Notebookcheck

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 SLI is a high-end DirectX 12-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 980 cards. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture with similar specifications as the desktop GeForce GTX 980. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 980.

With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro-stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different time-spans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).

The performance is on a level with the two desktop GTX 980 cards in SLI. Due to the different cooling solutions, the long-term performance may be slightly lower compared to a well cooled desktop, but Nvidia assures there will only be small degrades in performance. As with all SLI combinations, the performance depends on the driver support for the used benchmark and game. In our tests with an MSI GT80S, the 980 SLI was the fastest graphics solution for laptops. The 980M SLI was 17% slower, a single 980 26% slower. Therefore, the 980 SLI for laptops offers enough performance for all demanding games from 2015 in high details and 4K resolution.

The core features are also the same as the desktop 980, so expect support for DirectX 12 (FL 12_1). There will be no support for the new H.265 video engine as found on the desktop GTX 950.

The power consumption of a single card is a lot higher than other mobile graphics cards like the GeForce GTX 980M (100 Watt TDP). According to Nvidia, the TDP of the reference design is still 165 Watt like in the desktop version. So, the TDP of the SLI combination may be as high as 330 Watt. Therefore, only big laptops with efficient cooling methods can house the GeForce GTX980 for laptops.

ManufacturerNVIDIA
GeForce GTX 900 Series
GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop) 4096 @ 1126 - 1228 (Boost) MHz2x 256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 Ti (compare) 2816 @ 1000 - 1200 (Boost) MHz256 Bit @ 7000 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 (compare) 2048 @ 1126 - 1216 (Boost) MHz256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop) (compare) 2048 @ 1126 - 1228 (Boost) MHz256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 970 (compare) 1664 @ 1050 - 1178 (Boost) MHz224 + 32 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 960 (compare) 1024 @ 1127 - 1178 (Boost) MHz128 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 950 (compare) 768 @ 1024 - 1188 (Boost) MHz128 Bit @ 3300 MHz
CodenameN16E-GXX SLI
ArchitectureMaxwell
Pipelines4096 - unified
Core Speed1126 - 1228 (Boost) MHz
Memory Speed3500 MHz
Memory Bus Width2x 256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory2x 8192 MB
Shared Memoryno
DirectXDirectX 12 (FL 12_1)
Transistor Count10400 Million
technology28 nm
FeaturesCUDA, 3D Vision, PhysX, GeForce Experience, Surround, GameStream, GPU Boost 2.0, Adaptive Vertical Sync, G-SYNC, SLI
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement22.09.2015

Benchmarks

3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Score 1280x720
min: 32522     avg: 33811     median: 33811 (68%)     max: 35100 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Graphics 1280x720
min: 147015     avg: 155238     median: 155238 (95%)     max: 163462 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Fire Strike Score 1920x1080
min: 17165     avg: 18339     median: 18339 (78%)     max: 19513 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Fire Strike Graphics 1920x1080
min: 23351     avg: 25453     median: 25453 (63%)     max: 27555 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Ice Storm Standard Graphics 1280x720
min: 422037     avg: 440930     median: 440930 (59%)     max: 459824 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance 1280x720
min: 20055     avg: 21341     median: 21341 (74%)     max: 22627 points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance GPU 1280x720
min: 30045     avg: 33169     median: 33169 (65%)     max: 36293 points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark Vantage
P Result 1280x1024 +
P GPU no PhysX 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06 Standard 1280x1024 +
SPECviewperf 12
Solidworks (sw-03) 1900x1060 +
Siemens NX (snx-02) 1900x1060 +
Showcase (showcase-01) 1900x1060 +
Medical (medical-01) 1900x1060 +
Maya (maya-04) 1900x1060 +
Energy (energy-01) 1900x1060 +
Creo (creo-01) 1900x1060 +
Catia (catia-04) 1900x1060 +
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit +
Cinebench R15
OpenGL 64Bit +
GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Offscreen OGL off screen
381.7 fps (70%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Onscreen OGL on screen
59.7 fps (16%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Room GPUs-only
3660 Samples/s (69%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Sala GPUs-only
5814 Samples/s (56%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
ComputeMark v2.1 - Normal, Score 1024x600
8892 Points (40%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailled information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
low 1280x720
197.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
145.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
124.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
119.3  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
48.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Overwatch

Overwatch

2016
low 1280x720
299.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
299.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
299.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
297.4  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
143  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Doom

Doom

2016
low 1280x720
192.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
189.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
168.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
160.3  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
70.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Need for Speed 2016
low 1280x720
133.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
122.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
121.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
93.1  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
75.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Hitman 2016
low 1280x720
84.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
79.7  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
72  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
70.6  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
54.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
The Division
low 1280x720
226  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
189.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
126.5  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
100.6  fps    + Compare
3840x2160
55.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Far Cry Primal
low 1280x720
98  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
97  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
86  fps    + Compare