GTX 1080 Ti vs RTX 2080: Which should you buy. What is the difference between gtx and rtx

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GTX 1080 Ti vs RTX 2080: Which should you buy?

Comes with performance benchmark, value, and feature comparison.

After years of development, the new Turing Nvidia graphics cards are finally available: RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti. While the RTX 2080 Ti offers a distinct performance advantage over the last-gen Pascal’s best cards (plus tons of new features), the RTX 2080’s broadly similar performance to the GTX 1080 Ti makes it a less obvious choice. Given that the RTX 2080 is often cheaper than the top 10 series card, does it make sense to buy the GTX 1080 Ti? As always, the answer is complicated, but this article aims to provide you with the information you need to make a decision one way or another.

First of all, we’re going to take a look at the new features offered by the Turing architecture to see if any of them can make a difference to the game. For example, DLSS – deep learning super-sampling – can provide significant performance gains in supported titles, while real-time ray tracing, which gives the new RTX cards their name, can justify an additional premium for high-end RTX cards. There are other considerations as well, such as improved shader models, improved connectors, and better streaming capabilities that may justify a purchase for early adopters, content creators, or owners of ultra-high definition displays.

After this brief feature discussion, we’ll show you a performance comparison between the RTX 2080 and the GTX 1080 Ti, letting you see how these two cards swap positions between games. Most of our testing was done in 4K, where the difference between graphics cards is most pronounced and high-end cards make sense, but we’ll also have results in 1080p and 1440p along with some general trends to keep in mind.

We’ll conclude with a few pricing and availability considerations which will of course also have a significant impact on your purchasing decision (or lack thereof). It’s also worth noting that we’ve covered many of the issues in this article in more detail in our GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti review, so it’s worth checking if you’re still undecided when all is said and done, or if you just want to learn more about these new cards. Without further ado, let’s move on to the comparison!

Is Nvidia’s new Turing gear worth the price?

RTX 2080 vs GTX 1080 Ti: feature comparison

Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)

DLSS is one of the most exciting features of the new Turing architecture as it can dramatically increase FPS in games that support it – it can be a good way to compensate for real-time ray tracing performance degradation or to maximize the use of high refresh rate monitors. We’ve already created an in-depth discussion on DLSS, but essentially this new feature works by rendering a lower resolution image that is then scaled by an efficient deep learning algorithm that has been trained on tons of high resolution images from the game being played. This allows RTX equipment to deliver a final image that looks similar to a standard full-size image, using approximately 50 percent of the shading power.

From the benchmark below, you can see that enabling DLSS has the potential to provide significantly higher performance in supported games – although at the time of this writing there is little other than demo software to test functionality. In the Final Fantasy 15 test demo, the RTX 2080 score is almost 40 percent higher, and we see similar advantages for the RTX 2080 Ti. Combined with the significant difference in raw hardware performance between the two card generations, Final Fantasy 15 shows an 80 percent DLSS-enabled leap between the GTX 1080 and RTX 2080 – impressive stuff! However, while we are confident about the technology, we only used demo software to test it – we need more actual games to fully validate its testimonials. At the moment, the Final Fantasy 15 test test is the best way to go.

Note that both are high-end gaming graphics cards, so the price difference is a bit big as RTX offers some nice features that don’t have much use for now.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition

• Top performance for the price
• Quiet work
• Innovative cooling system
• Gorgeous cover design
• Lots of free software features

• It offers approximately one-third better gaming performance than the GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition it replaces.
• It works cool and quiet.
• Space for overclocking.
• Includes ray tracing and DLSS support for future games.

• No DLSS 3.0 (yet)
• Low overclocking reserve
• The gains in 1080p and 1440p are less impressive than in 4K

• Increased price compared to GTX 1080 Founders Edition.
• It’s hard to judge the value of ray tracing and DLSS until the games hit the market.
• The cooling design directs most of the air into the case, not outside.

If you’re a current (or aspiring) 4K gamer, Nvidia’s fierce, market-redefining graphics card is the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card from Nvidia is the only one worth considering.

The extremely powerful GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition graphics card is the basis for gaming at 4K resolution or at high refresh rates. Only its price and the lack of games that support ray tracing and DLSS make it not a big slam from the start.

