GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
On raw speed the GeForce GTX 980 comes out significantly faster — about 20% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 590: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 590
The GeForce GTX 980 is significantly faster, around 20% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
The GeForce GTX 980 currently lists from $85 USD, $612 USD less than the Radeon RX 590 at $697 USD. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 884%. The GeForce GTX 980 is trading below its $549 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 590 still sits about $418 USD above its $279 USD MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
At 165W against 225W, the GeForce GTX 980 is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon RX 590 carries 8GB versus 4GB on the GeForce GTX 980. The extra 4GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 590 is roughly 4 years newer than the GeForce GTX 980, so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the Radeon RX 590 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 590 or GeForce GTX 980?
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 590 if you find it at a steep discount.