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.
GeForce GTX 900 Series
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| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| API | DirectX 12_1, OpenGL 4.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Consumption | 330 Watt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Transistor Count | 10.4 Billion | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Average benchmark valuesThe 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.
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirror's Edge Catalyst | 197.4 | 145.4 | 124.4 | 119.3 | 48.3 | |
| Overwatch | 299.9 | 299.8 | 299.8 | 297.4 | 143 | |
| Doom | 192.7 | 189.8 | 168.7 | 160.3 | 70.3 | |
| Need for Speed 2016 | 133.4 | 122.4 | 121.4 | 93.1 | 75.1 | |
| Hitman 2016 | 84.8 | 79.7 | 72 | 70.6 | 54.6 | |
| The Division | 226 | 189.9 | 126.5 | 100.6 | 55.1 | |
| Far Cry Primal | 98 | 97 | 86 | 85 | 56 | |
| XCOM 2 | 129.6 | 109.5 | 108 | 59.9 | 39 | |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 107.3 | 95 | 94.7 | 94.4 | 60.9 | |
| Rainbow Six Siege | 279.8 | 232.2 | 150.9 | 136.4 | 50.2 | |
| Just Cause 3 | 158 | 147.7 | 92.7 | 79.3 | ||
| Star Wars Battlefront | 161.7 | 150.6 | 114.4 | 110.4 | 62.6 | |
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 94.9 | 93.4 | 85.3 | 34.8 | 37.7 | |
| Fallout 4 | 189.2 | 183.8 | 149.4 | 129.9 | 55.6 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 | 175.3 | 169.2 | 152.8 | 152.7 | 60.8 | |
| Anno 2205 | 170.1 | 157.1 | 88 | 31.5 | 35.4 | |
| FIFA 16 | 357.3 | 319.8 | 266.4 | 118.6 | ||
| Mad Max | 277 | 244.9 | 230.8 | |||
| Batman: Arkham Knight | 160 | 148 | 96 | 64 | 32 | |
| The Witcher 3 | 270.3 | 203.4 | 131.9 | 74 | 51.2 | |
| Dirt Rally | 394 | 178.9 | 137.3 | 124.4 | 85.6 | |
| Battlefield Hardline | 198.4 | 197.9 | 195.4 | 176.1 | ||
| Evolve | 274.8 | 225.7 | 199 | 177.8 | ||
| Dragon Age: Inquisition | 197.8 | 187.7 | 159.2 | 123.5 | ||
| Far Cry 4 | 137.9 | 136.9 | 120.4 | 113.6 | ||
| Alien: Isolation | 284.6 | 269.1 | 238.7 | 185.4 | ||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 227.8 | 203 | 186.1 | 160.9 | ||
| Sims 4 | 191.7 | 172.7 | 144.3 | 138.4 | ||
| GRID: Autosport | 342 | 191.3 | 155.2 | 142.9 | ||
| Watch Dogs | 106 | 94.3 | 78.5 | 69.3 | ||
| Thief | 131.9 | 130.8 | 130.3 | 113.8 | ||
| Battlefield 4 | 199.6 | 199.5 | 198.9 | 176.8 | 91.6 | |
| Metro: Last Light | 155.9 | 151.2 | 143.8 | 111.9 | ||
| BioShock Infinite | 293.3 | 259.7 | 241.6 | 178.1 | ||
| Tomb Raider | 548 | 521 | 507 | 276.9 | ||
| Crysis 3 | 163.7 | 147.9 | 128 | 91.7 | ||
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 5 30 | 6 29 | 10 26 | 3 15 18 | | 11 8 1 |
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List
Asus GX800 Prototype: Intel Core i7-6820HK, 18.40", 5.7 kg
External Review » Asus GX800 Prototype
MSI GT80S 6QF: Intel Core i7-6820HK, 18.40", 5 kg
External Review » MSI GT80S 6QF
» Comparison of GPUs
Detailed list of all laptop GPUs sorted by class and performance.
» Benchmark List
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» Notebook Gaming List
Playable games for each graphics card and their average FPS results.
* Approximate position of the graphics adapter
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