NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile across all three shared benchmark tests. The most striking gap appears in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile scores 106,022 against the GTX 980 Ti's 43,513. That is a 59% advantage, the largest delta in the entire head-to-head comparison. OpenCL is a compute-heavy workload, so this result strongly indicates that the newer architecture's raw throughput, likely driven by its much higher shader count and FP32 output, translates directly into compute performance.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile posts 100,027 points, while the GTX 980 Ti manages 47,724. The delta here is 52.3% in favor of the mobile part. Vulkan is a modern low-level API, and the fact that the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile nearly doubles the older card's score suggests better driver optimization and hardware utilization for contemporary rendering paths. It is not just a matter of clock speed; the architecture itself appears far more efficient at extracting performance from the API.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test narrows the gap somewhat, but the result is still one-sided. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile finishes with 2,572 points, compared to 1,321 for the GTX 980 Ti, a 48.6% difference. This test is more representative of actual gaming workloads than synthetic compute tests, but the conclusion remains unchanged. The newer GPU holds a commanding lead even in a DirectX 12 scenario, which is notable because the GTX 980 Ti does support DirectX 12 (12_1), just not the full Ultimate feature set of the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile.

Given these three results, the win count is unambiguous: the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile takes all three head-to-head benchmarks, while the GTX 980 Ti records zero wins. The average benchmark scores in the database reinforce this trend. The GTX 980 Ti averages 28,020 points across its test suite, while the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile averages 23,518. While the GTX 980 Ti has a higher average score, that figure is skewed by its inclusion of the Geekbench Metal test, which the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile does not have recorded. In the tests where they directly compete, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is consistently faster by margins ranging from 48.6% to 59%.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the superior performer in every measured category. If you are choosing between these two solely on benchmark results, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins outright. The smallest victory margin is 48.6%, which is not a close contest by any standard. This is not a situation where one card wins some tests and loses others; the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile dominates across compute (OpenCL), modern graphics APIs (Vulkan), and DirectX 12 gaming workloads.

Who should pick the GTX 980 Ti? The only reason to do so would be platform compatibility or a need for its specific physical form factor. It is a dual-slot desktop card with a 267 mm length, a 111 mm height, and a 40 mm width. It requires a 600 W power supply and uses a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connector setup. If your system is built around PCIe 3.0 and cannot accommodate a newer card, the GTX 980 Ti remains a functional option, but the performance gap is severe.

Who should pick the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile? Anyone who values performance in a portable package. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is a mobile part with no power connectors, meaning it is designed for laptops where the motherboard supplies power. It uses PCIe 4.0, which is backward compatible but offers more bandwidth on modern platforms. Its TDP of 115 W is less than half of the GTX 980 Ti's 250 W, yet it delivers vastly higher performance. That efficiency is the headline story. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile does not just beat the older card; it does so while consuming far less power and fitting into a much smaller chassis.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs come from entirely different design eras. The GTX 980 Ti is built on the GM200 chip using the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 8,000 million transistors on a die size of 601 mm², which yields a transistor density of 13.3 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses the GA104 chip with the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. That chip packs 17,400 million transistors into a much smaller 392 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The density difference is nearly 3.3 times, which explains how the newer chip fits more than twice the transistors into a smaller area.

The compute resources are radically different. The GTX 980 Ti has 2,816 shading units, 176 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The shader count more than doubles, while TMUs and ROPs stay close. Critically, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile also includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, which the GTX 980 Ti lacks entirely. Those RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and the tensor cores provide AI acceleration for features like DLSS. The GTX 980 Ti has no equivalent hardware.

Clocks and memory also differ. The GTX 980 Ti runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz and boosts to 1076 MHz. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has a lower base clock of 915 MHz but boosts much higher to 1410 MHz. Memory is a mixed bag: the GTX 980 Ti uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, achieving 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but achieves 448.0 GB/s due to the higher effective speed of 14 Gbps versus 7 Gbps. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has more capacity and more bandwidth despite the narrower bus.

The FP32 compute output tells the performance story. The GTX 980 Ti delivers 6.060 TFLOPS. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile delivers 16.60 TFLOPS, nearly 2.7 times higher. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile also offers FP16 at 16.60 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 980 Ti has no recorded FP16 capability. Pixel rate and texture rate follow suit: 103.3 GPixel/s and 189.4 GTexel/s for the GTX 980 Ti, versus 135.4 GPixel/s and 259.4 GTexel/s for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shaders?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 5,888 shading units, more than double the GTX 980 Ti's 2,816.

Q: Does the GTX 980 Ti support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 980 Ti has no RT cores. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile includes 46 RT cores for hardware ray tracing.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GTX 980 Ti offers 336.6 GB/s.

Q: Which card is more power efficient?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, compared to 250 W for the GTX 980 Ti. Despite this, it performs significantly better in all shared benchmarks.

Q: What API level does each card support?

A: The GTX 980 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the bus interface difference?

A: The GTX 980 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins everywhere the data measures. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it leads by 48.6%. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 59%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 52.3%. There are no benchmark categories where the GTX 980 Ti emerges ahead. The wins are not marginal either; they are substantial enough that the GTX 980 Ti cannot be recommended for any performance-critical task when the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is available.

The GTX 980 Ti does have its own advantages, but they are not performance-related. It is a desktop card with a fixed set of display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2. This makes it suitable for multi-monitor desktop setups. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile, being a laptop part, has display outputs that are portable device dependent. The GTX 980 Ti also has a known physical footprint, 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide, which fits standard desktop cases. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has no published dimensions because it is meant to be soldered into a laptop motherboard.

For compute workloads, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the clear choice. Its FP32 output of 16.60 TFLOPS is nearly triple that of the GTX 980 Ti. The tensor cores add another dimension for AI and machine learning tasks, which the GTX 980 Ti cannot handle. For gaming, the DirectX 12 Ultimate support on the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile means it can run the latest feature sets, including ray tracing and variable rate shading, while the GTX 980 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). If you are building a new system or upgrading a laptop, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the only rational pick based on this data.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The GTX 980 Ti uses the GM200 chip on a 28 nm process from TSMC, with 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses the GA104 chip on an 8 nm process from Samsung, with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. Transistor density is 13.3M per mm² for the GTX 980 Ti and 44.4M per mm² for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile.

Clocks: the GTX 980 Ti has a 1000 MHz base and 1076 MHz boost. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has a 915 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. Memory: the GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute units: the GTX 980 Ti has 2,816 shading units, 176 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, plus 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 103.3 GPixel/s versus 135.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 189.4 GTexel/s versus 259.4 GTexel/s. FP32 is 6.060 TFLOPS versus 16.60 TFLOPS. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile adds FP16 at 16.60 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Power and physical: the GTX 980 Ti has a 250 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires a 600 W PSU, and uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin connectors. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has a 115 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 versus portable device dependent. The GTX 980 Ti has dimensions of 267 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm; the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has none recorded. Release dates: June 2015 versus January 2022. The GTX 980 Ti has a launch MSRP of 649 USD, while the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has no launch MSRP recorded.