With the launch of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition, which exploded both in our expectations and in our benchmarks, it’s time to see how the new 2020 GeForce flagship graphics card from Nvidia fares against the models it intends to benchmark: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, and hence, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super. While we already know exactly what to expect here, let’s check carefully how much more you get for your money with Nvidia’s new flagship compared to the former admiral.

RTX 3080 vs. RTX 2080: A Spec Showdown

We will base our comparison here on the Founders Edition versions of both cards. Along with the last two generations, the Founders editions were the closest to the official Nvidia reference card. (Third party card manufacturers have released and will release versions of both GPUs that differ slightly in base specs, external designs, port loading, and cooling schemes.)

In all respects, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition is expected to replace the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition, but that’s not all about this new Ampere-based card. Nvidia has claimed in its review materials that the RTX 3080 reportedly doubles the performance of the RTX 2080 for the same price, which is a monumental achievement, if true. As we’ll see a little later in our benchmarks, there are some caveats to this claim, but the RTX 3080 is a giant leap forward nonetheless.

For starters, it’s worth comparing the basic specifications.

You will notice that we actually have three cards in there, not two. While this article is primarily intended to compare the RTX 2080 Founders Edition to the RTX 3080 Founders Edition, it wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super. This card made its debut long after the original RTX 2080 in the summer of 2019 and showed some gradual performance improvements.

Pricing: A Shifting Field Over Two Years

The RTX 2080 Founders Edition was originally released for $ 799 when it launched in September 2018, which is $ 100 more than the RTX 3080 Founders Edition available today on launch. (That is, if you can avoid the bots and find one.) Prices today are different from what we were in 2018 thanks to a little thing called “Super”. This was a new move from Nvidia in 2019 with the previous generation “Turing” line of cards; the company began releasing enhanced versions of the “RTX Super” of its three key RTX cards, which improved their performance.

The Super phenomenon also affected relative prices within the RTX line; The RTX 2080 Super was launched for $ 699, $ 100 less than the non-Super model. Likewise, when the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super was released, it was below the MSRP of the original Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founders Edition. (Non-Super, the RTX 2070 was launched for $ 599, but the RTX 2070 Super was just $ 499, while increasing the card’s performance by about 15 percent.)

It turns out that this speed up was possible because the two cards weren’t even based on the same die. The RTX 2070 Super was probably just a “re-trained” or re-graded RTX 2080 in disguise. But it did set the standard for what customers should expect when they “switched to Super”: lower price and greater efficiency. It also sets out price expectations for Ampere.

Unfortunately, the RTX 2080 Super did not offer the same performance gain over the original RTX 2080 as the RTX 2070 Super over the original RTX 2070. But until the launch of the RTX 3080 it was the only option that could be found in the Nvidia recommended suggested retail price of $ 699. For lack of a better option, this makes the RTX 2080 Super a card that will most likely be appropriated by the RTX 3080 in the minds of buyers; The RTX 2080 was now deprecated by the RTX 2080 Super. So all the RTX 3080 Founders Edition has to do is beat the RTX 2080 Super, which is already a winner in our book!

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super is still on the shelves and technically is still $ 699, although it was reported that the GeForce RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2070 Super, and RTX 2080 Ti had been phased out since last month. This means any remaining inventory will be sold and the only vendors that will remain will be third party sellers or eBay (where you can already find the RTX 2080 Super card for a Buy It Now price of $ 525 if you’re really looking for enough).

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What Is RTX (RTX vs GTX)

RTX first appeared in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards launched in 2018. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series is the successor to the GeForce GTX 10 series. Compared to the GTX 10 series, the GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards are based on the Turing architecture and support Ray Tracing.

At this time, some might think that RTX is replacing the GTX. But in 2019, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 16 series, also based on the Turing architecture, was released. Take a look at the figure below, which shows the technological features of the RTX 20, GTX 16 and GTX 10 series:

You can see from this photo that GTX cards can be divided into two types: one is based on the Turing architecture and the other is still based on the Pascal architecture. The only difference between GTX and RTX is Ray Tracing technology.

Ray Tracing technology itself is not new, but due to the enormous amount of computation, a traditional computer often takes hours or even days to render a frame. However, NVIDIA RTX graphics cards based on the Turing architecture introduce RT Cores, dedicated ray tracing hardware that can transmit up to 10 gigarays per second.

