GTX 980 vs RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 980 | RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,743 | 37,898 | -95.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 31 | 272 | -88.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 174 | -90.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 99 | -90.9% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.0 | 108.3 | -95.4% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 96 GB GDDR7 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 1,344 | -83.3% |
| TDP (W) | 165 | 300 | — |
- RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell averages 174 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 90% faster.
- GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 300W).
Verdict: GTX 980 or RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell?
GTX 980 advantages
- Power efficiency (+45%)
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell advantages
- 1440p gaming (+90%)
- 4K gaming (+91%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+95%)
- Video memory (+96%)
- Memory bandwidth (+83%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 980 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell if you game at 1440p.
GTX 980 vs RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell: 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.
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2026, Blackwell) with 96 GB of GDDR7, averaging 174 fps at 1440p.
GTX 980 vs RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell: RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is faster for gaming. RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell averages 174 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 90% faster. GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 300W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell averages 174 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 99 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 96GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 165 W versus 300 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
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 RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell?
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell averages 174 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 90% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 980 and the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell?
RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell averages 174 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 90% faster. GTX 980 draws less power (165W vs 300W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 980 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell 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.