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Report: Predicted Synthetic Benchmark Scores For GTX 980

By - Source: VideoCardz.com | B 62 comments

VideoCardz.com has calculated the results of synthetically benchmarking a GTX 980 and GTX 970, based on their predicted specifications, which may sound a bit ridiculous, but there is something to it.

VideoCardz.com often shows early benchmarks of graphics cards, but this time it's doing something a little different. This time around, instead of running a benchmark of a graphics card to evaluate its performance, VideoCardz.com calculated the synthetic performance of the GTX 980 and GTX 970. Yes, these are artificial numbers of a synthetic GPU test.

Okay, we can criticize that VideoCardz.com made up test numbers all we want, but there is actually a good reason why they did it this way. Synthetic benchmark performance is a lot more predictable than actual game performance, and while a lot of games' performance won't align with the synthetic results, holistically a synthetic benchmark does give a good indication of what a graphics card is capable of.

As a point of reference, VideoCardz.com used the specifications of a GTX 980 with a core clock of 1127 MHz, predicting that it would score 12328 points in 3Dmark Fire Strike. This is just a bit less than a reference GTX 780 Ti, which scores 12702 points. The higher possible clock rate for the GTX 980 is 1190 MHz, where it would score 13005 points in the test, making it the king of the single-GPU graphics card hill.

The predicted 3DMark Fire Strike score for the GTX 970 at 970 MHz is set at 10282 MHz, succeeding the GTX 780 by a small margin.

Whether the numbers are correct remains unknown until we can do our own testing, but they certainly look very believable. That said, none of this matters until we know more about the rest of the card, especially what it will cost. There have been rumors about the GTX 980 (which was previously rumored to be called the GTX 880) being cheaper than its Kepler-based counterparts, but we don't really think that that's going to happen.

Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

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  • 5 Hide
    jasonelmore , September 8, 2014 12:43 PM
    the 980 better be $499 or under if it can't even beat the 780ti at stock settings.
  • 0 Hide
    cewhidx , September 8, 2014 1:16 PM
    Now I have seen it all...
  • -2 Hide
    g-unit1111 , September 8, 2014 1:31 PM
    So if I'm reading that chart right - GTX 760 SLI comes close to matching a single GTX 980 in terms of performance? If you already have one GTX 760 it would make no sense to get a 980 would it?
  • Add your comment Display all 62 comments.
  • 6 Hide
    Au_equus , September 8, 2014 1:33 PM
    the 780 ti scores 12702 at 1150 MHz, but stock speeds are at 928 MHz (boost) which scores 11096.
  • 3 Hide
    jas340 , September 8, 2014 1:40 PM
    Are GPU's topping out like CPU's did a couple of years ago? Looks like if you bought an i7-2700K and a GTX 780 after the price cut you have gotten the most bang out of your buck then and for the foreseeable future.
  • 1 Hide
    4ktv , September 8, 2014 1:46 PM
    Well it looks like at stock the GTX 980 beats both the 780ti and R9 290x. Not bad, if under $499 then AMD will likely have to respond.
  • -1 Hide
    sportfreak23 , September 8, 2014 1:59 PM
    inb4 $1k
  • 4 Hide
    icemunk , September 8, 2014 2:36 PM
    I have to say... slightly disappointing; I think I was expecting too much. We'll have to see the price
  • 2 Hide
    anthony8989 , September 8, 2014 2:40 PM
    If the 980 can outperform the 780 Ti and is less than $550 I'm sold. If it's over $550 Then nVidia won't be getting my money 'til next gen. May be die shrink idk
  • 1 Hide
    Deus Gladiorum , September 8, 2014 2:51 PM
    Is it confirmed that Nvidia is skipping the 800 name for desktops? And if so, why?
  • -3 Hide
    spentshells , September 8, 2014 3:04 PM
    Tonga has got this when they implement it all away accross all models.
    Good luck nv
  • 0 Hide
    elbert , September 8, 2014 3:10 PM
    Im guessing Nvidia will use next years lower nm for titan/990.
  • 1 Hide
    anthony8989 , September 8, 2014 3:17 PM
    It's apparently been confirmed by multiple e-tailers listing the SKU # in their POS system as "GTX 980 4GB 256b" etc.

    To answer your second question I'll point you to Videocardz.com :

    Long story short, if NVIDIA didn’t rename 800 series to 900 series, we would have desktop 800 and mobile 900M series in relatively short time.

    "That said, NVIDIA has finally came to the conclusion that synchronizing desktop and mobile platform series is crucial to keeping things simple. So technically there are no desktop 800 series, unless of course NVIDIA decides to launch them as OEM exclusive."
    http://videocardz.com/51426/nvidia-to-skip-geforce-800-series-geforce-gtx-980-and-gtx-970-mid-september
  • 0 Hide
    CaptainTom , September 8, 2014 3:47 PM
    So yeah this gen is gonna be exactly what most of us assumed: Same performance, less power usage. However the 990 might be kick-ass!
  • 0 Hide
    CaptainTom , September 8, 2014 3:49 PM
    Quote:
    Are GPU's topping out like CPU's did a couple of years ago? Looks like if you bought an i7-2700K and a GTX 780 after the price cut you have gotten the most bang out of your buck then and for the foreseeable future.


    LOL or if you got a 7970 3 years ago and just overclocked to perform the same as the silly overpriced 780.
  • 0 Hide
    dragonsqrrl , September 8, 2014 3:55 PM
    Quote:
    Is it confirmed that Nvidia is skipping the 800 name for desktops? And if so, why?

    If true it wouldn't really surprise me, it's not the first time this has happened, and it fits with similar jumps in naming from Nvidia/AMD in the past. This was the case with the GTX 300m series (if you can even refer to it as a series), the HD 9000m series, and the current 800m series, which is largely Kepler based. These mobile-only 'generations' are basically meant to please the OEMs who expect a refreshed lineup annually, and sometimes GPU roadmaps and OEM expectations don't align, so stuff like this happens. I guess the skip on the desktop side keeps the architectures in equivalent mobile and desktop lineups relatively cohesive. So basically, if there's ever a time when a new architecture is on the horizon, and Nvidia or AMD announce a new mobile lineup based on the current gen architecture, giving it the expected next gen naming scheme, that's probably a good indication there's going to be a skip on the desktop side.
  • 1 Hide
    dragonsqrrl , September 8, 2014 4:04 PM
    Quote:
    Are GPU's topping out like CPU's did a couple of years ago?


    No. GPU (architectural) generations are lengthening though, so that might contribute to the sentiment.
  • 1 Hide
    dragonsqrrl , September 8, 2014 4:12 PM
    Quote:
    Tonga has got this when they implement it all away accross all models.
    Good luck nv


    Tonga is based off of Hawaii, they've already implemented it across most of their current lineup. What difference would patching up the few remaining holes make besides further obscuring their naming convention?
  • 0 Hide
    Chris Droste , September 8, 2014 4:19 PM
    to really steal the show the 980 needs to retail for less than a market-priced 290X w/3rd party cooling and at the minimum be in the 780Ti's performance envelope. if this debuts like that, nVidia would be the sales king of the holidays with AMD blowing out prices left and right to keep pace while it readies a high-end Tonga card. since the 285 came(yawn) my guess is the new high-end from AMD isn't coming til Q1 2015 at best.
  • 0 Hide
    The3monitors , September 8, 2014 4:20 PM
    Might get 1. Just for kicks
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