NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data splits decisively in favor of the GTX 980, which takes 8 of the 10 recorded tests. The GTX TITAN BLACK secures 2 wins, but they are substantial ones. In Geekbench Metal, the TITAN BLACK scores 24,172 against the GTX 980's 15,163, a 59.4% advantage. That is the single largest margin in either direction across the entire comparison. The TITAN BLACK also wins Geekbench Vulkan with 29,561 versus 22,543, a 31.1% lead.

Outside of those two API-specific tests, the GTX 980 dominates. The biggest gap in its favor appears in Passmark DirectX 12, where the GTX 980 scores 46 against the TITAN BLACK's 34, a 26.1% difference. Passmark G2D shows a 24.9% delta (792 versus 595), and Geekbench OpenCL favors the GTX 980 by 21.5% (34,676 versus 27,218). Passmark GPU Compute follows with a 21.6% margin (4,753 versus 3,726). The remaining wins are narrower but consistent: Passmark DirectX 9 at 164 versus 133 (18.9%), Passmark G3D at 11,095 versus 9,184 (17.2%), Passmark DirectX 11 at 83 versus 73 (12%), and Passmark DirectX 10 at 53 versus 47 (11.3%).

The aggregate picture is telling. The TITAN BLACK's average benchmark score is 9,474, while the GTX 980's average is 8,167. That puts the TITAN BLACK at the 46th percentile among all GPUs in the database, and the GTX 980 at the 43rd percentile. Interestingly, the TITAN BLACK's nearest rivals by average score include the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 (9,637, a 1.7% gap) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (9,645, a 1.8% gap), while the GTX 980 sits close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M (8,135, 0.4% away). So the TITAN BLACK maintains a higher overall average, but the GTX 980 wins the majority of individual workloads, particularly those tied to DirectX and general compute.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations and architectures. The TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip on Kepler architecture, while the GTX 980 uses the GM204 chip on Maxwell 2.0. Both are built on TSMC's 28 nm process, but the transistor counts diverge sharply. The TITAN BLACK packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.6 million transistors per mm². The GTX 980 has 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, with a higher density of 13.1 million per mm². The smaller, denser die is a direct result of Maxwell's architectural efficiency.

Shader and texture resources favor the TITAN BLACK. It carries 2,880 shading units and 240 texture mapping units (TMUs), compared to the GTX 980's 2,048 shading units and 128 TMUs. However, the GTX 980 has more raster output units (ROPs): 64 versus 48. That ROP advantage helps explain the GTX 980's stronger pixel throughput. The GTX 980 achieves 77.82 GPixel/s, while the TITAN BLACK manages 58.80 GPixel/s. Texture rate tells a different story: the TITAN BLACK reaches 235.2 GTexel/s against the GTX 980's 155.6 GTexel/s, reflecting its larger TMU count.

Clock speeds also differ meaningfully. The TITAN BLACK runs at a base of 889 MHz and a boost of 980 MHz. The GTX 980 operates at 1,127 MHz base and 1,216 MHz boost. Despite the TITAN BLACK's higher theoretical FP32 throughput of 5.645 TFLOPS versus 4.981 TFLOPS for the GTX 980, the Maxwell chip's higher clocks and better per-clock efficiency close much of that gap in real workloads. Memory clocks are nearly identical: 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for the TITAN BLACK and 1,753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for the GTX 980. But memory configuration differs substantially. The TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 980 has 4 GB on a 256-bit bus, with 224.4 GB/s. The TITAN BLACK's wider memory interface is its clearest structural advantage.

API support also differs. The TITAN BLACK lists DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GTX 980 lists DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but Vulkan support is listed as 1.2.175 for the TITAN BLACK and 1.4 for the GTX 980. Display outputs differ as well: the TITAN BLACK provides 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the GTX 980 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

The TITAN BLACK is the choice for workloads that leverage Metal and Vulkan APIs. Its Geekbench Metal score of 24,172 and Vulkan score of 29,561 are both decisively ahead. Those results suggest an advantage in compute-heavy or low-level API scenarios where the Kepler chip's larger shader array and wider memory bus come into play. The 6 GB frame buffer and 384-bit interface also make it better suited for tasks requiring high memory capacity or very large data sets, even though the GTX 980's memory subsystem is more power-efficient.

