GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon RX 590

Speed and memory

In our performance index the GeForce GTX 980 scores 11 and the Radeon RX 590 scores 10, which makes the GeForce GTX 980 about 10% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The GeForce GTX 980 has 4 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 590 has 8 GB. That difference matters at 1440p and in new games at High textures, and it can outweigh a small speed advantage as the card ages.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Cyberpunk 2077 (23 against 30 fps), and the smallest is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (40 against 38 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce GTX 980 is rated at 165 W and the Radeon RX 590 at 175 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 550 W for the first and 550 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the GeForce GTX 980 cost $549 and the Radeon RX 590 $279. Per dollar, the Radeon RX 590 gave more performance (3.6 points per $100 against 2.0). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce GTX 980 if you want the faster card, and you can accept 4 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 590 if the price gap matters more than the 10% speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.