AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Comparison

The Verdict

The data shows a clear but not overwhelming victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. It wins 7 of the 9 head-to-head benchmarks, with particularly large margins in Vulkan and DirectX 10/11 workloads. The RTX 2080 also holds a higher average benchmark score of 22895 compared to 26553 for the AMD card, though that gap is skewed by the AMD card's extra Geekbench Metal result. The RTX 2080 sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD card reaches the 72nd percentile.

For a builder choosing between these two, the RTX 2080 is the pick if you prioritize raw compute in modern APIs like Vulkan and DirectX 12, where it leads by 31.1% and 8.3% respectively. It also offers hardware ray tracing cores and tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the choice if you want slightly better 2D performance (3.7% ahead in Passmark G2D) and marginally better GPU compute in one specific test (0.6% ahead in Passmark GPU Compute). It also uses less power at 225 W versus 215 W for the RTX 2080, so the AMD card is more power-efficient per frame in the tests it wins.

The RTX 2080's launch MSRP is 699 USD; the AMD card's launch MSRP is 449 USD. Neither card is in production, both are end-of-life, so the decision rests entirely on which workload profile matches the benchmark data. If you play Vulkan titles or use DirectX 10/11 legacy applications, the RTX 2080 is the clear winner. If you only care about 2D desktop responsiveness and one specific compute benchmark, the AMD card has a narrow edge.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different manufacturing processes and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 uses the TU104 chip on Turing architecture, built on TSMC's 12 nm process. This explains the transistor density difference: the AMD chip packs 41.0 million transistors per square millimeter across a 251 mm² die with 10,300 million transistors. The NVIDIA chip has more total transistors at 13,600 million, but spread across a much larger 545 mm² die, yielding only 25.0 million per square millimeter.

The core configurations differ. The AMD card has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 2080 has more shading units at 2944, more TMUs at 184, and the same 64 ROPs. However, the RTX 2080 adds dedicated hardware: 46 ray tracing cores and 368 tensor cores. The AMD card has no equivalent hardware. This is a fundamental architectural split: Turing was designed for hybrid rendering with ray tracing and AI acceleration, while RDNA 1.0 focused on traditional rasterization efficiency.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The AMD card runs higher clocks: 1680 MHz base, 1830 MHz game clock, and 1980 MHz boost. The RTX 2080 runs at 1515 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the RTX 2080 achieves nearly identical FP32 throughput at 10.07 TFLOPS versus 10.14 TFLOPS for the AMD card, thanks to its higher shading unit count. Both cards have the same FP16 ratio at 2:1, yielding 20.28 TFLOPS for AMD and 20.14 TFLOPS for NVIDIA.

Memory architecture is identical in capacity and bandwidth: both use 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 1750 MHz memory clock (14 Gbps effective). The bus interface differs: AMD uses PCIe 4.0 x16, NVIDIA uses PCIe 3.0 x16. API support also differs: the RTX 2080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The RTX 2080 wins decisively. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 107797 versus 74281 for the AMD card, a 31.1% advantage. This is the largest single benchmark gap between the two cards.

Q: Does the AMD card have ray tracing support?

A: No. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary has no ray tracing cores. The RTX 2080 has 46 RT cores and 368 tensor cores, giving it dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads that the AMD card cannot match.

Q: Which card is better for legacy DirectX 9 games?

A: The difference is negligible. The RTX 2080 scores 223 in Passmark DirectX 9, while the AMD card scores 219, a 1.8% difference. Both cards handle DirectX 9 titles at essentially the same level.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD card has a TDP of 225 W, while the RTX 2080 has a TDP of 215 W. The AMD card uses 10 W more power despite being on a smaller 7 nm process. Both require a 550 W suggested power supply and use the same 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connector configuration.

Q: Which card has better 2D performance?

A: The AMD card wins in Passmark G2D, scoring 941 versus 907 for the RTX 2080, a 3.7% advantage. This suggests slightly better desktop rendering and 2D acceleration for the AMD card.

Q: How do the cards compare in overall average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD card has a higher average benchmark score of 26553 compared to 22895 for the RTX 2080. However, this is misleading because the AMD card includes a Geekbench Metal score of 88292, which the RTX 2080 does not have. The RTX 2080 wins most individual benchmarks despite the lower average.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in the following recorded specifications:

