GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 6400
On raw speed the GeForce GTX 980 comes out ahead: meaningfully ahead, about 17% ahead of the Radeon RX 6400. Best performance and best value in one card here — the clear recommendation if you can afford it.
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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 6400: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 6400
The GeForce GTX 980 is noticeably faster, around 17% ahead of the Radeon RX 6400. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
The GeForce GTX 980 currently lists from $28,966 JPY, $64,423 JPY less than the Radeon RX 6400 at $93,389 JPY. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 276%. The GeForce GTX 980 still sits about $28,417 JPY above its $549 JPY MSRP. The Radeon RX 6400 still sits about $93,230 JPY above its $159 JPY MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
At 53W against 165W, the Radeon RX 6400 is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. 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 6400 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 6400 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 6400?
The GeForce GTX 980 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 6400 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 980 better than the Radeon RX 6400?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 or the Radeon RX 6400?
Is the Radeon RX 6400 worth the extra $64,423 JPY over the GeForce GTX 980?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon RX 6400?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6400 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC N6 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,048✓ | 768 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 12 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6400 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,126 MHz | 1,923 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,216 MHz | 2,321 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6400 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit✓ | 64-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps | 16 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s✓ | 128 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon RX 6400 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| TDP | 165 W | 53 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Jan 2022 |