How Many FPS Does Stellaris Get with GTX 980? Performance at 1080p, 1440p & 4K

93FPS

1080p UltraEstimated

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Stellaris system requirements

Official minimum and recommended requirements published by the developer.

Minimum

CPUIntel® iCore™ i3-530 or AMD® FX-6350

GPUNvidia® GeForce™ GTX 460 or AMD® ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 (1GB VRAM), or AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega 11 or Intel® HD Graphics 4600

RAM4 GB RAM

Storage10 GB available space

GTX 980 Specifications

BrandNVIDIA

VRAM4 GB

Power Draw (TDP)165W

TierHigh-end

Benchmark20

1080p (Full HD)20/100

These are the basic specs. The full GTX 980 page adds the rest of the technical data and its FPS game by game, not just in Stellaris.

See all FPS and specs for the GTX 980

Want the exact Stellaris FPS with your GTX 980?

These FPS assume a reference CPU. Add your real processor and RAM and we'll tailor the estimate to your rig.

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Stellaris benchmark on GTX 980: FPS by resolution and quality

What is your processor?

Pick yours and we recalculate the whole table above with it.

Intel Core i5-13400

Check Intel Core i5-13400 price →

Stellaris FPS with a GTX 980 and a Intel Core i5-13400

Ultra

1080p

93FPS

min 61Good

1440p

60FPS

min 52Good

26FPS

min 23Poor

High

1080p

120FPS

min 79Excellent

1440p

78FPS

min 68Good

34FPS

min 30Acceptable

Medium

1080p

157FPS

min 104Excellent

1440p

102FPS

min 89Good

45FPS

min 40Acceptable

Low

1080p

204FPS

min 135Excellent

1440p

132FPS

min 115Excellent

58FPS

min 51Acceptable

Bottleneck (estimated)

1080pCPU 36%

1440pbalanced

4KGPU 58%

Quality	1080p (Full HD)	1440p (2K)	4K (Ultra HD)
Ultra	93FPS min 61Good	60FPS min 52Good	26FPS min 23Poor
High	120FPS min 79Excellent	78FPS min 68Good	34FPS min 30Acceptable
Medium	157FPS min 104Excellent	102FPS min 89Good	45FPS min 40Acceptable
Low	204FPS min 135Excellent	132FPS min 115Excellent	58FPS min 51Acceptable
Bottleneck (estimated)	CPU 36%	balanced	GPU 58%

The percentage estimates how much of the stronger component's capability goes unused because of the other one.

This one does matter: from the Intel Core i9-14900K downwards the processor becomes the brake on the GTX 980. There is 39% between the slowest and fastest CPU in the table. One caveat: this is at 1080p, where the CPU weighs most. At 1440p and 4K the graphics card takes over and the processor stops mattering.

FSR performance: FPS with AI upscaling

Upscaling renders Stellaris at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs the image, so you trade a little sharpness for extra frames. These are the estimated figures for the GTX 980 with FSR enabled, starting from its native Ultra FPS.

Resolution	Native	FSR Quality	FSR Performance
1080p	93	116	135
1440p	60	81	99
4K	26	38	48

About ray tracing: every figure on this page is with ray tracing off. The GTX 980 has no dedicated hardware for it, so it is an option best left disabled.

Estimated figures. The real gain varies by game and by the version of the technology.

Is the CPU or the graphics card holding you back?

These FPS assume a mid-range CPU that isn't a bottleneck — roughly a Intel Core i5-13400 — and 16 GB of RAM.

With that CPU, the GTX 980 has headroom to spare in Stellaris: the processor runs out before the graphics card does. A faster processor would gain you FPS; a stronger graphics card would barely help. At 4K it flips: there the graphics card becomes the limit.

The CheckFPS verdict

Analysis based on real in-game FPS, not spec sheets

Is the GTX 980 Enough for Stellaris?

The GTX 980 delivers 93 FPS at 1080p Ultra in Stellaris. Enough for a smooth 60 FPS experience. For 144Hz, lower the quality to High.

At 1440p it gets 60 FPS and at 4K 26 FPS at Ultra quality.

⚡ Optimization guide

Want more FPS in Stellaris?

Our guide collects the settings that give between +40% and +90% FPS in Stellaris with barely any visual loss. Recommended settings, GPU-specific tips (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) and solutions to common game issues.

View optimization guide for Stellaris →

GTX 980 or GTX 1650 for Stellaris?

In Stellaris at 1080p Ultra both land on the same figure: 93 FPS. Price and power draw are what separate them.

GTX 980 vs GTX 1650: which one is faster?

Other GPUs for Stellaris

RX 5500 XT 4GBAMD 4GB

98FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA 3GB

93FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

GTX 1650NVIDIA 4GB

93FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

RX 580 4GBAMD 4GB

93FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

R9 390XAMD 8GB

87FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

RX 570 8GBAMD 8GB

82FPS

1080p Ultra

View analysis Check price

If none of these convinces you for Stellaris, the full ranking sorts all 143 cards by real FPS, not synthetic scores.

