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 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti: 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 3060 Ti 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.
❌
50.1% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.1 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅34.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 95.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 26.1 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 34.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 30.1% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 15,609), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 8nm process instead of 16nm, 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $200 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 95.4% (50.9 vs 26.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1080 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

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

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.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1080 scores 15,609 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 30.1%. The GeForce GTX 1080 is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	15,609	20,312+30%
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	4864+90%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+83%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+4%	1665 MHz
ROPs	64	80+25%
TMUs	160+5%	152
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	4.8 MB+411%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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 3060 Ti) — a 40% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
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 (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd gen vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 6th gen	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd gen	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 draws 180W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 10.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1080 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	180W-10%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W-17%	600W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	75
Perf/Watt	86.7	101.6+17%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1080 came in at $599, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti was 33.4% cheaper ($200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 95% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2016).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP	$599	$399-33%
Performance per Dollar	26.1	50.9+95%
Codename	GP104	GA104
Release	May 27 2016	December 1 2020
Ranking	#137	#73

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