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.
Manufacturer | NVIDIA |
GeForce GTX 900 Series | |
Codename | N16E-GXX SLI |
Architecture | Maxwell |
Pipelines | 4096 - unified |
Core Speed | 1126 - 1228 (Boost) MHz |
Memory Speed | 3500 MHz |
Memory Bus Width | 256 Bit |
Memory Type | GDDR5 |
Max. Amount of Memory | 2x 8192 MB |
Shared Memory | no |
DirectX | DirectX 12_1 |
Transistor Count | 10400 Million |
technology | 28 nm |
Features | CUDA, 3D Vision, PhysX, GeForce Experience, Surround, GameStream, GPU Boost 2.0, Adaptive Vertical Sync, G-SYNC, SLI |
Notebook Size | large |
Date of Announcement | 22.09.2015 |
Benchmarks
Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy
66.8 pt (71%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 19%
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3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Score
min: 32522 avg: 33811 median: 33811 (45%) max: 35100 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
min: 147015 avg: 155239 median: 155238 (77%) max: 163462 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 14%
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Score
min: 17165 avg: 18339 median: 18339 (47%) max: 19513 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
min: 23351 avg: 25453 median: 25453 (50%) max: 27555 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Graphics
min: 422037 avg: 440931 median: 440930 (59%) max: 459824 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 1%
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3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Score
min: 20055 avg: 21341 median: 21341 (50%) max: 22627 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance GPU
min: 30045 avg: 33169 median: 33169 (56%) max: 36293 Points
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
47704 Points (47%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
60089 Points (55%)
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AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (Desktop) -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +35639 Points (66%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 33%
SPECviewperf 12
specvp12 sw-03 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03
50.8 fps (22%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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specvp12 snx-02 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02
6.1 fps (2%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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specvp12 showcase-01 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01
61.2 fps (25%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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specvp12 mediacal-01 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01
30.2 fps (28%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (Desktop) 2%
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specvp12 maya-04 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04
88.9 fps (38%)
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AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (Desktop) -11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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specvp12 energy-01 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01
6.8 fps (22%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (Desktop) 4%
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specvp12 creo-01 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01
35.4 fps (20%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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specvp12 catia-04 +SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04
52.2 fps (18%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit +Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
min: 79.2 avg: 82.6 median: 82.6 (35%) max: 85.93 fps
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit +Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
min: 117.93 avg: 126 median: 125.9 (35%) max: 133.78 fps
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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GFXBench 3.0 - GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan Offscreen
382 fps (42%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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GFXBench 3.0 - GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan
59.7 fps (16%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - LuxMark v2.0 Room GPU
3660 Samples/s (37%)
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AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - LuxMark v2.0 Sala GPU
5814 Samples/s (19%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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ComputeMark v2.1 - ComputeMark v2.1 Result
8892 points (19%)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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- 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 detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 332%
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 244%
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AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (Desktop) -9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 20%
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop)
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