GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB vs GTX 1080 Max-Q

Place in the ranking	212	168
Place by popularity	not in top-100	11
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	69.09
Power efficiency	12.21	17.41
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	GP104	GA106
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	27 June 2017 (7 years ago)	4 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$249

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	2560	2560
Core clock speed	1290 MHz	1552 MHz
Boost clock speed	1468 MHz	1777 MHz
Number of transistors	7,200 million	12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology	16 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	130 Watt
Texture fill rate	234.9	142.2
Floating-point processing power	7.516 TFLOPS	9.098 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	32
TMUs	160	80
Tensor Cores	no data	80
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	20

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x8
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 8-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1251 MHz	1750 MHz
Memory bandwidth	320.3 GB/s	224.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.4	6.6
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	6.1	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1080 Max-Q 26.56

RTX 3050 8 GB 32.82
+23.6%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1080 Max-Q 10207

RTX 3050 8 GB 12612
+23.6%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	100 −20%	120−130 +20%
1440p	65 −23.1%	80−85 +23.1%
4K	49 −22.4%	60−65 +22.4%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	2.08
1440p	no data	3.11
4K	no data	4.15

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	50−55 −20%	60−65 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	50−55 −20.4%	65−70 +20.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	74 −21.6%	90−95 +21.6%
Counter-Strike 2	50−55 −20%	60−65 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	28 −7.1%	30−33 +7.1%
Forza Horizon 4	171 −22.8%	210−220 +22.8%
Forza Horizon 5	70−75 −21.4%	85−90 +21.4%
Metro Exodus	84 −19%	100−105 +19%
Red Dead Redemption 2	55−60 −22.8%	70−75 +22.8%
Valorant	100−110 −22.6%	130−140 +22.6%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	106 −22.6%	130−140 +22.6%
Counter-Strike 2	50−55 −20%	60−65 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	23 −17.4%	27−30 +17.4%
Dota 2	98 −22.4%	120−130 +22.4%
Far Cry 5	68 −17.6%	80−85 +17.6%
Fortnite	134 −19.4%	160−170 +19.4%
Forza Horizon 4	132 −21.2%	160−170 +21.2%
Forza Horizon 5	70−75 −21.4%	85−90 +21.4%
Grand Theft Auto V	94 −17%	110−120 +17%
Metro Exodus	65 −23.1%	80−85 +23.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	116 −20.7%	140−150 +20.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	16 −12.5%	18−20 +12.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	85−90 −14.9%	100−105 +14.9%
Valorant	100 −20%	120−130 +20%
World of Tanks	260−270 −13.6%	300−310 +13.6%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	68 −17.6%	80−85 +17.6%
Counter-Strike 2	50−55 −20%	60−65 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	19 −10.5%	21−24 +10.5%
Dota 2	102 −17.6%	120−130 +17.6%
Far Cry 5	80−85 −18.8%	95−100 +18.8%
Forza Horizon 4	112 −16.1%	130−140 +16.1%
Forza Horizon 5	70−75 −21.4%	85−90 +21.4%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	87 −14.9%	100−105 +14.9%
Valorant	128 −17.2%	150−160 +17.2%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	61 −23%	75−80 +23%
Grand Theft Auto V	61 −23%	75−80 +23%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 −20%	210−220 +20%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 −20%	30−33 +20%
World of Tanks	170−180 −20.7%	210−220 +20.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	63 −19%	75−80 +19%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −17.4%	27−30 +17.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	12 −16.7%	14−16 +16.7%
Far Cry 5	75−80 −20.3%	95−100 +20.3%
Forza Horizon 4	81 −23.5%	100−105 +23.5%
Forza Horizon 5	40−45 −16.3%	50−55 +16.3%
Metro Exodus	67 −19.4%	80−85 +19.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	40−45 −12.5%	45−50 +12.5%
Valorant	97 −13.4%	110−120 +13.4%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −20%	24−27 +20%
Dota 2	64 −17.2%	75−80 +17.2%
Grand Theft Auto V	64 −17.2%	75−80 +17.2%
Metro Exodus	23 −17.4%	27−30 +17.4%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	103 −16.5%	120−130 +16.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	16−18 −23.5%	21−24 +23.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	64 −17.2%	75−80 +17.2%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	35 −14.3%	40−45 +14.3%
Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −20%	24−27 +20%
Cyberpunk 2077	9−10 −11.1%	10−11 +11.1%
Dota 2	45−50 −17%	55−60 +17%
Far Cry 5	35−40 −11.1%	40−45 +11.1%
Fortnite	42 −19%	50−55 +19%
Forza Horizon 4	46 −19.6%	55−60 +19.6%
Forza Horizon 5	21−24 −17.4%	27−30 +17.4%
Valorant	52 −15.4%	60−65 +15.4%

This is how GTX 1080 Max-Q and RTX 3050 8 GB compete in popular games:

RTX 3050 8 GB is 20% faster in 1080p
RTX 3050 8 GB is 23% faster in 1440p
RTX 3050 8 GB is 22% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	26.56	32.82
Recency	27 June 2017	4 January 2022
Chip lithography	16 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	130 Watt

RTX 3050 8 GB has a 23.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 15.4% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.