GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB vs GeForce GTX 980M

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB and GeForce GTX 980M you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 980M will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB

GeForce GTX 980M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 980M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 980M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB GeForce GTX 980M
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 5 GB 8 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 980M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce GTX 980M has 3 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is used in Desktops, and GeForce GTX 980M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is build with Pascal architecture, and GeForce GTX 980M - with Maxwell.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 468 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980M.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 980M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 5508 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980M.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 21−24 35−40
ultra / 1080p 12−14 24−27
QHD / 1440p 7−8 18−20
4K / 2160p 5−6 10−11
low / 720p 40−45 60−65
medium / 1080p 27−30 45−50
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 73% more, than GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB GeForce GTX 980M
Architecture Pascal Maxwell
Code name GP106 GM204
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 26 December 2017 7 October 2014
Pipelines 1280 1536
Core clock speed 1506 MHz 1038 MHz
Boost Clock 1709 MHz 1127 MHz
Transistor count 4,400 million 5,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 16 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 136.7 51.84
Floating-point performance 4,375 gflops 3,462 gflops
Length 250 mm
Memory bus width 160 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 8008 MHz 2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 160.2 GB/s 160 GB/s
Shared memory -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 6.4
OpenGL 4.6 4.5
OpenCL 1.2 1.1
Vulkan 1.2.131 1.1.126
CUDA 6.1 +
CUDA cores 1536
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 383 Mh/s
Laptop size large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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