RTX 4090 vs RTX 2080 Max-Q

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Combined performance score

RTX 2080 Max-Q
35.85

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 179% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking1271
Place by popularitynot in top-1007
Value for money22.7610.69
ArchitectureTuring (2018−2021)Ada Lovelace
GPU code nameN18E-G3-A1 MAX-Q TU104AD102-300-A1
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date6 January 2019 (5 years old)20 September 2022 (1 year old)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$1,599
Current price$1268 $1756 (1.1x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 2080 Max-Q has 113% better value for money than RTX 4090.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores294416384
Core clock speed735-990 MHz2235 MHz
Boost clock speed1095-1230 MHz2520 MHz
Number of transistors13,600 million76,300 million
Manufacturing process technology12 nm5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)80-90 Watt450 Watt
Texture fill rate201.51,290

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q and GeForce RTX 4090 compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop sizelargeno data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Lengthno data304 mm
Widthno data3-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 16-pin

Memory

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 typeGDDR6GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount8 GB24 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed12000 MHz21000 MHz
Memory bandwidth384.0 GB/s1,008 GB/s
Shared memory--

Video outputs and ports

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 ConnectorsNo outputs1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMIno data+
G-SYNC support+no data

Technologies

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

VR Ready+no data

API support

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

DirectX12 Ultimate (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.56.6
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.23.0
Vulkan1.2.1311.3
CUDA7.58.9

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance 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.

RTX 2080 Max-Q 35.85
RTX 4090 100.00
+179%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 179% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 13894
RTX 4090 38753
+179%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 179% in Passmark.

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 51930
RTX 4090 137170
+164%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 164% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 27973
RTX 4090 104937
+275%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 275% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 20703
RTX 4090 73174
+253%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 253% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 117764
RTX 4090 250667
+113%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 113% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 8%

RTX 2080 Max-Q 425550
RTX 4090 771257
+81.2%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 2080 Max-Q by 81% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU.

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 HD117
−126%
265
+126%
1440p82
−159%
212
+159%
4K51
−194%
150
+194%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 60−65
−263%
225
+263%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 81
−190%
235
+190%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 60−65
−356%
287
+356%
Battlefield 5 137
−40.9%
190−200
+40.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 127
−40.2%
170−180
+40.2%
Cyberpunk 2077 60−65
−258%
222
+258%
Far Cry 5 105
−99%
209
+99%
Far Cry New Dawn 95
−87.4%
178
+87.4%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
−178%
300−350
+178%
Hitman 3 110−120
−93.8%
210−220
+93.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
−257%
275
+257%
Red Dead Redemption 2 103
−77.7%
180−190
+77.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 102
−188%
294
+188%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
−181%
188
+181%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 72
−207%
221
+207%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 60−65
−294%
248
+294%
Battlefield 5 126
−53.2%
190−200
+53.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 98
−81.6%
170−180
+81.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 60−65
−245%
214
+245%
Far Cry 5 97
−107%
201
+107%
Far Cry New Dawn 91
−87.9%
171
+87.9%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
−178%
300−350
+178%
Hitman 3 110−120
−93.8%
210−220
+93.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
−225%
250
+225%
Metro Exodus 74
−205%
226
+205%
Red Dead Redemption 2 59
−210%
180−190
+210%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 91
−216%
288
+216%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 145
−295%
573
+295%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
−158%
173
+158%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 56
−220%
179
+220%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 60−65
−249%
220
+249%
Battlefield 5 116
−66.4%
190−200
+66.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 60−65
−239%
210
+239%
Far Cry 5 93
−101%
187
+101%
Far Cry New Dawn 82
−87.8%
154
+87.8%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
−178%
300−350
+178%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 78
−291%
305
+291%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
−128%
153
+128%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 55−60
−153%
140−150
+153%
Hitman 3 65−70
−228%
210−220
+228%
Horizon Zero Dawn 45−50
−384%
237
+384%
Metro Exodus 35−40
−354%
177
+354%
Red Dead Redemption 2 27−30
−232%
90−95
+232%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 58
−367%
271
+367%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 47
−230%
155
+230%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 35−40
−369%
183
+369%
Battlefield 5 92
−113%
190−200
+113%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
−470%
154
+470%
Far Cry 5 76
−145%
186
+145%
Far Cry New Dawn 65−70
−124%
152
+124%
Forza Horizon 4 75−80
−277%
280−290
+277%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 50−55
−436%
268
+436%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−390%
152
+390%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 30−35
−200%
95−100
+200%
Hitman 3 35−40
−266%
120−130
+266%
Horizon Zero Dawn 27−30
−593%
187
+593%
Metro Exodus 21
−552%
137
+552%
Red Dead Redemption 2 18−20
−237%
60−65
+237%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 35
−431%
186
+431%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 53
−428%
280
+428%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 31
−287%
120
+287%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 21−24
−445%
120
+445%
Battlefield 5 53
−157%
130−140
+157%
Cyberpunk 2077 10−12
−627%
80
+627%
Far Cry 5 40
−333%
173
+333%
Far Cry New Dawn 36
−303%
145
+303%
Forza Horizon 4 50−55
−408%
250−260
+408%
Watch Dogs: Legion 18−20
−550%
117
+550%

This is how RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 4090 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 126% faster than RTX 2080 Max-Q

1440p resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 159% faster than RTX 2080 Max-Q

4K resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 194% faster than RTX 2080 Max-Q

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 4090 is 627% faster than the RTX 2080 Max-Q.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, RTX 4090 surpassed RTX 2080 Max-Q in all 68 of our tests.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 35.85 100.00
Recency 6 January 2019 20 September 2022
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 24 GB
Chip lithography 12 nm 5 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 80 Watt 450 Watt

The GeForce RTX 4090 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 4090 is a desktop one.


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

User ratings

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
GeForce RTX 4090

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