• Process Node: AMD uses 7 nm, NVIDIA uses 12 nm
• Transistors: AMD has 10,300 million, NVIDIA has 13,600 million
• Die Size: AMD is 251 mm², NVIDIA is 545 mm²
• Transistor Density: AMD is 41.0M / mm², NVIDIA is 25.0M / mm²
• Base Clock: AMD runs 1680 MHz, NVIDIA runs 1515 MHz
• Boost Clock: AMD runs 1980 MHz, NVIDIA runs 1710 MHz
• Game Clock: AMD has 1830 MHz, NVIDIA has no recorded game clock
• Shading Units: AMD has 2560, NVIDIA has 2944
• TMUs: AMD has 160, NVIDIA has 184
• RT Cores: AMD has none, NVIDIA has 46
• Tensor Cores: AMD has none, NVIDIA has 368
• Pixel Rate: AMD achieves 126.7 GPixel/s, NVIDIA achieves 109.4 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: AMD achieves 316.8 GTexel/s, NVIDIA achieves 314.6 GTexel/s
• FP32: AMD achieves 10.14 TFLOPS, NVIDIA achieves 10.07 TFLOPS
• TDP: AMD is 225 W, NVIDIA is 215 W
• Bus Interface: AMD uses PCIe 4.0 x16, NVIDIA uses PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display Outputs: AMD has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a; NVIDIA has 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C
• DirectX Support: AMD supports 12 (12_1), NVIDIA supports 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Dimensions: AMD is 272 mm long, 111 mm tall, 40 mm wide; NVIDIA is 267 mm long, 116 mm tall, 35 mm wide
• Release Date: AMD launched 2019-07-06, NVIDIA launched 2018-09-19

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 2080 dominates the head-to-head results, winning 7 of 9 tests. The biggest margin is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 2080 scores 107797 against 74281 for the AMD card, a 31.1% lead. This is the most significant performance gap between the two cards and reflects the NVIDIA card's stronger Vulkan driver implementation and architecture.

In DirectX 10, the RTX 2080 scores 136 versus 98 for AMD, a 27.9% advantage. DirectX 11 shows a similar pattern: 158 versus 116, a 26.6% lead. These legacy API tests favor NVIDIA substantially. DirectX 12 narrows the gap: 72 versus 66, an 8.3% lead for NVIDIA. DirectX 9 is nearly identical: 223 versus 219, just 1.8% apart.

Geekbench OpenCL also favors NVIDIA: 91313 versus 77161, a 15.5% lead. Passmark G3D, the general 3D graphics test, shows NVIDIA ahead at 18720 versus 16437, a 12.2% margin. This is the most representative overall gaming performance indicator, and it clearly favors the RTX 2080.

The AMD card wins two benchmarks. Passmark G2D shows 941 versus 907, a 3.7% lead for AMD. Passmark GPU Compute shows 7923 versus 7872, a narrow 0.6% advantage. Neither win indicates a meaningful performance advantage in compute-heavy workloads; the AMD card is essentially tied with the RTX 2080 in GPU compute despite having fewer shading units.

The AMD card also has a Geekbench Metal score of 88292, but the RTX 2080 has no corresponding Metal result in the database, so no direct comparison is possible.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 is the clear winner for gaming and graphics workloads. Its Passmark G3D score of 18720 versus 16437 for AMD shows a 12.2% advantage in general 3D rendering. For modern API games, the Vulkan lead of 31.1% is decisive. DirectX 12 also favors NVIDIA by 8.3%. If you play games using Vulkan, such as many recent titles, or DirectX 12, the RTX 2080 provides a meaningful performance cushion. The RTX 2080 also offers ray tracing and tensor cores, which are essential for games or applications that use those features; the AMD card cannot run them at all.

For legacy DirectX 10 and 11 games, the RTX 2080 wins by 27.9% and 26.6% respectively. This makes it the better choice for older game libraries that rely on these APIs. The DirectX 9 difference is negligible at 1.8%, so either card handles those titles adequately.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary wins in two narrow areas. Passmark G2D shows a 3.7% advantage, meaning slightly better 2D desktop rendering, window management, and non-3D graphics tasks. Passmark GPU Compute shows a 0.6% lead, essentially a tie. The AMD card also has a higher pixel rate at 126.7 GPixel/s versus 109.4 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and a slightly higher texture rate at 316.8 GTexel/s versus 314.6 GTexel/s, though these do not translate into benchmark wins in the 3D tests.

In practical terms, the AMD card is the pick for a system focused on 2D productivity, desktop responsiveness, and light compute tasks where its 0.6% GPU Compute edge matters. It also runs on PCIe 4.0, which may matter for future storage or bandwidth-sensitive workloads, though no benchmark in the database isolates that benefit.

The RTX 2080 is the pick for gaming, ray tracing, AI workloads via tensor cores, and any application that uses Vulkan or DirectX 12. The data is unambiguous: 7 of 9 head-to-head wins, with the largest margins all favoring NVIDIA. The AMD card's wins are marginal at best. For a builder who wants the more versatile and faster graphics card, the RTX 2080 is the data-backed choice.