GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 5600

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design

2017Core: 1290 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
GTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5600

2020Core: 1035 MHzBoost: 1265 MHz
RX family
·······

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 5600 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 RX 5600 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 Radeon RX 5600: 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

  • 26.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon RX 5600

2020

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base 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 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5600 instead at 11,753 vs 11,566, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 5600 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 16nm, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2017. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 5600 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 5600 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 5600

The Radeon RX 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1035 MHz to 1265 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,753 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design scores 11,566 and the Radeon RX 5600 reaches 11,753 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 5600 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 5600). Raw compute: 7.516 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 5.829 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5600). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1265 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
G3D Mark Score
11,566
11,753+2%
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560+11%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
7.516 TFLOPS+29%
5.829 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1468 MHz+16%
1265 MHz
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
160+11%
144
L2 Cache
2 MB
3 MB+50%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5600 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 5600 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
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 RX 5600 carries 6 GB. GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 5600) — a 12.5% advantage for the Radeon RX 5600. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and 192-bit on the Radeon RX 5600. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 3 MB (Radeon RX 5600) — the Radeon RX 5600 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+33%
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5X
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
256 GB/s
288 GB/s+13%
Bus Width
256-bit+33%
192-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
3 MB+50%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5600). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
DirectX
12.1
12.1
Vulkan
1.1
1.2+9%
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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5600). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5600).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
Encoder
NVENC 4.0
VCN 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
VCN 2.0
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 RX 5600's 150W — a 0% difference. The Radeon RX 5600 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 500W (Radeon RX 5600). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 241mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
TDP
150W
150W
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
241mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
77.1
78.4+2%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 5600 (2020 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 5600
MSRP
$229
Codename
GP104
Navi 10
Release
June 27 2017
July 7 2020
Ranking
#257
#295

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