This hardware makes ray tracing performance six times faster than the previous generation graphics card, allowing real-time lighting like a movie in games. In addition, RTX graphics cards are also the first to offer Tensor cores that are capable of providing over 100 teraflops of AI processing to accelerate gaming performance with NVIDIA DLSS.

Then let’s take a look at the photos below. The first is the frame when RTX is off and the second is the frame when RTX is on.

If you want to see more frames or videos about RTX vs GTX comparison, you can visit the official NVIDIA websites.

Five security vulnerabilities were found in the Nvidia drivers for Windows. Nvidia urges Windows users to update GeForce, NVS, Quadro and Tesla drivers now.

After seeing RTX vs GTX, now we can answer some RTX vs GTX questions that are frequently asked by most users.

RTX vs GTX FAQ

Overall, RTX cards perform better than GTX cards, comparing RTX 2080 with GTX 1080, RTX 2070 with GTX 1070, and RTX 2060 with GTX 1060.

GTX is one of the series of NVIDIA graphics cards that represents the high-end graphics cards on the market.

RTX is also one of a series of NVIDIA graphics cards that uses the Turing architecture and Ray Tracing technology. Overall, RTX cards are better than GTX cards.

In terms of performance, the RTX 2060 is between 1070 and 1070ti. Apparently, its performance is not as good as the GTX 1080. But in terms of architecture and development, the future RTX 2060 outlook will be better than the GTX 1080.

The Turing architecture has 1.4 times better energy efficiency compared to the previous ones. Generally speaking, cards with this architecture are quieter and cooler.

What Are RT Cores?

As mentioned above, RT cores, short for ray tracing cores, are GPU cores designed exclusively for real-time ray tracing.

What ray tracing does in video game graphics is it allows for much more realistic lighting and reflections. As the name suggests, this is achieved by tracing the paths of virtual light rays, which allows the GPU to perform a much more realistic simulation of the interaction of light with its surroundings.

Ray tracing is still possible even on GPUs without RT cores, but in this case the performance is downright dire, even on older flagship GPUs like the GTX 1080 Ti.

And speaking of performance, real-time ray tracing offers a really big performance penalty, even when used with RTX GPUs, which inevitably leads to the question – is ray tracing even worth it?

As of April 2020, just over twenty ray-traced titles are available, with only a few being new AAA games.

Despite ray tracing being the most popular feature of the RTX 20-series GPUs, the Turing architecture also introduced another important new feature to the mainstream GeForce lineup – enhanced deep learning capabilities made possible by specialized tensor cores.

These cores were originally introduced in 2017 in the Nvidia Volta GPUs, but no gaming GPUs were based on this architecture. The Tensor cores present in Turing GPUs are actually second-generation Tensor cores.

Now when it comes to games, deep learning currently has one major use: Super Sampling Deep Learning or DLSS for short, which is a completely new method of anti-aliasing.

How exactly does DLSS work, and is it better than conventional anti-aliasing methods?

What DLSS does is use deep learning models to generate detail and scale the image to a higher resolution, making it sharper and reducing aliasing in the process. The aforementioned deep learning models are built on Nvidia supercomputers and then executed by your GPU’s Tensor cores.

That said, DLSS provides a clearer image, but is also less hardware-intensive than most other anti-aliasing methods. Moreover, it can also noticeably improve performance when ray tracing is on, which is a good thing considering how much ray tracing can be with a performance puncture.

Overall, the RTX designation was introduced by Nvidia mainly for marketing purposes, making their Turing 20-series GPUs look like a bigger upgrade than they really are.

Granted, they bring in two major new features that will be crucial in the years to come, but when it comes to raw performance, they don’t overtake the older Pascal-based GPUs that had similar prices.

With all that in mind, we wouldn’t say RTX GPUs are worth buying just for ray tracing and DLSS, and dollar performance should always come first, especially if you want the best value for your money.

In this article, we covered both series GPUs in more detail, focusing on the differences in specs and the similarities such as price, ray tracing, and architecture. While the two GPU models are seemingly similar, they have some notable differences.

GTX vs RTX – The Right GPU for You

For those into building PCs, the debate between GTX and RTX is quite real. Sometimes choosing a card from the NVIDIA graphics card lineup becomes a bit confusing. Choosing the right graphics is crucial as it has a direct impact on the appearance of the game.

In this article, we compare the NVIDIA GeForce GTX and RTX series so you can choose the right one for you.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX vs RTX Series

What is RTX?

