GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 6500 XT
On raw speed the GeForce GTX 980 Ti comes out ahead: well ahead on speed, about 25% ahead of the Radeon RX 6500 XT. Best performance and best value in one card here — the clear recommendation if you can afford it.
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GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 6500 XT: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon RX 6500 XT
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is significantly faster, around 25% ahead of the Radeon RX 6500 XT. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti currently lists from $110 USD, $25 USD less than the Radeon RX 6500 XT at $135 USD. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins on performance-per-dollar by about 53%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is trading below its $649 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is trading below its $200 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
At 113W against 250W, the Radeon RX 6500 XT 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.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
VRAM favors the GeForce GTX 980 Ti at 6GB versus 4GB on the Radeon RX 6500 XT — that extra 2GB matters most at 4K, with high-res texture packs, and for content-creation/local-AI work.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 6500 XT is roughly 7 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti (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 Ti 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 Ti or Radeon RX 6500 XT?
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti 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 6500 XT if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 980 Ti better than the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti or the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Is the Radeon RX 6500 XT worth the extra $25 USD over the GeForce GTX 980 Ti?
Does the GeForce GTX 980 Ti have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 Ti or Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC N6 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,816✓ | 1,024 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 16 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,000 MHz | 2,310 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,075 MHz | 2,815 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB✓ | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit✓ | 64-bit |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps | 18 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 336.5 GB/s✓ | 144 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon RX 6500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| TDP | 250 W | 113 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Jan 2022 |