • RTX A5000 is 104% faster in 1080p
  • RTX A5000 is 92% faster in 1440p
  • RTX A5000 is 97% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 28.82 59.31
Recency 19 September 2014 12 April 2021
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 24 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 8 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 165 Watt 230 Watt

GTX 980 has 39.4% lower power consumption.

RTX A5000, on the other hand, has a 105.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, a 500% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.

The RTX A5000 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 980 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 980 is a desktop card while RTX A5000 is a workstation one.


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

Vote for your favorite

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


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
GeForce GTX 980
NVIDIA RTX A5000
RTX A5000

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

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