GPU Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 and the NVIDIA GeForce 945M is starkly one-sided. In the single common test available, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 980 delivers a score of 34,676, while the 945M manages only 8,099. That is a delta of 328.2% in favor of the desktop part. The data shows no benchmark where the 945M wins outright; the head-to-head tally is 1 win for the GTX 980 and 0 for the 945M.

Context from the nearestRivals data clarifies how close the 945M is to its own peer group. The 945M's average benchmark score is 8,099, placing it just 0.2% above the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8,080) and 0.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8,067). Its delta against the AMD Radeon R9 M360 is -0.4%, meaning it trails that card by a negligible margin. The 945M's closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, scores 8,135, a 0.4% gap that is essentially noise. The 945M sits at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, which is a modest position.

The GTX 980, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 8,167 across its full benchmark suite. That score is pulled up by its OpenCL result but also reflects a broad set of tests: Passmark G3D at 11,095, Geekbench Vulkan at 22,543, and Geekbench Metal at 15,163. Its percentile rank is 43, only one point higher than the 945M's 42. The delta between the GTX 980's nearest rivals is small, it is 0.4% ahead of the GTX 950M (8,135), 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R9 M360 (8,129), and 0.8% ahead of the 945M (8,099). The GTX 980's average score is dragged down by its Passmark DirectX 10 result of 53 and DirectX 12 result of 46, which are low for a card with its raw compute capability.

Looking at the specific OpenCL head-to-head, the GTX 980's 34,676 versus the 945M's 8,099 is not a marginal difference. It is a 4.28x advantage in raw compute throughput. The 945M has no countervailing benchmark where it closes that gap. In every other test where the GTX 980 has data, Passmark G2D at 792, Passmark GPU Compute at 4,753, DirectX 9 at 164, the 945M lacks a comparable score, so the comparison rests on the single OpenCL datapoint. That datapoint alone is decisive.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different points in NVIDIA's Maxwell lineage. The GTX 980 uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The 945M uses the GM107 chip on the first-generation Maxwell architecture, also on 28 nm at TSMC. While both share the same process node, the transistor budgets diverge sharply: the GTX 980 packs 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, yielding a density of 13.1M transistors per mm². The 945M has 1,870 million transistors on 148 mm², for a density of 12.6M per mm². The GTX 980's die is 2.7x larger in area and holds 2.8x more transistors.

The compute configuration reflects this gap. The GTX 980 has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The 945M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. That is a 3.2x difference in shading units, a 3.2x difference in TMUs, and a 4x difference in ROPs. Pixel rate tells the story: 77.82 GPixel/s for the GTX 980 versus 16.32 GPixel/s for the 945M. Texture rate is 155.6 GTexel/s versus 40.80 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 4.981 TFLOPS for the GTX 980, while the 945M delivers 1,305.6 GFLOPS (1.306 TFLOPS), a 3.8x gap.

Memory architecture is another major divider. The GTX 980 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The 945M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with 28.80 GB/s. That is a 7.8x difference in memory bandwidth. The GTX 980's memory clock is 1,753 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the 945M's memory runs at 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective). Clock speeds on the GPU cores also differ: the GTX 980 has a base of 1,127 MHz and a boost of 1,216 MHz; the 945M has a base of 928 MHz and a boost of 1,020 MHz.

The API support differs in DirectX capability. The GTX 980 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the 945M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 980 is a dual-slot card with 2x 6-pin power connectors and a suggested PSU of 450 W, with a TDP of 165 W. The 945M is an MXM module with no power connectors and a TDP of 75 W. The GTX 980's power draw is more than double, reflecting its far larger compute and memory resources.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The GTX 980 is 328.2% ahead of the 945M in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL. Its average benchmark score of 8,167 vs the 945M's 8,099, a 0.8% delta, is misleading because the GTX 980's average includes many low-scoring DirectX legacy tests that drag it down. The OpenCL result is the pure compute comparison, and there the GTX 980 obliterates the 945M.

Who should pick the GTX 980? Any workload that demands high FP32 throughput, high memory bandwidth, or high pixel fill rate. The GTX 980's 4.981 TFLOPS, 224.4 GB/s bandwidth, and 77.82 GPixel/s are in a different class from the 945M's 1,305.6 GFLOPS, 28.80 GB/s, and 16.32 GPixel/s. The GTX 980 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) features that the 945M lacks. Its 4 GB frame buffer is double the 945M's 2 GB.

Who should pick the 945M? The data shows it is a low-power mobile part, 75 W TDP, no power connectors, MXM form factor, designed for portability, not performance. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating it is a mid-pack mobile GPU. Its 42nd percentile rank means it sits just below half of all GPUs. For a laptop where battery life and thermals matter more than raw frames, the 945M is a reasonable choice. But for any compute-heavy task, the GTX 980 is the only option that makes sense from the numbers.

The GTX 980's percentile rank of 43 is only one point higher than the 945M's 42, which might suggest they are close. That impression is wrong. The percentile is based on the full average benchmark score, which for the GTX 980 includes tests like Passmark DirectX 10 at 53 and DirectX 9 at 164, scores that are anomalously low for a card with 2,048 shading units. The OpenCL result is the reliable indicator of compute capability, and it shows a 4.28x gap.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 | NVIDIA GeForce 945M |

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

| Chip | GM204 | GM107 |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | Maxwell |

| Generation | GeForce 900 | GeForce 900M |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 148 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1127 MHz | 928 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1216 MHz | 1020 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1753 MHz / 7 Gbps effective | 900 MHz / 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.4 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 640 |

| TMUs | 128 | 40 |

| ROPs | 64 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 77.82 GPixel/s | 16.32 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 155.6 GTexel/s | 40.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.981 TFLOPS | 1,305.6 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 165 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-09-18 | 2015-10-26 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Predecessor | GeForce 700 | GeForce 800M |

| Successor | GeForce 10 | GeForce 10 Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | 549 USD | None |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The GTX 980 scores 34,676 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 328.2% higher than the 945M's 8,099.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card have?

A: The GTX 980 has 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth from GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The 945M has 28.80 GB/s from DDR3 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the DirectX feature level differences?

A: The GTX 980 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the 945M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The GTX 980 has an average benchmark score of 8,167, and the 945M has an average of 8,099. The delta is 0.8% in favor of the GTX 980.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to the 945M?

A: The 945M is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8,080), 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8,067), and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M (8,135) and AMD Radeon R9 M360 (8,129).

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 980 has a TDP of 165 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU with 2x 6-pin connectors. The 945M has a TDP of 75 W and uses no power connectors, operating as an MXM module.