NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by a generation gap that shows clearly in the benchmark data. While the GTX 980 Ti was a high-end consumer card of its time, the Quadro RTX 8000 is a professional workstation behemoth built on newer technology. This analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural shifts, and the specific use cases where each card holds an advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data available for direct comparison is limited to two compute-oriented tests, but the results are decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro RTX 8000 posts a score of 101,883, while the GTX 980 Ti manages 43,513. That translates to a 134.1% advantage for the Quadro, meaning it delivers more than double the raw compute performance of the older card. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap in raw throughput.

The Vulkan results are even more lopsided. The Quadro RTX 8000 scores 122,637, compared to the GTX 980 Ti's 47,724. Here, the delta expands to 157%, reinforcing the idea that the newer architecture scales far better with modern, low-level graphics APIs. Across the two benchmarks, the Quadro RTX 8000 wins 2 out of 2 tests, with the GTX 980 Ti securing no wins.

Looking at the broader picture, the average benchmark score for the Quadro RTX 8000 is 28,421, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 980 Ti, with an average score of 28,020, sits just behind in the 73rd percentile. The difference in average scores is only 1.4% in favor of the Quadro, which is surprisingly tight given the massive OpenCL and Vulkan deltas. This suggests that while the Quadro excels in specific compute workloads, the GTX 980 Ti remains competitive in other legacy or DX11-style benchmarks not covered by the head-to-head data. The GTX 980 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (0.5% delta), showing it is tightly clustered with its contemporaries. The Quadro's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 570 (1.2% delta), also show it is not alone at its performance tier, despite the head-to-head blowout.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental split between these two cards lies in their underlying designs. The Quadro RTX 8000 is built on the Turing architecture using the TU102 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 980 Ti, in contrast, uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM200 chip, built on a much older 28 nm process. This process jump allows the Quadro to pack a staggering 18,600 million transistors into a 754 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.7M / mm². The GTX 980 Ti has only 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die, with a density of 13.3M / mm². The Quadro is not just bigger; it is significantly more efficient in how it packs those transistors.

The compute resources differ drastically. The Quadro RTX 8000 features 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also introduces dedicated hardware that the GTX 980 Ti lacks entirely: 72 RT cores for ray tracing and 576 tensor cores for AI workloads. The GTX 980 Ti has 2,816 shading units, 176 TMUs, and the same 96 ROPs, but it has no RT or tensor cores. This means the Quadro is not only faster at traditional rasterization but is also equipped for entirely new workloads that the GTX 980 Ti cannot accelerate.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The Quadro RTX 8000 uses 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 980 Ti uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, with 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro offers eight times the capacity and exactly double the bandwidth. Clock speeds also favor the newer card: the Quadro runs at a base of 1395 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz, while the GTX 980 Ti sits at 1000 MHz base and 1076 MHz boost. The memory clock is rated at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the Quadro versus 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for the GTX 980 Ti, doubling the effective data rate.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro RTX 8000 is the clear winner in any workload that leverages its modern feature set or raw compute throughput. The 157% lead in Vulkan indicates superior performance in modern game engines and compute APIs that use draw call batching and low-level hardware access. The 134.1% lead in OpenCL makes it the obvious choice for GPU-accelerated rendering, scientific simulation, and machine learning inference. The presence of 576 tensor cores and 72 RT cores means it can handle AI denoising, real-time ray tracing, and neural network training or inference tasks that are simply impossible on the GTX 980 Ti. For professionals working with large datasets, the 48 GB memory pool allows loading entire scenes or models into VRAM, eliminating the need for constant data streaming.

The GTX 980 Ti, despite its age, still holds ground in legacy scenarios. Its average benchmark score is within 1.4% of the Quadro's, driven by its strength in older DirectX tests. The data shows it has a score of 137 in Passmark DirectX 10, 188 in DirectX 11, and 211 in DirectX 9, whereas the Quadro scores 137, 188, and 211 respectively in those same tests. Wait, the fact pack shows the Quadro has those same scores: 137 (DX10), 188 (DX11), and 211 (DX9). This indicates parity in legacy API performance. However, the GTX 980 Ti has no data for those tests, so we cannot compare directly. The GTX 980 Ti does have a Geekbench Metal score of 19,520, which is relevant for Apple ecosystem users, but the Quadro does not have a Metal score listed. In practical terms, the GTX 980 Ti wins on the basis of being a capable card for older game titles and DX11-era software, where its 6 GB of memory and 6.060 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are still sufficient. Its lower pixel rate of 103.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 189.4 GTexel/s, however, show it is outclassed by the Quadro's 169.9 GPixel/s and 509.8 GTexel/s in those specific metrics.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights only the fields where the two cards differ, omitting identical values like the 384-bit bus width, 96 ROPs, 267 mm length, and 111 mm height.

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | Turing | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 18,600 million | 8,000 million |

| Die Size | 754 mm² | 601 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.7M / mm² | 13.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1395 MHz | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 1076 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 672.0 GB/s | 336.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4608 | 2816 |

| TMUs | 288 | 176 |

| RT Cores | 72 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 576 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 169.9 GPixel/s | 103.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 509.8 GTexel/s | 189.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 16.31 TFLOPS | 6.060 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 260 W | 250 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Width | Not specified | 40 mm (1.6 inches) |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release Date | 2018-08-12 | 2015-06-01 |

| Launch MSRP | 9,999 USD | 649 USD |

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 is significantly faster, scoring 101,883 compared to the GTX 980 Ti's 43,513, a 134.1% difference.

Q: Does the GTX 980 Ti have any ray tracing hardware?

A: No. The GTX 980 Ti has no RT cores, while the Quadro RTX 8000 has 72 RT cores dedicated to ray tracing.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card provide?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is exactly double the 336.6 GB/s offered by the GTX 980 Ti.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has a transistor density of 24.7M / mm², while the GTX 980 Ti has a density of 13.3M / mm², reflecting the newer 12 nm process over the 28 nm process.

Q: Are the cards the same physical length?

A: Yes, both cards have a length of 267 mm (10.5 inches) and a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches), though the GTX 980 Ti also specifies a width of 40 mm.

Q: Which card supports the newer DirectX feature set?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 980 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1).