GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
The Radeon RX Vega 56 is noticeably faster than the GeForce GTX 980, leading by roughly 17% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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Radeon RX Vega 56 vs GeForce GTX 980: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX Vega 56 vs GeForce GTX 980
The Radeon RX Vega 56 is noticeably faster, around 17% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the Radeon RX Vega 56 is comfortable at 1080p, while the GeForce GTX 980 is better matched to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon RX Vega 56 starts at $486 GBP against $495 GBP for the GeForce GTX 980. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX Vega 56 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 19%. The Radeon RX Vega 56 still sits about $87 GBP above its $399 GBP MSRP. The GeForce GTX 980 is trading below its $549 GBP MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 980 draws just 165W versus 210W for the Radeon RX Vega 56, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 4GB, the Radeon RX Vega 56 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 980's 4GB can fall short.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX Vega 56 is roughly 3 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980 (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 Radeon RX Vega 56 brings AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value, while the GeForce GTX 980 offers NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: Radeon RX Vega 56 or GeForce GTX 980?
The Radeon RX Vega 56 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.