NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

# The Verdict

The NVIDIA RTX A4000 is the clear performance winner across every shared benchmark in this comparison, but the GeForce GTX 980 Ti remains relevant only in specific legacy contexts. The data shows the A4000 dominates in raw compute, modern API workloads, and efficiency, while the GTX 980 Ti's only advantage lies in its lower transistor density and older manufacturing process—neither of which translates to user-facing benefit.

For anyone running modern DirectX 12 workloads, the RTX A4000 is the only rational choice. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2604 versus the GTX 980 Ti's 1321 represents a 49.3% lead, a gap that widens further in compute-heavy tasks. The A4000 also delivers 19.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance against the GTX 980 Ti's 6.060 TFLOPS, making it more than three times faster in raw floating-point throughput. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores, the A4000 offers modern features the GTX 980 Ti simply cannot match. The GTX 980 Ti, built on Maxwell 2.0 with 28 nm process technology, lacks hardware ray tracing and tensor acceleration entirely.

The GTX 980 Ti does have one practical edge: its launch MSRP of 649 USD. However, both cards are now end-of-life, and the A4000's superior performance per watt (140 W TDP versus 250 W) makes it the better long-term investment for professional workloads. The percentile rankings are nearly identical—the GTX 980 Ti sits at the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, while the A4000 sits at the 72nd—but this aggregate similarity masks the A4000's decisive wins in every head-to-head test. The verdict is straightforward: choose the A4000 for modern workloads, and only consider the GTX 980 Ti if legacy driver support or a specific older API requirement dictates otherwise.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two NVIDIA GPUs spans three generations of design philosophy. The GTX 980 Ti uses the GM200 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 8,000 million transistors into a 601 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The A4000, in contrast, employs the GA104 chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It houses 17,400 million transistors in a much smaller 392 mm² die, achieving 44.4 million transistors per square millimeter—more than three times the density of the older chip.

Memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The GTX 980 Ti pairs 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The A4000 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 256-bit bus but achieves higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s thanks to faster 14 Gbps effective memory speed versus 7 Gbps on the older card. Clock behavior also diverges: the GTX 980 Ti runs a 1000 MHz base and 1076 MHz boost, while the A4000 has a much lower 735 MHz base but boosts aggressively to 1560 MHz.

The A4000 introduces dedicated hardware absent from the GTX 980 Ti: 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 192 tensor cores for AI acceleration. Its shading unit count reaches 6144, more than double the GTX 980 Ti's 2816. Texture mapping units also increase from 176 to 192, while ROPs remain constant at 96. The A4000's FP16 throughput matches its FP32 at 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas the GTX 980 Ti lists no FP16 capability. Pixel and texture rates favor the A4000 at 149.8 GPixel/s and 299.5 GTexel/s versus 103.3 GPixel/s and 189.4 GTexel/s respectively. API support also advances: the A4000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 980 Ti maxes out at DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better raw compute performance?

A: The RTX A4000 delivers 19.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, over three times the GTX 980 Ti's 6.060 TFLOPS. In Geekbench OpenCL, the A4000 scores 105739 versus the GTX 980 Ti's 43513, a 58.8% advantage.

Q: Does the GTX 980 Ti support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 980 Ti has no RT cores, while the RTX A4000 includes 48 dedicated RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: How do memory capacities compare?

A: The RTX A4000 offers 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RTX A4000 has a 140 W TDP and requires a 300 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 980 Ti draws 250 W and needs a 600 W PSU. The A4000 also occupies a single slot versus the GTX 980 Ti's dual-slot design.

Q: What is the performance difference in Vulkan workloads?

A: The RTX A4000 scores 127645 in Geekbench Vulkan, a 62.6% improvement over the GTX 980 Ti's 47724. This is the largest margin of victory in any shared benchmark.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both the GTX 980 Ti and RTX A4000 are listed as end-of-life products. The GTX 980 Ti released on 2015-06-01, while the A4000 released on 2021-04-11.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti | NVIDIA RTX A4000 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 8,000 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 601 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.3M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 735 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1076 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps effective | 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR5 | 16 GB GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.6 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2816 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 176 | 192 |

| RT Cores | None | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 103.3 GPixel/s | 149.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 189.4 GTexel/s | 299.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.060 TFLOPS | 19.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not specified | 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 140 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 112 mm (4.4 inches) |

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

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The shared benchmark suite between these two cards consists of three tests, and the RTX A4000 wins all three decisively. The smallest margin comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the A4000 scores 2604 against the GTX 980 Ti's 1321—a 49.3% advantage. This test stresses modern DirectX 12 rendering paths, where the A4000's Ampere architecture and 12_2 feature level provide substantial headroom over the Maxwell-based card's 12_1 support.

The gap widens significantly in Geekbench OpenCL, a compute-heavy workload. The A4000 posts 105739 points versus the GTX 980 Ti's 43513, representing a 58.8% lead. This delta aligns closely with the theoretical FP32 throughput difference: the A4000's 19.17 TFLOPS is 3.16 times the GTX 980 Ti's 6.060 TFLOPS. The A4000's higher shading unit count (6144 versus 2816) and faster texture rate (299.5 GTexel/s versus 189.4 GTexel/s) contribute directly to this compute advantage.

The largest victory for the A4000 arrives in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 127645 against the GTX 980 Ti's 47724—a 62.6% margin. Vulkan's low-overhead API benefits from the A4000's modern architecture, PCIe 4.0 interface, and higher memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GTX 980 Ti's older PCIe 3.0 bus and slower GDDR5 memory create a bottleneck that the A4000 does not experience.

Across all three benchmarks, the RTX A4000's average benchmark score of 26683 sits slightly below the GTX 980 Ti's 28020, but this aggregate figure masks the reality of head-to-head testing. The GTX 980 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.2% ahead), AMD FirePro S7150 (0.3% behind), AMD Radeon RX 7800M (0.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (0.7% ahead). The A4000's closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.5% behind), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (1% behind), AMD Radeon 860M (1.1% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (1.3% behind). These rival groupings confirm that both cards occupy similar tiers in the overall GPU landscape, yet the direct comparison shows the A4000's modern architecture delivers consistently superior performance in every shared workload. The GTX 980 Ti's win count stands at zero, while the A4000 takes all three head-to-head tests.