AMD Radeon RX 9060 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti represent two very different eras of GPU design, yet their aggregate benchmark scores place them within striking distance of each other. The RX 9060 averages 16014 across its benchmark suite, while the GTX 1080 Ti averages 15548, a difference of roughly 3%. This proximity is remarkable given the 2017 launch of the NVIDIA card, and the data suggests the newer AMD part has closed the gap through architectural efficiency rather than raw brute force. The following analysis breaks down exactly where each card wins, why the architectures differ so fundamentally, and what the benchmark numbers imply for real-world usage.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head benchmark results split six wins for the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and four for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, but the nature of those wins tells a clear story about workload suitability. The RX 9060 dominates in modern, compute-heavy DirectX 12 and OpenCL scenarios, while the GTX 1080 Ti retains advantages in legacy DirectX paths and one specific Vulkan test. For users running contemporary games or GPU compute tasks, the RX 9060 is the stronger choice. The data shows a 48.9% lead for the RX 9060 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a 29.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, and a 20.5% lead in Passmark DirectX 11. Conversely, the GTX 1080 Ti wins Passmark DirectX 12 by 33.3%, Geekbench Vulkan by 2.6%, and Passmark G3D by 5.2%, indicating its strength in certain rasterization-heavy or API-specific workloads. The AMD card also wins Passmark G2D (6.7%) and Passmark GPU Compute (3%), suggesting better overall 2D desktop performance and general-purpose compute efficiency. In short, the RX 9060 is the forward-looking card for DX12-era titles and compute, while the GTX 1080 Ti still holds its own in DX9/DX10 legacy scenarios and some Vulkan applications.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational and stark. The RX 9060 uses the Navi 44 chip built on RDNA 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm TSMC process, while the GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip on the aging Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm TSMC process. This process difference explains the transistor density disparity: the RX 9060 packs 29,700 million transistors into a 199 mm² die, yielding a density of 149.2M / mm², whereas the GTX 1080 Ti houses 11,800 million transistors on a much larger 471 mm² die, with a density of just 25.1M / mm². The RX 9060 is also part of the Navi IV (RX 9000) generation with a RDNA 4.0 architecture codenamed Strix Point, while the GTX 1080 Ti belongs to the GeForce 10-series with no codename listed. Feature-wise, the RX 9060 includes 28 ray tracing cores, a capability the GTX 1080 Ti completely lacks (rtCores: null). Neither card has tensor cores, so AI acceleration is absent from both. The RX 9060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 1080 Ti only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1) with the same Vulkan 1.4 support. The RX 9060 also features a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, delivering 21.43 TFLOPS for both, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti's FP16 performance is a meager 177.2 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), highlighting a massive compute flexibility difference.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive benchmark win for the AMD Radeon RX 9060 comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 3322 against the GTX 1080 Ti's 2231, a 48.9% advantage. This is a substantial margin that indicates the RX 9060's RDNA 4.0 architecture is far more efficient at handling modern DX12 rendering workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 9060 again dominates with 88183 points versus 67929, a 29.8% lead, suggesting superior general-purpose compute throughput. Passmark DirectX 11 also favors the RX 9060, with 182 points versus 151, a 20.5% gain, and Passmark DirectX 9 shows a 21.2% win (280 vs 231). The AMD card also edges out the GTX 1080 Ti in Passmark G2D (1002 vs 939, up 6.7%) and Passmark GPU Compute (9919 vs 9632, up 3%). However, the GTX 1080 Ti fights back in Passmark DirectX 12, scoring 66 versus the RX 9060's 44, a 33.3% victory. It also wins Passmark DirectX 10 by 11.9% (118 vs 104) and Passmark G3D by 5.2% (18600 vs 17631). The closest contest is Geekbench Vulkan, where the GTX 1080 Ti scores 40511 against the RX 9060's 39476, a slim 2.6% margin. These results paint a picture of the GTX 1080 Ti being surprisingly competitive in legacy and certain rasterization benchmarks, but the RX 9060's modern architecture provides overwhelming advantages in DX12 and compute-heavy tests.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets diverge sharply across nearly every major category. The RX 9060 has a process node of 4 nm versus the GTX 1080 Ti's 16 nm, and the transistor counts differ dramatically: 29,700 million for AMD versus 11,800 million for NVIDIA. Clock speeds favor the RX 9060, with a base of 1700 MHz and boost of 2990 MHz, compared to the GTX 1080 Ti's 1481 MHz base and 1582 MHz boost. The AMD card also lists a game clock of 2400 MHz, a feature the NVIDIA card lacks. Memory configurations are opposite in philosophy: the RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1080 Ti offers 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 Ti has more shading units (3584 vs 1792), more TMUs (224 vs 112), and more ROPs (88 vs 64), but the RX 9060 compensates with higher clock speeds and a 4 nm process. Pixel rate favors the RX 9060 (191.4 GPixel/s vs 139.2 GPixel/s), as does FP32 compute (21.43 TFLOPS vs 11.34 TFLOPS), but the GTX 1080 Ti leads in texture rate (354.4 GTexel/s vs 334.9 GTexel/s). Power consumption is another major split: the RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W and a single 8-pin connector, while the GTX 1080 Ti draws 250 W, requires a 600 W PSU, and needs both a 6-pin and 8-pin connector. The RX 9060 also uses PCIe 5.0 x16 versus the GTX 1080 Ti's PCIe 3.0 x16, and offers newer display outputs (HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1a) compared to the NVIDIA card's HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a. Production status differs too: the RX 9060 is Active, while the GTX 1080 Ti is End-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 averages 16014 across its benchmark suite, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti averages 15548, giving the AMD card a lead of about 3%.

Q: How do the cards compare in ray tracing capability?

A: The RX 9060 includes 28 ray tracing cores, while the GTX 1080 Ti has no ray tracing cores listed (null), indicating the AMD card supports hardware ray tracing and the NVIDIA card does not.

Q: Which card wins in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The RX 9060 wins decisively with a score of 3322 versus the GTX 1080 Ti's 2231, a 48.9% advantage.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti offers 484.4 GB/s bandwidth from its 352-bit bus and 11 GB of GDDR5X, while the RX 9060 has 288.0 GB/s from a 128-bit bus and 8 GB of GDDR6.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 Ti win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Passmark DirectX 12 by 33.3%, Passmark DirectX 10 by 11.9%, Passmark G3D by 5.2%, and Geekbench Vulkan by 2.6%.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient based on specifications?

A: The RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the GTX 1080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, making the AMD card substantially more power-efficient.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the better purchase for anyone prioritizing modern gaming performance and compute workloads. Its 48.9% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 29.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL are decisive, and its 6-to-4 win count in the head-to-head tests underscores its versatility. The RX 9060 also offers ray tracing cores, a 4 nm process, and significantly lower power requirements (132 W TDP versus 250 W), making it the forward-looking choice. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, however, retains relevance for users stuck on older APIs or specific Vulkan titles, as its wins in Passmark DirectX 12 (33.3% ahead) and Passmark G3D (5.2% ahead) demonstrate. Its larger 11 GB memory pool and higher bandwidth (484.4 GB/s) could also appeal to users needing more VRAM, though the RX 9060's 8 GB is adequate for most scenarios. For a new build or an upgrade targeting DX12-era games, the RX 9060 is the clear winner. For legacy software compatibility or if the 11 GB frame buffer is critical, the GTX 1080 Ti remains a viable, end-of-life option. The data suggests the RX 9060 is the superior all-rounder, but the GTX 1080 Ti's niche strengths should not be ignored.