NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 vs AMD Radeon RX 590: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the GTX 980 and the RX 590 with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RX 590 is ~29% faster than the GTX 980 on average at 1080p. On top of that, the RX 590 is 49% cheaper (launch price).
GTX 980
- Index (1080p)
- 20/100
- VRAM
- 4 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $549 · ≈ €505
- $/FPS (value)
- $26.14 · ≈ €24.05
- Upscaling
- FSR
RX 590
- Index (1080p)
- 26/100
- VRAM
- 8 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $279 · ≈ €257
- $/FPS (value)
- $10.33 · ≈ €9.51
- Upscaling
- FSR
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | GTX 980 | RX 590 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 21 | 27 | +29% |
| 1440p | 14 | 17 | +21% |
| 4K | 6 | 7 | +17% |
Which one for your resolution?
RX 590 is the best pick at all three resolutions, averaging 22% more FPS.
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the GTX 980 and RX 590: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | GTX 980 | RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | AMD |
| VRAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| TDP | 165W | 225W |
| Tier | High-end | Mid-range |
| Score 1080p | 20 | 26 |
| Score 1440p | 15 | 19 |
| Score 4K | 8 | 10 |
| Price (MSRP) | $549 | $279 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 4.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | GlobalFoundries 12nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 2048 | 2304 |
| RT Cores | — | — |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 128 | 144 |
| ROPs | 64 | 32 |
| Base Clock | 1126 MHz | 1469 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1216 MHz | 1545 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 4.98 TFLOPS | 7.12 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Clock | 7000 MHz | 8000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Transistor Count | 5.2B | 5.7B |
| Release Date | 2014-09-18 | 2018-11-15 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
GTX 980
- TDP
- 165W
- FPS/W
- 0.13
RX 590
- TDP
- 225W
- FPS/W
- 0.12
The GTX 980 is more efficient: it draws 60W less and delivers more per watt, though the RX 590 is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | GTX 980 | RX 590 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 23 | 30 | RX 590 |
 | 22 | 28 | RX 590 |
 | 17 | 22 | RX 590 |
 | 18 | 24 | RX 590 |
 | 19 | 24 | RX 590 |
| 18 | 23 | RX 590 | |
 | 22 | 29 | RX 590 |
 | 23 | 30 | RX 590 |
 | 26 | 34 | RX 590 |
 | 21 | 27 | RX 590 |
Verdict
AMD Radeon RX 590 wins in 10 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RX 590 comes out ahead by around 29% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the GTX 980 with the RX 590.
Which is better, the GTX 980 or the RX 590?
On average at 1080p, the RX 590 is 29% faster than the GTX 980. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the GTX 980 averages 6 FPS and the RX 590 7 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 29% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
980 vs 590: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RX 590 beats the GTX 980 by around 29% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 980 and the 590 on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