When it comes to choosing gaming graphics cards, NVIDIA is the best choice for many. Now NVIDIA has a dedicated gaming line called NVIDIA GeForce. GeForce itself has two different series called GTX and RTX.

The RTX is new to the GTX series and includes many modern technologies and features.

The RTX series is equipped with Ray Tracing Cores and Tensor Cores. It enables real-time ray tracing thanks to the RTX series, which gives you a surreal gaming experience.

RTX series graphics cards are the first to use ray tracing cores and have dedicated ray tracing hardware. This ultimately means that you get movie-like lighting effects in the game, as well as in real time.

The RTX series is also the first with Tensor cores. These cores provide excellent artificial intelligence capabilities. NVIDIA says Tensor cores can provide over 100 teraflops of AI processing. This can dramatically improve gaming performance when paired with NVIDIA DLSS.

Basic Differences: NVIDIA GeForce GTX vs RTX

Some of the key differences between NVIDIA GeForce GTX and NVIDIA’s own RTX are:

Architecture

Surprisingly, the architecture of both the GTX and RTX series makes very little difference. The newer models of the GTX and RTX series use the Turing architecture. This is the best architecture so far.

The Turing architecture has 1.4 times better energy efficiency compared to the previous ones. Generally speaking, cards with this architecture are quieter and cooler.

The RTX series obviously has better cores and better clock performance, but that is by design. GTX cards based on the Turing architecture are also pretty good. Only the older GTX cards that use the previous architecture have poor performance compared to the new ones.

RT Cores and Tensor Cores

Ray Tracing and RT Cores

RT Cores stands for Ray Tracing Cores. These cores are the main differentiating factor between the RTX and GTX series. Ray tracing provides more realistic lighting and reflections in games.

While you can play ray-traced games, using it just takes your game to the next level.

It’s still possible to perform ray tracing without RT cores, but you lose performance hugely. With the RTX series featuring dedicated ray tracing hardware, performance is taking the next level.

The RTX series does not slow down the gameplay in terms of ray tracing. In fact, it’s 6 times faster than any other GPU.

Ray tracing cores enable real-time ray tracing, making the game look surreal. Even if you’re not using ray tracing, RT Cores will definitely increase graphics performance.

Now, the only big question to ask is: is ray tracing worth it? Well, according to the 2020 data, there are just over 20 games that come with ray tracing, and only a few of them are new AAA titles. So it’s not that big of a deal right now, but yes, of course it’s good to have one.

Surprisingly, the architecture of both the GTX and RTX series makes very little difference. The newer models of the GTX and RTX series use the Turing architecture. This is the best architecture so far.

Price

The first difference between the two GPUs is the price. The RTX series are newer models compared to the GTX series. That being said, they tend to be more expensive. They are usually several hundred dollars more expensive depending on the model chosen.

The price increase is understandable considering that they are newer and have additional features. However, in many cases, their performance does not differ significantly. While the RTX series provides better graphics, the two series aren’t that different.

When discussing the price, it’s worth noting that both of these GPU series are high-end. That being said, they’re more expensive than entry-level GPUs. However, the price is reflected in better specs.

Architecture

The architecture of the GPU is important and this includes how well the GPU will perform in the game. It covers things like clock speed, performance, and the overall look of the graphics.

When it comes to the architecture of the RTX and GTX series, the difference is surprisingly small. When looking at newer models, both use the Nvidia Turing architecture. This is made specifically for the newer Nvidia series and is the best architecture available at the moment.

Nvidia Turing provides significantly better performance compared to older Nvidia GPUs. It is generally quieter and cooler. It has 1.4x better energy efficiency compared to previous models and the supplied graphics are especially great.

While most GTX cards use the Nvidia Turing architecture, the older series like the 1060 uses Nvidia Pascal. While this architecture is good, it does not provide as good performance compared to the RTX series.

Overall, the RTX models have better cores and clock performance, allowing for better in-game performance than the GTX series. They also have Nvidia DLSS and ray tracing cores, which GTX does not.

What GPUs Should I Buy? We’ve selected the best graphics cards available, updated with the latest graphics cards at the time of their release. Besides the overall performance champion, we replace the best value graphics card and the best cheap graphics card to guide your next upgrade.

Popular workloads for Nvidia GPUs

Nvidia GPUs remain a popular choice among professionals and gamers alike.

