Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M
Categories

Nvidia's Maxwell graphics chips for laptops can beat some powerful gaming desktops

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 3 min

Computer gaming is about to take a big leap forward. Nvidia is launching its next-generation graphics chips for laptops today that the company claims are at about 75 percent of the performance of the fastest desktop graphics processing units (GPU)s.

The mobile graphics chips use the new Maxwell architecture that also serves as the foundation for Nvidia’s new desktop GPUs. The Maxwell-based mobile GPUs will be sold under the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M and 970M brand names. Maxwell chips can deliver twice the performance per watt of power consumed compared to the previous generation of chips. And if you’ve got a desktop gaming machine that is just a little bit old, chances are that the newest gaming laptops will beat it.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.