G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)

2016

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 46.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 46.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)

2016

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 46.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 46.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) better than GeForce RTX 3060 8GB?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 15,614 vs 15,208 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce RTX 3060 8GB is a 2022 model from an older generation with DLSS Super Resolution. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2016, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 2.7% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3060 8GB really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce RTX 3060 8GB make more sense than GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 8GB is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to $329 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel). The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) currently gives you 2.7% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3060 8GB still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
1080p
low	156 FPS	183 FPS
medium	138 FPS	163 FPS
high	122 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	154 FPS
medium	106 FPS	127 FPS
high	94 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	73 FPS
medium	65 FPS	63 FPS
high	52 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	35 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
1080p
low	325 FPS	350 FPS
medium	271 FPS	298 FPS
high	203 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	164 FPS	185 FPS
1440p
low	205 FPS	214 FPS
medium	171 FPS	182 FPS
high	137 FPS	149 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	106 FPS	104 FPS
medium	86 FPS	85 FPS
high	71 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
1080p
low	703 FPS	684 FPS
medium	562 FPS	547 FPS
high	468 FPS	456 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	342 FPS
1440p
low	527 FPS	513 FPS
medium	422 FPS	411 FPS
high	351 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	257 FPS
4K
low	351 FPS	342 FPS
medium	281 FPS	274 FPS
high	234 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	171 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
1080p
low	446 FPS	545 FPS
medium	386 FPS	478 FPS
high	319 FPS	402 FPS
ultra	271 FPS	333 FPS
1440p
low	364 FPS	434 FPS
medium	311 FPS	382 FPS
high	234 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	248 FPS
4K
low	201 FPS	285 FPS
medium	170 FPS	268 FPS
high	148 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	171 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) and GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)

The GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 15 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1771 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,614 points. Launch price was $499.99.

GeForce RTX 3060 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3060 8GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,208 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) scores 15,614 and the GeForce RTX 3060 8GB reaches 15,208 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 3060 8GB uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB). Raw compute: 9.068 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB). Boost clocks: 1771 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
G3D Mark Score	15,614+3%	15,208
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	3584+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.068 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+40%
Boost Clock	1771 MHz	1777 MHz
ROPs	64+33%	48
TMUs	160+43%	112
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	3.5 MB+272%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 8GB supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 240 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel). Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB) — the GeForce RTX 3060 8GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+33%	240 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
DirectX	12.0	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	1	4+300%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5.0 (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
Encoder	NVENC 5.0	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP8	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) draws 150W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 8GB's 170W — a 12.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 3060 8GB). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3060 8GB
TDP	150W-12%	170W
Recommended PSU	650W	550W-15%
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	8-pin
Length	0mm	242mm
Height	0mm	112mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	104.1+16%	89.5