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 with Max-Q Design 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 with Max-Q Design 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 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.

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.
❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅54.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown 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

❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

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 54.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 75.6% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 11,566), 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 2017. 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1290 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,566 points.

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 with Max-Q Design scores 11,566 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 75.6%. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design 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 with Max-Q Design) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 7.516 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	11,566	20,312+76%
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	4864+90%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.516 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+116%
Boost Clock	1468 MHz	1665 MHz+13%
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 with Max-Q Design is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	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: 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 75% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) 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 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s	448 GB/s+75%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 4.0	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design draws 150W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	150W-25%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W-17%	600W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	8-pin
Length	0mm	242mm
Height	0mm	112mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75-6%
Perf/Watt	77.1	101.6+32%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2017).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP	—	$399
Codename	GP104	GA104
Release	June 27 2017	December 1 2020
Ranking	#257	#73

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