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. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
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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 Radeon RX 6500 XT at $2,634 SEK, $6,155 SEK under the GeForce GTX 980's $8,789 SEK. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 6500 XT wins on performance-per-dollar by about 281%. The Radeon RX 6500 XT still sits about $2,434 SEK above its $200 SEK MSRP. The GeForce GTX 980 still sits about $8,240 SEK above its $549 SEK MSRP.
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?
The Radeon RX 6500 XT is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce GTX 980 if you find it at a steep discount.
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 GeForce GTX 980 worth the extra $6,155 SEK over the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
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 |