RTX 5080 vs GTX 960 Mobile
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 5080 | GTX 960 Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 22,512 | 717 | +3,039.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 170 | 24 | +608.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 107 | 13 | +723.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 61 | 6 | +916.7% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 56.3 | 2.1 | +2,645.4% |
| VRAM | 16 GB GDDR7 | 2 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 896 | 112 | +700.0% |
| TDP (W) | 400 | 72 | — |
- RTX 5080 averages 107 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 723% faster.
- GTX 960 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 400W).
Verdict: RTX 5080 or GTX 960 Mobile?
RTX 5080 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+88%)
- 4K gaming (+90%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+97%)
- Video memory (+88%)
- Memory bandwidth (+88%)
GTX 960 Mobile advantages
- Power efficiency (+82%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 5080 if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the GTX 960 Mobile if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RTX 5080 if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
RTX 5080 vs GTX 960 Mobile: which should you choose?
RTX 5080 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2025, Blackwell) with 16 GB of GDDR7, averaging 107 fps at 1440p; launched at $999.
GTX 960 Mobile — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2015, Maxwell) with 2 GB of GDDR5, averaging 13 fps at 1440p.
RTX 5080 vs GTX 960 Mobile: RTX 5080 is faster for gaming. RTX 5080 averages 107 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 723% faster. GTX 960 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 400W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 5080 averages 107 fps against 13. At 4K (61 vs 6 fps) VRAM (16GB vs 2GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 400 W versus 72 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 RTX 5080 better than the GTX 960 Mobile?
RTX 5080 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 5080 averages 107 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 723% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 5080 and the GTX 960 Mobile?
RTX 5080 averages 107 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 723% faster. GTX 960 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 400W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 5080 if you game at 1440p. Choose the GTX 960 Mobile if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
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.