GTX 980 vs GTX 980 TI eGPU Benchmarks

[maarten]

Hello everyone,

 

I recently upgraded my eGPU setup from a GTX 980 to a GTX 980Ti. (Since the GTX 1070 wouldn't work on my setup, I kept getting error code 43).

These GPU's are both equivalent to a GTX 1060 and GTX 1070 respectively, so the results would probably be similar. I have been benchmarking both GPU's, and I thought I would share the results.

 

Both GPU's are overclocked as far as they will go:

• Asus Strix GTX 980: +160Mhz Core/ +800 Mhz VRAM
• EVGA SC+ GTX 980 Ti: +130Mhz Core / +400 Mhz VRAM

 

The system:

Macbook pro late 2013 with i7 4850HQ 2.3 Ghz CPU, 16GB RAM.

Akitio Thunder 2 + 450 Watt PSU.

 

Battlefield 1:

 

1440P High preset - Map: Giant's shadow:

• GTX 980: Avg: 47.3 - Min: 34 - Max: 62
• GTX 980Ti: Avg: 65 - Min: 46 - Max: 103

 

So we see about a 38% increase in performance on 1440P High preset. On paper, the 980Ti should be about 30% faster than the 980, so it seems that the CPU bottle-necking is not too bad.

The performance in Battlefield 1 really depends on which map you are playing. In some maps, the 980 TI can do 1440P Ultra at about 60fps average. In other maps, the average is more like 50fps.

In a normal setting, this GPU should get about 89 fps avg at 1440P Ultra. This means we are only seeing roughly 70% of the performance of a non-eGPU setup.

 

3D Mark TimeSpy:

 

GTX 980:

• Score: 4195
• Graphics score: 4322
• CPU score: 3598
• T1: 28.58 fps; T2: 24.48 fps; T3: 12.09 fps

 

GTX 980 Ti:

• Score: 5094
• Graphics score: 5495
• CPU score: 3605
• T1: 36.23 fps; T2: 31.20 fps; T3: 12.11 fps

 

So we see a 21.4% increase in the score, with a 27.1% increase in graphics score. So we see the CPU is actually holding the 980Ti back a little bit, but not too bad.

 

 

Overall, the results are not too bad. We see that we only get about 60% of the performance we should get in a "normal" gaming system. At the same time, putting a more powerful GPU in the system does yield comparatively better results. 

 

I am assuming the bottlenecking is happening at multiple levels: the CPU AND the Thunderbolt interface both are holding the system back a bit. But it is not a "hard wall" that we cannot improve by putting a more powerful GPU in there. 
 

 

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks!

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by maarten