While AMD has also started to develop its game and has some attractive offerings on its side, Nvidia’s RTX lineup remains hard to beat when it comes to cutting-edge ray tracing performance.

3D Modeling and Animation

Rendering times in professional 3D modeling and animation packages such as 3DS Max, Maya, Cinema 4D and Blender are greatly improved with the RTX card.

Since the lighting algorithms used by most of the rendering engines in the market today are based on ray tracing (or variants), adding hardware with ray tracing features built in provides a huge boost.

The difference is especially noticeable when working with animation, as reducing the rendering time of a single frame by more than 50% can affect the rendering of entire movies.

Interior and Architectural Design

Likewise, RTX cards can greatly enhance architectural visualizations.

While geometry and layout are obviously the main topics here, lighting also plays an important role in conveying the right message.

Being able to preview changes in lighting faster and more accurately can greatly improve the work of professionals in the field and make it easier to work with packages such as ArchiCAD and SketchUp.

Video Editing

Modern video editing software like Premiere Pro and Davinci Resolve usually uses hardware acceleration.

This means exporting videos works much faster with an RTX card than with the older GTX card.

This, of course, depends on the type of compression and other settings used in the project.

There are some configurations where hardware acceleration won’t matter much.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is a very popular field in the last decade, closely related to powerful video hardware.

Algorithms used in modern machine learning can take advantage of some of the computing power of modern GPUs, mainly in relation to parallel operations and floating point computing.

Some machine learning platforms may also use Nvidia’s CUDA, a platform available on modern high-end GPUs.

Cryptocurrency Mining

Some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin also use GPU for mining.

This has been a controversial topic in recent years as cryptocurrency miners have been reported to have been a major contributor to the global GPU shortage.

For this reason, many modern cryptocurrencies are trying to move away from GPU mining.

However, Bitcoin remains the most popular currency in this market, which means the popularity of GPU miners is unlikely to decline any time soon.

Gaming

Gamers are also the main recipients of RTX cards.

However, it is debatable how much a player can benefit from an RTX GPU investment now, as few games on the market yet support ray tracing.

And the ones that usually use it for things like slightly more realistic sunlight and reflections.

Aside from a few rare instances of games that use 100% ray-traced lighting, it’s mostly a gimmick these days.

Buying Nvidia GPUs during Chip Shortages

Purchasing a new Nvidia GPU can be very difficult at times due to global chip shortages. Depending on the stores and availability in your country, this could become a serious problem.

Such situations are the result of several factors:

• Global events that affect the production capacity of major chip manufacturers
• Scalpers take out the available stocks of newly released GPUs
• Cryptocurrency miners trying to buy as much as possible for themselves

Reports indicate that such situations may continue for several years until the pace of production increases.

In such situations, RTX cards cost up to 50% more than their original launch price.

In some markets, some models cost up to 100% more.

Some have circumvented the shortages by purchasing pre-built PCs, preserving the GPU, and selling the rest of the parts.

Due to the way pre-built PC prices operate in some markets, this can actually be a lucrative endeavor.

However, it is short-lived at best.

For those of you who are having trouble finding GPUs in stock, we have compiled a list of stores in various countries where you may be able to buy one of them.

Is an RTX card strictly required for real-time ray tracing?

For most modern apps and games, yes.

There are a few GTX cards that have acquired some features from the RTX lineup after the latter was launched, but this is usually limited to the top end of the line, and even then the range of features is quite limited compared to what the RTX card of the box offers.

The performance will be significantly degraded compared to the RTX card.

Is it a good idea to buy an RTX card right now?

Unless you specifically need an RTX card for a specific purpose, it’s probably best to wait a few months and see how things develop around the current scarcity.

It is possible that major bottlenecks will be unlocked after a short time, but it is also possible that prices will continue to rise for the foreseeable future.

Are new RTX cards coming out soon?

Given the recent launch of the 30 Series and the current global manufacturing situation, it is highly unlikely that we will see any important new items on this line soon.

At best, it’s possible that Nvidia will decide to release additional budget models, but users shouldn’t expect anything else.

Is GTX or RTX a faster GPU?

RTX GPUs are faster around the world.

The only exception may be the recently released RTX 3060, which is considered the budget item of the new line and has a performance almost identical to the GTX 1080.

Plus, the upgrade to the 3070 already provides a huge performance boost over anything else available on the GTX line.