GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 2070

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1080

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2070

2018Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1620 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 2070 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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.

GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 2070 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 2070: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 1080

2016

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

GeForce RTX 2070

2018

Why buy it

  • 9.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • GeForce GTX 1080 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce RTX 2070 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 2070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (16,068 vs 15,609), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 2070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 16nm, 36 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $599 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2.9% (26.8 vs 26.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 2070 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1080

The GeForce GTX 1080 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,609 points. Launch price was $599.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2070

The GeForce RTX 2070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 17 2018. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1620 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,068 points. Launch price was $499.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 scores 15,609 and the GeForce RTX 2070 reaches 16,068 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 2070 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 2070). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 7.465 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2070). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1620 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
G3D Mark Score
15,609
16,068+3%
Architecture
Pascal
Turing
Process Node
16 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2560+11%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+19%
7.465 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+7%
1620 MHz
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
160+11%
144
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
2.3 MB+145%
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
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 ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2070) — a 40% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2070. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2070. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2070) — the GeForce RTX 2070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5X
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
320 GB/s
448 GB/s+40%
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 12.1 (GeForce RTX 2070). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
DirectX
12.1
12.1
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th gen (GeForce GTX 1080) vs NVENC 6.0 (GeForce RTX 2070). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd gen vs PureVideo HD VP9. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2070).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
Encoder
NVENC 6th gen
NVENC 6.0
Decoder
NVDEC 3rd gen
PureVideo HD VP9
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 draws 180W versus the GeForce RTX 2070's 175W — a 2.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 2070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 2070). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
TDP
180W
175W-3%
Recommended PSU
500W-9%
550W
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
267mm
267mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
86.7
91.8+6%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1080 came in at $599, while the GeForce RTX 2070 launched at $599. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 26.8 (GeForce RTX 2070) — the GeForce RTX 2070 offers 2.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2070 (2018 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080GeForce RTX 2070
MSRP
$599
$599
Performance per Dollar
26.1
26.8+3%
Codename
GP104
TU106
Release
May 27 2016
October 17 2018
Ranking
#137
#129

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