See the full graphics card ranking by real FPS

Other games with GTX 980

Call of Duty: Warzone

31FPS

Apex Legends

39FPS

Frequently asked questions about Stellaris on the GTX 980

How many FPS does the GTX 980 get in Stellaris at 1080p?

The GTX 980 averages 93 FPS in Stellaris at 1080p on Ultra settings. Dropping to High takes it to around 120 FPS, and Low reaches roughly 204 FPS.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On Ultra, the GTX 980 manages around 60 FPS at 1440p and around 26 FPS at 4K. Those are native figures: switching on AI upscaling lifts both considerably.

Can the GTX 980 run Stellaris at 60 FPS?

Yes. On Ultra settings the GTX 980 averages above 60 FPS in Stellaris at 1080p, 1440p. At higher resolutions you can claw back smoothness by lowering the preset or turning on upscaling.

Do these Stellaris figures include upscaling or ray tracing?

No. Every FPS figure on this page is native, with no AI upscaling and with ray tracing off. The GTX 980 has no ray tracing hardware, so that option is off the table for this card.

How many FPS do I gain by turning on FSR in Stellaris?

At 4K, FSR on Quality mode takes the GTX 980 from around 26 native FPS to an estimated 38 FPS. Performance mode goes higher still, at the cost of some image sharpness.

What processor do I need to pair with the GTX 980?

The figures on this page assume a Intel Core i5-13400, a mid-range processor that does not bottleneck the card. What matters with the GTX 980 is that the CPU is not far below it: past that class, moving up a processor barely changes FPS at higher resolutions.

Stellaris system requirements

Official minimum and recommended requirements published by the developer.

Minimum

CPUIntel® iCore™ i3-530 or AMD® FX-6350

GPUNvidia® GeForce™ GTX 460 or AMD® ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 (1GB VRAM), or AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega 11 or Intel® HD Graphics 4600

RAM4 GB RAM

Storage10 GB available space

Stellaris FPS with a GTX 980 and a Intel Core i5-13400

Ultra

1080p

93FPS

min 61Good

1440p

60FPS

min 52Good

26FPS

min 23Poor

High

1080p

120FPS

min 79Excellent

1440p

78FPS

min 68Good

34FPS

min 30Acceptable

Medium

1080p

157FPS

min 104Excellent

1440p

102FPS

min 89Good

45FPS

min 40Acceptable

Low

1080p

204FPS

min 135Excellent

1440p

132FPS

min 115Excellent

58FPS

min 51Acceptable

Bottleneck (estimated)

1080pCPU 36%

1440pbalanced

4KGPU 58%

Quality	1080p (Full HD)	1440p (2K)	4K (Ultra HD)
Ultra	93FPS min 61Good	60FPS min 52Good	26FPS min 23Poor
High	120FPS min 79Excellent	78FPS min 68Good	34FPS min 30Acceptable
Medium	157FPS min 104Excellent	102FPS min 89Good	45FPS min 40Acceptable
Low	204FPS min 135Excellent	132FPS min 115Excellent	58FPS min 51Acceptable
Bottleneck (estimated)	CPU 36%	balanced	GPU 58%

The percentage estimates how much of the stronger component's capability goes unused because of the other one.

FSR performance: FPS with AI upscaling

Resolution	Native	FSR Quality	FSR Performance
1080p	93	116	135
1440p	60	81	99
4K	26	38	48

About ray tracing: every figure on this page is with ray tracing off. The GTX 980 has no dedicated hardware for it, so it is an option best left disabled.

Estimated figures. The real gain varies by game and by the version of the technology.

Is the CPU or the graphics card holding you back?

These FPS assume a mid-range CPU that isn't a bottleneck — roughly a Intel Core i5-13400 — and 16 GB of RAM.

Frequently asked questions about Stellaris on the GTX 980

How many FPS does the GTX 980 get in Stellaris at 1080p?

The GTX 980 averages 93 FPS in Stellaris at 1080p on Ultra settings. Dropping to High takes it to around 120 FPS, and Low reaches roughly 204 FPS.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On Ultra, the GTX 980 manages around 60 FPS at 1440p and around 26 FPS at 4K. Those are native figures: switching on AI upscaling lifts both considerably.

Can the GTX 980 run Stellaris at 60 FPS?

Yes. On Ultra settings the GTX 980 averages above 60 FPS in Stellaris at 1080p, 1440p. At higher resolutions you can claw back smoothness by lowering the preset or turning on upscaling.

Do these Stellaris figures include upscaling or ray tracing?

No. Every FPS figure on this page is native, with no AI upscaling and with ray tracing off. The GTX 980 has no ray tracing hardware, so that option is off the table for this card.

How many FPS do I gain by turning on FSR in Stellaris?

At 4K, FSR on Quality mode takes the GTX 980 from around 26 native FPS to an estimated 38 FPS. Performance mode goes higher still, at the cost of some image sharpness.

What processor do I need to pair with the GTX 980?