NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop and the GTX 980 Ti 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 RTX 3050 Ti Laptop is ~7% faster than the GTX 980 Ti on average at 1080p.
RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
- Index (1080p)
- 28/100
- VRAM
- 4 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- —
- Upscaling
- DLSS
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 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop | GTX 980 Ti | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 29 | 27 | +7% |
| 1440p | 18 | 20 | +11% |
| 4K | 7 | 8 | +14% |
Which one for your resolution?
RTX 3050 Ti Laptop (+7%)
GTX 980 Ti (+11%)
GTX 980 Ti (+14%)
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop and GTX 980 Ti: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop | GTX 980 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| TDP | 80W | 250W |
| Tier | Entry-level | High-end |
| Score 1080p | 28 | 26 |
| Score 1440p | 20 | 21 |
| Score 4K | 10 | 12 |
| Price (MSRP) | — | $649 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 28nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 2560 | 2816 |
| RT Cores | 20 | — |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 80 | 176 |
| ROPs | 32 | 96 |
| Base Clock | 1035 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 1075 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 8.68 TFLOPS | 6.05 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Clock | 12000 MHz | 7000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 384-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 336.6 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Transistor Count | 8.7B | 8.0B |
| Release Date | 2021-05-11 | 2015-06-01 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
- TDP
- 80W
- FPS/W
- 0.36
GTX 980 Ti
- TDP
- 250W
- FPS/W
- 0.11
The RTX 3050 Ti Laptop is more efficient: it draws 170W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop 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 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop | GTX 980 Ti | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 33 | 30 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 30 | 28 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 24 | 22 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 25 | 24 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 26 | 24 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
| 25 | 23 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop | |
 | 31 | 29 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 33 | 30 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 36 | 34 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
 | 29 | 27 | RTX 3050 Ti Laptop |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop 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 RTX 3050 Ti Laptop comes out ahead by around 7% 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 RTX 3050 Ti Laptop with the GTX 980 Ti.
Which is better, the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop or the GTX 980 Ti?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop is 7% faster than the GTX 980 Ti. 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 RTX 3050 Ti Laptop averages 7 FPS and the GTX 980 Ti 8 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 7% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
3050 Ti Laptop vs 980 Ti: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 3050 Ti Laptop beats the GTX 980 Ti by around 7% 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 3050 Ti Laptop and the 980 Ti on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
