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GeForce GTX 980 (Reference design)

Reference design · 4 GB · catalogue identifier gtx-980-ref · last updated 2026-09-24

82 desktops in this database carry a verdict for the GeForce GTX 980 (Reference design): 47 do not fit (all estimates) and 35 are unverified. Estimated Of the 47 desktops it does not fit, 31 conflict with a half-height-only slot and 28 with the desktop's maximum card length; the Dell OptiPlex 3090 Small Form Factor (2021) is one of the 31. Estimated Among the 27 cards with 4 GB in this database, its board power of 165 W is within 40–290 W, with 21 lower and 5 higher; its length of 267 mm compares with 145–275 mm where published. Estimated No listed model fits in its 4 GB at 32k context; the smallest, Gemma 3 4B, needs 4.7 GiB. Estimated

Published specifications for this design, the OEM desktops whose own specifications accept it, and how much of a local language model its memory holds.

We have not physically tested this combination. Data is compiled from official specification sheets and cited sources.

“Reference design” is a specification, not a product. The figures below are the ones the chip vendor publishes for a baseline board: board power, auxiliary power connector and recommended system power. Cards sold by board partners are built to their own designs and differ in length, height and cooler. This database does not claim that a card built to this exact design was sold at retail, and where the chip vendor does not publish a dimension, the row below says so.

Specifications

Graphics processor
GeForce GTX 980
Card memory
4 GB · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Total board power
165 W · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Vendor's recommended system power
500 W — a figure for the whole system, not for the card alone · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Auxiliary power connector
6pin x2 · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Length
267 mm · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Height
Not stated by the cited specification
Width
Not stated by the cited specification
Slot widths occupied
2 · D read 2026-09-19 [S1]
Low profile
No · E Source for this figure not recorded per field; see record sources
CUDA
Yes

Each graded figure above cites: [S1] GeForce GTX 980 specifications (supporting source).

Power. Leave headroom; OEM PSUs are often rated at the limit. The recommended system figure above is the card vendor's own, and it assumes a retail supply rather than an OEM one.

Desktops that take a card of this design

No desktop in this database carries a fitting verdict for this card. It was assessed against 82 of them. Its published figures are inside the range that other cards clear here, so the conflict is with particular machines rather than with every one of them; each desktop's own page says what its specifications record.

This card has been assessed against 82 desktops in this database. Each verdict is a statement about published specifications, not about a tested combination.

  • ✓ Fits: 0
  • △ Fits with conditions: 0
  • ✕ Does not fit: 47 (all estimates) Estimated
  • ? Unverified: 35

✕ Does not fit 47 desktops, grouped by the published limit that conflicts with this card's published figures:

? Unverified 35 desktops. The evidence does not settle these either way, which is not the same as them being ruled out.

Verify with the manufacturer before purchasing.

What each verdict means. Every one of them is a statement about published specifications.
VerdictMeaning
✓ Fits Published specifications show no physical or electrical conflict.
△ Fits with conditions Published specifications allow it only under the stated conditions.
✕ Does not fit Published specifications rule the combination out: the card needs a connector the machine does not have, draws more than the supply provides, or is physically too large. It is a statement about specifications, not a report of a failed attempt.
? Unverified There is not enough evidence to say.

A dashed Estimated badge at the start of a line marks every verdict on that line as published as an estimate, and the grade beside it applies to each of them. The document behind each verdict, and the desktop's own figures, are listed on the desktop's own page. This card has a verdict for 82 of the 82 desktops in this database; the remaining 0 have not been assessed against it, which is not the same as them being ruled out.

Local language models this card's memory holds

Arithmetic shared by the models below. Sentences that read the same for more than one model are stated once here; each row names the ones it carries by number.

  1. This outcome is no stronger than the figures it was calculated from: this card's memory size and the size of the model file that is distributed are recorded here from third-party or community material, so grade D is shown alongside B. (2 rows)
Calculated from the published file size and the model architecture.
ModelOutcome Needs at 32k contextThe arithmetic Confidence
Qwen3 4B Q4_K_M △ Fits at short context only Estimated 7.9 GiB 4 GB of memory covers the 3.9 GB required at a context length of 4,096 tokens, but not the 7.9 GB required at 32,768 tokens. This outcome is no stronger than the figures it was calculated from: this card's memory size is recorded here from third-party or community material, so grade D is shown alongside B. BD
Qwen3 1.7B Q4_K_M △ Fits at short context only Estimated 5.6 GiB 4 GB of memory covers the 2.5 GB required at a context length of 4,096 tokens, but not the 5.6 GB required at 32,768 tokens. [1] BD
Qwen3 0.6B Q4_K_M △ Fits at short context only Estimated 4.9 GiB 4 GB of memory covers the 1.9 GB required at a context length of 4,096 tokens, but not the 4.9 GB required at 32,768 tokens. [1] BD

✕ Exceeds VRAM 15 models need more memory at 32k context than this card has, 15 of them published as an estimate. The arithmetic for each is on the model's own page.

Exceeds VRAM does not mean the model will not run: inference software can keep part of a model in system memory. How fast that is, and whether it is pleasant to use, is outside what this site measures. The sizing rule and its constants are on the Methodology page.

Cards whose published memory size is the same, so the local-model outcomes on this page apply to them as well. Whether a given desktop accepts them is a separate question, answered on each card's own page.

Sources

Every document this page draws on, with the date it was read.
DocumentPublisherKindRead on
GeForce GTX 980 specifications (supporting source) technical.city near-primary 2026-09-19
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 — CpuTronic cputronic.com supporting 2026-09-19

We have not physically tested this combination. Data is compiled from official specification sheets and cited sources. Verify with the manufacturer before purchasing.