GPU Comparison

Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.

Quick Verdict

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is significantly faster than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti, leading by roughly 20% in our performance index. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $486 CAD cheaper.

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VS
NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Price
$635 CAD
Benchmark %
10%
VRAM
6 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage

Comparable or lower specs

Price
$1,121 CAD
Benchmark %
12%
VRAM
8 GB HBM2
Key Specs Advantage
+433% Memory Bus (2048-bit vs 384-bit)
+37% Boost Clock (1,471 MHz vs 1,075 MHz)
+27% Stream Processors (3,584 vs 2,816)

Radeon RX Vega 56 vs GeForce GTX 980 Ti: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon RX Vega 56 vs GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is significantly faster, around 20% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the GeForce GTX 980 Ti starts at $635 CAD against $1,121 CAD for the Radeon RX Vega 56. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti offers the better performance-per-dollar (~47% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon RX Vega 56 still sits about $722 CAD above its $399 CAD MSRP.

Power & Efficiency

The Radeon RX Vega 56 draws just 210W versus 250W for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom. Its more modern GCN 5.0 (Vega) architecture on a GloFo 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

With 8GB against 6GB, the Radeon RX Vega 56 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 980 Ti's 6GB can fall short.

Generation & Longevity

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti (GCN 5.0 (Vega) 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 Vega 56 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 Vega 56?

Choose the Radeon RX Vega 56 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon RX Vega 56 better than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is significantly faster, roughly 20% ahead. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is still worth it if value matters more than top-end frames.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti or the Radeon RX Vega 56?

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.

Is the Radeon RX Vega 56 worth the extra $486 CAD over the GeForce GTX 980 Ti?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the GeForce GTX 980 Ti comes out ahead.

Does the Radeon RX Vega 56 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.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 56
ArchitectureMaxwellGCN 5.0 (Vega)
Process NodeTSMC 28nmGloFo 14nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)2,8163,584

Clock Speeds

SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 56
Base Clock1,000 MHz1,156 MHz
Boost Clock1,075 MHz1,471 MHz

Memory

SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 56
VRAM Capacity6 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5HBM2
Memory Bus384-bit2048-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps1.6 Gbps
Bandwidth336.5 GB/s409.6 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationGeForce GTX 980 TiRadeon RX Vega 56
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP250 W210 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin2x 8-pin
ReleasedJun 2015Aug 2017