GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT
The Radeon RX 6500 XT pulls ahead here — clearly quicker, about 14% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980. But the GeForce GTX 980 is the better value, undercutting it by $144 EUR for the performance you get.
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Radeon RX 6500 XT vs GeForce GTX 980: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 6500 XT vs GeForce GTX 980
The Radeon RX 6500 XT is noticeably faster, around 14% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Pricing has the GeForce GTX 980 at $79 EUR, $144 EUR under the Radeon RX 6500 XT's $223 EUR. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 980 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~147% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The GeForce GTX 980 is trading below its $549 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the Radeon RX 6500 XT (113W vs 165W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter. Its more modern RDNA 2 architecture on a TSMC N6 process is part of why it does more with each watt.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 6500 XT is roughly 8 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980 (RDNA 2 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 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 6500 XT 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 or Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Choose the Radeon RX 6500 XT if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 980 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 6500 XT better than the GeForce GTX 980?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 or the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Is the Radeon RX 6500 XT worth the extra $144 EUR over the GeForce GTX 980?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC N6 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,048✓ | 1,024 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 16 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,126 MHz | 2,310 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,216 MHz | 2,815 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit✓ | 64-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps | 18 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s✓ | 144 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| TDP | 165 W | 113 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Jan 2022 |