GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design vs RTX A2000 12GB

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

2020Core: 735 MHzBoost: 1080 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

RTX A2000 12GB

2021Core: 562 MHzBoost: 1200 MHz

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design vs RTX A2000 12GB 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 RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design vs RTX A2000 12GB 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 RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design vs RTX A2000 12GB: 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 RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

  • 12.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • RTX A2000 12GB is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 30.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $449 MSRP).

RTX A2000 12GB

2021

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward RTX A2000 12GB instead at 13,721 vs 13,513, 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?
RTX A2000 12GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 12nm and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2020. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
RTX A2000 12GB makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design vs RTX A2000 12GB Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 2 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1080 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,513 points.

NVIDIA

RTX A2000 12GB

The RTX A2000 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 23 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 562 MHz to 1200 MHz. It has 3328 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 26 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,721 points. Launch price was $449.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design scores 13,513 and the RTX A2000 12GB reaches 13,721 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is built on Turing while the RTX A2000 12GB uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 3,328 (RTX A2000 12GB). Raw compute: 6.636 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 7.987 TFLOPS (RTX A2000 12GB). Boost clocks: 1080 MHz vs 1200 MHz. Ray tracing: 48 RT cores (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 26 (RTX A2000 12GB) with 384 Tensor cores vs 104.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
G3D Mark Score
13,513
13,721+2%
Architecture
Turing
Ampere
Process Node
12 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
3072
3328+8%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.636 TFLOPS
7.987 TFLOPS+20%
Boost Clock
1080 MHz
1200 MHz+11%
ROPs
64+33%
48
TMUs
192+85%
104
L1 Cache
3 MB
3.3 MB+10%
L2 Cache
4 MB+33%
3 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
48+85%
26
Tensor Cores
384+269%
104

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A2000 12GB supports the newer Upscaling support, whereas the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
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 GDDR6. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design and 128-bit on the RTX A2000 12GB. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 3 MB (RTX A2000 12GB) — the GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+33%
3 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 12.2 (RTX A2000 12GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
DirectX
12.2
12.2
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 7th Gen NVENC (RTX A2000 12GB). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (RTX A2000 12GB).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
Encoder
7th Gen NVENC
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
5th Gen NVDEC
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the RTX A2000 12GB's 70W — a 13.3% difference. The RTX A2000 12GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q Design) vs 500W (RTX A2000 12GB). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 167mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
TDP
80W
70W-13%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
167mm
Height
0mm
68mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
75°C-6%
Perf/Watt
168.9
196.0+16%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is RTX A2000 12GB (2021 vs 2020).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q DesignRTX A2000 12GB
MSRP
$449
Codename
TU104
GA106
Release
April 2 2020
November 23 2021
Ranking
#184
#177

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