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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 580

Quick Verdict

Performance-wise the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 67% up on the Radeon RX 580.

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VS
NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 980 Ti
Price
Reference GPU
Performance
10/100
VRAM
6 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+50% Memory Bus (384-bit vs 256-bit)
+31% Bandwidth (336.5 GB/s vs 256 GB/s)
+22% CUDA Cores (2,816 vs 2,304)

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 580: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 580

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the Radeon RX 580. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Power & Efficiency

The Radeon RX 580 is the lighter draw at 185W against the GeForce GTX 980 Ti's 250W, making it the easier card to power and cool. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws more in absolute terms but squeezes out more performance per watt, so budget for a beefier PSU if you go that route.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

The Radeon RX 580's 8GB (vs 6GB on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.

Generation & Longevity

The Radeon RX 580 is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 580 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 Ti or Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the faster card by about 67%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above — particularly VRAM and power draw — and check current stock before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GeForce GTX 980 Ti better than the Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is dramatically faster, roughly 67% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti or the Radeon RX 580?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Does the Radeon RX 580 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 6GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 Ti or Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the faster card by about 67%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above — particularly VRAM and power draw — and check current stock before buying.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 580
ArchitectureMaxwellGCN 4.0 (Polaris)
Process NodeTSMC 28nmGloFo 14nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)2,8162,304

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 580
Base Clock1,000 MHz1,257 MHz
Boost Clock1,075 MHz1,340 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 580
VRAM Capacity6 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus384-bit256-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps8 Gbps
Bandwidth336.5 GB/s256 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX 580
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP250 W185 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 8-pin
ReleasedJun 2015Apr 2017