GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs RTX 500 Ada Generat...

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 RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile 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 RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile: 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

✅3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌328.6% higher power demand at 150W vs 35W.

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

2024

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025).
✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 35W instead of 150W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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 3.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.6% in PassMark G3D (11,566 vs 11,162), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with DLSS 4 Super Resolution (2025) and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (2025), while GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 16nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2017. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile 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.

RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile

The RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 26 2024. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 2025 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,162 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design scores 11,566 and the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile reaches 11,162 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile uses Ada Lovelace, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 2,048 (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Raw compute: 7.516 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 8.294 TFLOPS (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 2025 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
G3D Mark Score	11,566+4%	11,162
Architecture	Pascal	Ada Lovelace
Process Node	16 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2560+25%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.516 TFLOPS	8.294 TFLOPS+10%
Boost Clock	1468 MHz	2025 MHz+38%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+150%	64
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	2 MB+113%
L2 Cache	2 MB	12 MB+500%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is support for DLSS 4 Multi 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 RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile supports the newer DLSS 4 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 4 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	Yes (DLSS 4)
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 128 GB/s (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and 64-bit on the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 MB (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile) — the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s+100%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	12 MB+500%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 (12_2) (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
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 8th Gen NVENC (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9 (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
Encoder	NVENC 4.0	8th Gen NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design draws 150W versus the RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile's 35W — a 124.3% difference. The RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 500W (RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design	RTX 500 Ada Generation Mobile
TDP	150W	35W-77%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	77.1	318.9+314%