AMD Radeon 860M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and the AMD Radeon 860M in entirely different performance tiers, despite their close overall percentile rankings. The RTX 2080 Ti, a former flagship discrete GPU, delivers overwhelming compute power, while the Radeon 860M, an integrated graphics processor, focuses on efficiency and portability. The recorded measurements show a clear winner for raw performance, but the context of each product’s design goals matters significantly.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two GPUs is limited to two common benchmark tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins decisively. The RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 463.2% higher than the Radeon 860M’s 22,759. This is not a marginal lead; it represents a multi-generational gap in raw compute throughput. The Radeon 860M’s score places it in the range of entry-level discrete GPUs, while the RTX 2080 Ti’s score approaches that of modern high-end mobile parts.

The Vulkan results paint a similar picture. The RTX 2080 Ti scores 132,930, a 342.5% advantage over the Radeon 860M’s 30,043. Vulkan is often used as a lower-level API test, and the data indicates the RTX 2080 Ti’s dedicated hardware resources, including more shading units and texture mapping units, translate into a massive frame-rate potential in modern titles. The Radeon 860M’s score, while respectable for an integrated solution, is closer to older discrete cards like the GeForce MX550, which sits within 0.1% of its average benchmark score.

Looking at the broader average benchmark scores, the RTX 2080 Ti records 29,783 points across all tests, while the Radeon 860M averages 26,401 points. The delta is 11.4% in favor of the NVIDIA card, but this aggregate figure hides the extreme variance. The RTX 2080 Ti’s average is pulled down by older DirectX 9 and 10 tests where it scores relatively low (235 and 153 respectively), while its modern 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,537 shows strong contemporary performance. The Radeon 860M, with only two recorded benchmarks, has a narrower data profile, and its percentile ranking of 72nd versus the RTX 2080 Ti’s 75th suggests that the NVIDIA card is marginally better positioned against all other GPUs in the database.

The nearest rivals for each card further illustrate the gap. The RTX 2080 Ti’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which averages 29,928 points, a negligible 0.5% difference. This shows the 2080 Ti still trades blows with current-generation laptop flagships. The Radeon 860M’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, with an average score of 26,421, a 0.1% difference. This places the integrated AMD part squarely in the entry-level discrete segment, not in the same league as the RTX 2080 Ti. The data is unambiguous: in head-to-head compute tests, the RTX 2080 Ti is the superior product by a wide margin.

The Verdict

The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the choice for anyone requiring maximum performance. It wins both available head-to-head benchmarks by percentages of 463.2% and 342.5%, respectively. Its FP32 compute rating of 13.45 TFLOPS is more than four times the Radeon 860M’s 3.072 TFLOPS. The RTX 2080 Ti also offers 11 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory with 616.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Radeon 860M relies on system-shared memory with bandwidth that is system dependent. For gaming at high resolutions, heavy 3D rendering, or compute workloads, the RTX 2080 Ti is the only sensible pick based on these numbers.

The AMD Radeon 860M, however, serves a completely different purpose. Its 15 W TDP is a fraction of the RTX 2080 Ti’s 250 W, and it requires no power connectors, as it is an integrated GPU. The data shows it is an active product from 2025, while the RTX 2080 Ti is end-of-life. If the use case is a thin-and-light laptop where battery life and thermals are paramount, the Radeon 860M is the logical choice, despite its lower scores. Its benchmark results, while modest, are sufficient for casual gaming and general productivity, and its nearest rivals (MX550, RTX 5060) confirm it is a capable entry-level solution. The RTX 2080 Ti, with its dual-slot cooler and 2x 8-pin power connectors, is not a portable option.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 Ti wins in every measured performance category. It has a higher pixel rate (136.0 GPixel/s versus 48.00 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (420.2 GTexel/s versus 96.00 GTexel/s). Its shading units number 4,352 versus 512, and its ROPs are 88 versus 16. These figures translate directly into superior frame rates in graphically demanding applications. The 2080 Ti also features 68 RT cores and 544 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-enhanced features, which the Radeon 860M lacks entirely. For any workload that stresses the GPU, the RTX 2080 Ti is the winner.

The Radeon 860M wins in efficiency and integration. Its 15 W TDP is 16.7 times lower than the RTX 2080 Ti’s 250 W. It is built on a 4 nm process node versus the RTX 2080 Ti’s 12 nm node, which explains the drastic power difference. The Radeon 860M is an IGP with a slot width of "IGP", meaning it is soldered onto a motherboard or laptop board, requiring no additional space or cooling beyond the system’s existing design. The RTX 2080 Ti is a dual-slot, 267 mm long card that requires a 600 W PSU recommendation. The Radeon 860M also uses PCIe 4.0 x8, a newer interface standard than the RTX 2080 Ti’s PCIe 3.0 x16, though the latter offers more lanes.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,783, while the AMD Radeon 860M averages 26,401 points.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti scores 132,930, which is 342.5% higher than the Radeon 860M’s 30,043.

Q: Does the Radeon 860M have any dedicated memory?

A: No, its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared", meaning it uses the system’s main memory.

Q: What is the difference in power consumption?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W, while the Radeon 860M has a TDP of 15 W.

Q: Which GPU is currently in production?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M has a production status of "Active", while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is marked as "End-of-life".

Q: How does the RTX 2080 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 5070 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti’s average score is 29,783, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 5070 Mobile’s 29,928, indicating they are essentially tied.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is fundamental. The RTX 2080 Ti uses NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with a massive die size of 754 mm² and 18,600 million transistors. It is a discrete, full-size card with a dual-slot cooler. The Radeon 860M uses AMD’s RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC, but its die size and transistor count are listed as unknown. It is an integrated GPU, designated as an IGP with a slot width of "IGP". The RTX 2080 Ti is part of the GeForce 20 series, with a predecessor in GeForce 10 and a successor in GeForce 30. The Radeon 860M is part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile, with a predecessor in Navi II IGP.

The RTX 2080 Ti includes dedicated RT cores (68) and tensor cores (544), which the Radeon 860M does not have (its tensor core count is null). This means the NVIDIA card can accelerate ray tracing and AI workloads, while the AMD part relies on its standard shading units for all tasks. The Radeon 860M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the RTX 2080 Ti has 4,352 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. The memory subsystems are also completely different: the RTX 2080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus with 616.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon 860M uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The Radeon 860M’s boost clock is higher at 3000 MHz versus 1545 MHz, but its base clock is much lower at 600 MHz versus 1350 MHz, reflecting its power-saving design.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification differences are in power and memory. The RTX 2080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 600 W. The Radeon 860M has a TDP of 15 W and uses no power connectors. The RTX 2080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 352-bit bus and 616.0 GB/s bandwidth; the Radeon 860M’s memory is system shared. The RTX 2080 Ti’s FP32 compute is 13.45 TFLOPS, while the Radeon 860M’s is 3.072 TFLOPS. The RTX 2080 Ti’s FP16 is 26.90 TFLOPS (2:1), while the Radeon 860M’s is 3.072 TFLOPS (1:1).

The process node differs: 12 nm for NVIDIA versus 4 nm for AMD. The RTX 2080 Ti has 18,600 million transistors and a 754 mm² die, while the Radeon 860M’s transistor count and die size are unknown. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the RTX 2080 Ti and PCIe 4.0 x8 for the Radeon 860M. The RTX 2080 Ti has display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C; the Radeon 860M’s outputs are portable device dependent. The release dates are also far apart: the RTX 2080 Ti was released on 2018-09-19, while the Radeon 860M was released on 2025-02-28. The RTX 2080 Ti has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the Radeon 860M has no launch MSRP listed.