The GTX 980 wins everywhere else. It leads in every Passmark DirectX test, from DirectX 9 through DirectX 12. It also dominates in 2D performance (Passmark G2D) and in the overall G3D score. The GTX 980's OpenCL result of 34,676 is far ahead of the TITAN BLACK's 27,218, indicating stronger general-purpose compute performance despite fewer shaders. The GTX 980's higher pixel rate (77.82 GPixel/s) and higher clock speeds give it an edge in rasterization-heavy tasks, which is why it sweeps the DirectX suite. For gaming, particularly older DirectX titles or those that rely on high fill rates, the data points squarely to the GTX 980. For compute tasks that use Metal or Vulkan, or for memory-hungry applications that can utilize 6 GB, the TITAN BLACK holds the advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification. The chip is GK110B for the TITAN BLACK versus GM204 for the GTX 980. Architecture is Kepler versus Maxwell 2.0. The generation is GeForce 700 for the TITAN BLACK and GeForce 900 for the GTX 980. Both use a 28 nm process from TSMC, but transistor count is 7,080 million versus 5,200 million, and die size is 561 mm² versus 398 mm². Transistor density is 12.6 million per mm² for the TITAN BLACK and 13.1 million per mm² for the GTX 980.

Base clocks are 889 MHz versus 1,127 MHz, and boost clocks are 980 MHz versus 1,216 MHz. Memory size is 6 GB versus 4 GB, bus width is 384-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth is 336.0 GB/s versus 224.4 GB/s. Shading units count 2,880 versus 2,048. TMUs number 240 versus 128. ROPs are 48 versus 64. Pixel rate is 58.80 GPixel/s versus 77.82 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 235.2 GTexel/s versus 155.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 5.645 TFLOPS versus 4.981 TFLOPS.

TDP is 250 W for the TITAN BLACK and 165 W for the GTX 980. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin for the TITAN BLACK, versus 2x 6-pin for the GTX 980. Suggested PSU is 600 W versus 450 W. Both are dual-slot, but width differs: 38 mm for the TITAN BLACK and 40 mm for the GTX 980. Length and height are identical at 267 mm and 111 mm. Display outputs differ as noted above. DirectX support is 12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_1), and Vulkan support is 1.2.175 versus 1.4. Launch MSRP was 999 USD for the TITAN BLACK and 549 USD for the GTX 980.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK has an average benchmark score of 9,474, compared to the GTX 980's 8,167. The TITAN BLACK sits at the 46th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 980 sits at the 43rd percentile.

Q: Why does the GTX 980 win most DirectX tests despite having fewer shading units?

A: The GTX 980 has 2,048 shading units versus 2,880 for the TITAN BLACK, but it compensates with higher clocks (1,127 MHz base, 1,216 MHz boost) and a higher pixel rate of 77.82 GPixel/s. The Maxwell 2.0 architecture also delivers better per-clock efficiency, which shows in its wins across DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests.

Q: What is the biggest single benchmark margin between the two?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench Metal, where the TITAN BLACK scores 24,172 versus 15,163 for the GTX 980, a 59.4% advantage. The next largest is Geekbench Vulkan, where the TITAN BLACK leads by 31.1%.

Q: Does the TITAN BLACK have any memory advantages?

A: Yes. The TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 980 has 4 GB on a 256-bit bus, with 224.4 GB/s. The TITAN BLACK also has a higher texture rate of 235.2 GTexel/s versus 155.6 GTexel/s.

Q: Which card has lower power requirements?

A: The GTX 980 has a TDP of 165 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the TITAN BLACK has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The GTX 980 also uses two 6-pin connectors, whereas the TITAN BLACK uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin.

Q: In which API does the GTX 980 show its largest performance lead?

A: The GTX 980's largest lead is in Passmark DirectX 12, where it scores 46 against the TITAN BLACK's 34, a 26.1% difference. It also leads by 24.9% in Passmark G2D and by 21.6% in Passmark GPU Compute.