AMD Radeon RX 7800M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and the AMD Radeon RX 7800M represent two very different approaches to high-end graphics, separated by six years of architecture evolution. The data shows a decisive victory for the older NVIDIA card in overall benchmark averages, with the RTX 2080 Ti holding an average score of 29,783 across all tests compared to the RX 7800M's 27,883. However, the AMD card's newer RDNA 3.0 architecture delivers specific wins that hint at its modern design, making this comparison less about raw dominance and more about architectural trade-offs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 2080 Ti wins 9 of the 10 head-to-head benchmarks, and its victories are often substantial. The largest margin comes in PassMark DirectX 10, where NVIDIA scores 153 against AMD's 99, a 54.5% advantage. This is followed by a 35.1% lead in PassMark DirectX 9 (235 vs 174) and a 22.3% edge in PassMark G3D (21,548 vs 17,613). These results indicate that the older Turing architecture retains a significant edge in legacy DirectX workloads, likely due to driver maturity and a higher raw shading unit count of 4,352 versus 3,840.

In modern API tests, the gap narrows but still favors NVIDIA. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RTX 2080 Ti scoring 3,537 against the RX 7800M's 2,994, a 18.1% lead. Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are closer, with NVIDIA ahead by 6.1% (128,171 vs 120,778) and 4.9% (132,930 vs 126,668) respectively. The smaller deltas in these compute-oriented tests suggest that while NVIDIA maintains the performance crown, AMD's RDNA 3.0 is competitive in general-purpose workloads.

The single AMD victory comes in PassMark DirectX 12, where the RX 7800M scores 89 against NVIDIA's 84, a 5.6% win. This is a notable result because it shows the newer card's architecture handles the modern graphics API more efficiently, even if it loses in raw throughput tests. The RX 7800M also posts a 7.6% deficit in PassMark GPU Compute (9,342 vs 10,056), indicating that NVIDIA's compute advantage persists despite AMD's higher theoretical FP32 throughput of 35.87 TFLOPS versus 13.45 TFLOPS.

The average benchmark score differential of 1,900 points (29,783 vs 27,883) places the RTX 2080 Ti at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 7800M sits at the 73rd percentile. This near-parity in percentile ranking is reflected in their nearest rivals: the RTX 2080 Ti sits within 1% of the RTX 5070 Mobile, RTX 3070 Ti, and RX 6800, while the RX 7800M sits within 0.8% of the Radeon Pro Vega 20, Radeon Pro W5500X, GTX 980 Ti, and FirePro S7150. The data suggests that despite the age gap, both cards occupy a similar performance tier.

FAQ

Q: Which card 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 RX 7800M averages 27,883. This gives NVIDIA a 1,900-point advantage and a 75th percentile ranking versus AMD's 73rd percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in DX12 tests?

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 2080 Ti leads by 18.1% with a score of 3,537 versus 2,994. However, in PassMark DirectX 12, the RX 7800M wins by 5.6% with a score of 89 versus 84.

Q: Does the RX 7800M win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes, the RX 7800M wins exactly one of the ten head-to-head tests: PassMark DirectX 12, where it scores 89 against the RTX 2080 Ti's 84.

Q: What is the largest single-test margin between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in PassMark DirectX 10, where the RTX 2080 Ti scores 153 against 99 for the RX 7800M, a 54.5% advantage. The second-largest is a 35.1% lead in PassMark DirectX 9.

Q: How do the cards compare in compute workloads?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti leads in PassMark GPU Compute by 7.6% (10,056 vs 9,342) and in Geekbench OpenCL by 6.1% (128,171 vs 120,778). The RX 7800M is closer in Geekbench Vulkan, trailing by only 4.9%.

Q: What do the percentile rankings indicate about overall performance?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti ranks at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 7800M ranks at the 73rd. This 2-percentile gap reflects the 6.4% difference in average benchmark scores.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for legacy and general-purpose performance: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. With a 9-1 head-to-head record, a 6.4% higher average benchmark score, and a 75th percentile ranking, it is the stronger card for most workloads. The RTX 2080 Ti's 54.5% lead in DirectX 10 and 35.1% lead in DirectX 9 show particular strength in older titles, while its 18.1% advantage in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 demonstrates that it still holds up in modern DX12 gaming. Users looking for maximum performance across a broad range of applications should favor the NVIDIA card.

The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the better choice for specific scenarios. Its 5.6% win in PassMark DirectX 12 indicates that it handles the modern API more efficiently than the older NVIDIA architecture. The RX 7800M also comes with a significantly more compact design, being an IGP with no power connectors, whereas the RTX 2080 Ti is a dual-slot card requiring two 8-pin connectors. For users prioritizing a low-profile mobile solution with a capable DirectX 12 implementation, the RX 7800M is the data-backed pick.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The RTX 2080 Ti features a larger memory bus at 352-bit versus 192-bit, delivering 616.0 GB/s bandwidth compared to 432.0 GB/s, despite having less memory (11 GB vs 12 GB). The NVIDIA card also has more shading units (4,352 vs 3,840), more texture mapping units (272 vs 240), and more RT cores (68 vs 60), but fewer ROPs (88 vs 96).

Clock speeds show a different story. The RX 7800M has a lower base clock of 1,295 MHz versus 1,350 MHz, but a much higher boost clock of 2,335 MHz versus 1,545 MHz, with a game clock of 2,145 MHz. The RTX 2080 Ti runs at a 250 W TDP with a 600 W suggested PSU, while the RX 7800M draws 180 W with no suggested PSU listed. The NVIDIA card uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while the AMD card uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Power and physical dimensions favor the AMD card. The RX 7800M is an IGP with no power connectors, while the RTX 2080 Ti is dual-slot and 267 mm long, 116 mm high, and 35 mm wide. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 2080 Ti offers 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the RX 7800M's outputs are marked as "Portable Device Dependent." The RTX 2080 Ti was released on 2018-09-19 with a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the RX 7800M launched on 2024-09-10 with no MSRP listed.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The RTX 2080 Ti uses the TU102 chip on a 12 nm process from TSMC, containing 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 24.7M per mm². The RX 7800M uses the Navi 32 chip on a 5 nm process, also from TSMC, with 28,100 million transistors on a much smaller 346 mm² die, achieving 81.2M transistors per mm². This represents a 3.3x improvement in transistor density.

The RX 7800M is built on RDNA 3.0 architecture with the codename "Wheat Nas," part of the Navi Mobile (RX 7000M) generation. The RTX 2080 Ti is based on Turing, part of the GeForce 20 generation. AMD's design uses a chiplet approach with a 192-bit memory bus, while NVIDIA's monolithic TU102 uses a 352-bit bus. The FP32 throughput favors AMD dramatically at 35.87 TFLOPS versus 13.45 TFLOPS, and the RX 7800M achieves FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (35.87 TFLOPS) compared to NVIDIA's 2:1 ratio (26.90 TFLOPS).

Feature sets show both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 2080 Ti includes 544 tensor cores for AI workloads, a feature absent from the RX 7800M. The AMD card has 60 RT cores versus NVIDIA's 68, but the newer RDNA 3.0 design likely offers better ray tracing efficiency per core. The RTX 2080 Ti is end-of-life with a successor in the GeForce 30 series, while the RX 7800M is active with no listed successor, having replaced the Polaris Mobile line.