NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti

Blender score 542

Maxwell 2.0 GPU best suited to lighter Blender scenes, learning workflows, and budget-conscious rendering setups.

Last updated: March 31, 2026

Blender benchmark score

542

Entry-level speed — fine for learning and lighter scenes.

VRAM

6 GB

Limited — best for simpler scenes and lighter workflows.

CUDA cores

2,816

Lower core count — adequate for lighter rendering workloads.

Architecture

Maxwell 2.0

Older architecture — check benchmark scores for a practical performance picture.

Memory bandwidth

336.6 GB/s

Lower bandwidth may become a bottleneck in texture-heavy or complex scenes.

Boost clock

1076 MHz

Lower clock speed — typical of older or workstation-class GPUs.

Render support

OptiX, CUDA

OptiX is typically the fastest option; CUDA provides a reliable fallback.

TDP

250 W

Moderate power needs — standard workstation PSU and cooling should be fine.

Release year

2015

More technical details

Core specs

  • Base clock: 1000 MHz
  • Process size: 28 nm

Memory specs

  • Memory type: GDDR5
  • Memory bus: 384-bit

Benchmark performance

This chart gives a compact estimate of how this GPU handles Blender benchmark scenes, so you can compare practical rendering speed without reading raw benchmark tables.

Blender score 542

These timings are derived from Blender Open Data benchmark medians and should be treated as comparative estimates, not guaranteed real-project render times.

View Blender Open Data source

Is GTX 980 Ti good for Blender?

A concise editorial read on where this GPU looks strong, the tradeoffs to keep in mind, and who it suits best.

What stands out

  • Maxwell 2.0 architecture
  • High memory bandwidth of 336.6 GB/s
  • Reliable performance for mid-range rendering tasks
  • Good for users with moderate VRAM requirements

Tradeoffs to know

  • Limited VRAM for large-scale projects
  • Older architecture compared to current standards

Who should choose it

  • Affordable option for moderate 3D rendering tasks
  • Good performance for its release era

Compare GTX 980 Ti to…

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