GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design
Radeon Pro Vega 48
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon Pro Vega 48 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 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon Pro Vega 48 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon Pro Vega 48: 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
2017Why buy it
- ✅21.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs Unknown).
- ✅Radeon Pro Vega 48 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is the less risky modern option long term.
Trade-offs
- ❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 25.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
- ❌400% higher power demand at 150W vs 30W.
Radeon Pro Vega 48
2019Why buy it
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Draws 30W instead of 150W, a 120W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2019 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
Quick Answers
Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon Pro Vega 48 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.
Radeon Pro Vega 48
The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 19 2019. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1200 MHz to 1300 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,270 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design scores 11,566 and the Radeon Pro Vega 48 reaches 11,270 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 uses GCN 5.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 3,072 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Raw compute: 7.516 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 7.987 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1300 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 11,566+3% | 11,270 |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 5.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 14 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560 | 3072+20% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 7.516 TFLOPS | 7.987 TFLOPS+6% |
| Boost Clock | 1468 MHz+13% | 1300 MHz |
| ROPs | 64 | 64 |
| TMUs | 160 | 192+20% |
| L1 Cache | 960 KB+25% | 768 KB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 4 MB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 carries 0 MB. GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design gives you 100+% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and 128-bit on the Radeon Pro Vega 48. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 4 MB (Radeon Pro Vega 48) — the Radeon Pro Vega 48 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB | Shared System RAM |
| Memory Type | GDDR5X | GDDR6 |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+100% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 4 MB+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.1 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). 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 | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.1 | 12.1 |
| 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 VCE 4.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Pro Vega 48).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 4.0 | VCE 4.0 |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP6 | UVD 7.0 |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design draws 150W versus the Radeon Pro Vega 48's 30W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 1W (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Integrated. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W | 30W-80% |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 1W-100% |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | Integrated |
| Length | 0mm | 0mm |
| Height | 0mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 0 | 0 |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C-6% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 77.1 | 375.7+387% |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is Radeon Pro Vega 48 (2019 vs 2017).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | Radeon Pro Vega 48 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $450 |
| Codename | GP104 | Vega 10 |
| Release | June 27 2017 | March 19 2019 |
| Ranking | #257 | #241 |
Affiliate Disclosure
ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and Radeon Pro Vega 48
