GTX 980 vs R9 Fury
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 980 | R9 Fury | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,743 | 2,509 | -30.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 31 | 36 | -13.9% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 20 | -15.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 11 | -18.2% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.0 | 7.2 | -30.5% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 4 GB HBM | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 512 | -56.3% |
| TDP (W) | 165 | 275 | — |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $549 | $549 | — |
- R9 Fury averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 15% faster.
- GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 275W).
Verdict: GTX 980 or R9 Fury?
GTX 980 advantages
- Power efficiency (+40%)
R9 Fury advantages
- 1440p gaming (+15%)
- 4K gaming (+18%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+31%)
- Memory bandwidth (+56%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 980 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the R9 Fury if you game at 1440p.
Value for money
R9 Fury delivers more performance per dollar, making it the better value of the two at their listed prices.
GTX 980 vs R9 Fury: which should you choose?
GTX 980 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $549.
R9 Fury — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 3.0) with 4 GB of HBM, averaging 20 fps at 1440p; launched at $549.
GTX 980 vs R9 Fury: R9 Fury is faster for gaming. R9 Fury averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 15% faster. GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 275W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the R9 Fury averages 20 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 11 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 165 W versus 275 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise. At launch MSRPs of $549 vs $549, weigh the frame-rate lead against price and power draw for your target resolution.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 980 better than the R9 Fury?
R9 Fury is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. R9 Fury averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 15% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 980 and the R9 Fury?
R9 Fury averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 15% faster. GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 275W).
Which is better value?
R9 Fury delivers more performance per dollar, making it the better value of the two at their listed prices.
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 980 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the R9 Fury if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.