AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded benchmark data presents a clear generational split. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT wins 9 of the 10 head-to-head comparisons, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti secures a single, but significant, victory. For modern DirectX 12 workloads, 3DMark Steel Nomad, and general GPU compute, the RX 9070 XT is the dominant choice. The GTX 1080 Ti retains a niche advantage in one specific OpenCL workload, but its overall performance profile places it behind in nearly every other measurable category.

The data indicates the RX 9070 XT is the pick for users prioritizing current-generation gaming performance, particularly in DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 titles, as well as Vulkan-based applications. Its lead in the Passmark G3D test, a broad measure of graphics processing, is substantial. The GTX 1080 Ti, while still functional and holding a respectable percentile ranking, is an end-of-life product whose architectural era is reflected in its benchmark scores. It should be chosen only for scenarios where its specific OpenCL advantage is directly relevant, as this is the sole area where the data shows it ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different design philosophies separated by eight years of silicon evolution. The GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip built on TSMC's 16 nm process, containing 11,800 million transistors on a 471 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 25.1M per mm². In contrast, the RX 9070 XT uses the Navi 48 chip on TSMC's 4 nm process, packing 53,900 million transistors into a smaller 357 mm² die, achieving a density of 151.0M per mm². The newer process allows for a significantly higher transistor count in a physically smaller package.

Clock speeds show the generational leap. The GTX 1080 Ti operates with a base clock of 1481 MHz and a boost clock of 1582 MHz, while the RX 9070 XT runs at a 1660 MHz base and 2970 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. Memory configurations differ sharply: the GTX 1080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus, while the RX 9070 XT uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 9070 XT achieves higher bandwidth at 644.6 GB/s versus 484.4 GB/s, thanks to faster memory clocks.

Core configurations favor the RX 9070 XT. It has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, compared to the GTX 1080 Ti's 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. The RX 9070 XT also includes 64 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Pascal architecture. Pixel rate and texture rate reflect this: the RX 9070 XT posts 380.2 GPixel/s and 760.3 GTexel/s, versus 139.2 GPixel/s and 354.4 GTexel/s for the GTX 1080 Ti. FP32 compute is 48.66 TFLOPS for the RX 9070 XT versus 11.34 TFLOPS for the GTX 1080 Ti, and FP16 performance is 48.66 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 177.2 GFLOPS (1:64), a massive difference in half-precision throughput.

Connectivity also differs. The GTX 1080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 9070 XT uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are newer on the AMD card: 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a, versus 1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the NVIDIA card. Both are dual-slot designs, but power requirements scale up: the GTX 1080 Ti draws 250 W with a 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connector, while the RX 9070 XT draws 304 W with 2x 8-pin connectors and suggests a 700 W PSU versus 600 W.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9070 XT wins across the vast majority of test categories. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 7260 versus 2231, a margin of 69.3%. In the Passmark suite, it leads in DirectX 10 (154 vs 118), DirectX 11 (292 vs 151), DirectX 12 (78 vs 66), and DirectX 9 (353 vs 231). It also wins the Passmark G2D test (1328 vs 939), the G3D test (26795 vs 18600), and the GPU compute test (15864 vs 9632). In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 65879 versus 40511, a 38.5% advantage.

The single win for the GTX 1080 Ti comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 67929 against the RX 9070 XT's 17428, a staggering 289.8% margin. This result is anomalous relative to the rest of the data. It may reflect driver differences, workload characteristics of the OpenCL test, or architectural quirks, but the numbers are clear: in this specific test, the older card is dramatically faster.

For use-case selection, the data suggests the RX 9070 XT for any modern gaming scenario, especially those leveraging DirectX 11 or 12 APIs. Its Vulkan performance is also superior. The GTX 1080 Ti's niche is limited to applications that heavily utilize OpenCL compute, where its measured performance is exceptional. Outside that context, the RX 9070 XT is the stronger card in every other measured benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has a higher average benchmark score of 15548, while the RX 9070 XT averages 13543. This is driven by the GTX 1080 Ti's massive OpenCL score.

Q: How do the cards compare in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RX 9070 XT scores 7260, which is 69.3% higher than the GTX 1080 Ti's 2231. This is a decisive win for the AMD card in this modern DX12 test.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 9070 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better DirectX 12 support?

A: The RX 9070 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1080 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1). In the Passmark DirectX 12 test, the RX 9070 XT scores 78 versus 66.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 Ti win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 67929 versus 17428 for the RX 9070 XT, a 289.8% advantage.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti uses a 16 nm process from TSMC, while the RX 9070 XT uses a 4 nm process from the same foundry.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the dataset is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The GTX 1080 Ti scores 67929, which is 289.8% higher than the RX 9070 XT's 17428. No other comparison comes close to this magnitude of difference. This single result inflates the GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score and accounts for its higher percentile ranking (58th versus 55th) despite losing 9 of 10 head-to-head tests.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 9070 XT shows its modern architecture. Its score of 7260 is 69.3% above the GTX 1080 Ti's 2231. This test likely stresses features and throughput capabilities that the Pascal architecture lacks. The RX 9070 XT's higher FP32 throughput (48.66 TFLOPS vs 11.34 TFLOPS) and pixel rate (380.2 GPixel/s vs 139.2 GPixel/s) contribute to this result.

The Passmark suite shows consistent wins for the RX 9070 XT. In DirectX 11, the delta is 48.3% (292 vs 151). DirectX 10 shows a 23.4% gap (154 vs 118). DirectX 9 shows a 34.6% gap (353 vs 231). DirectX 12 shows the smallest margin at 15.4% (78 vs 66), but the RX 9070 XT still leads. The G3D test, a broad measure of overall 3D rendering, shows the RX 9070 XT at 26795 versus 18600, a 30.6% lead. GPU compute follows at 15864 versus 9632, a 39.3% margin.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 9070 XT scores 65879 against 40511, a 38.5% advantage. This confirms its superiority in Vulkan-based workloads. The G2D test, measuring 2D performance, also favors the RX 9070 XT at 1328 versus 939, a 29.3% lead.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The chip designations are GP102 for the GTX 1080 Ti and Navi 48 for the RX 9070 XT. The architectures are Pascal and RDNA 4.0 respectively. Process nodes are 16 nm versus 4 nm, both from TSMC. Transistor counts are 11,800 million versus 53,900 million, with die sizes of 471 mm² versus 357 mm².

Clock speeds differ as follows: the GTX 1080 Ti has a base of 1481 MHz and boost of 1582 MHz, with memory at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The RX 9070 XT has a base of 1660 MHz, boost of 2970 MHz, and game clock of 2400 MHz, with memory at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective). Memory size is 11 GB GDDR5X versus 16 GB GDDR6, with bus widths of 352-bit versus 256-bit. Bandwidth is 484.4 GB/s versus 644.6 GB/s.

Core counts: shading units are 3584 versus 4096, TMUs are 224 versus 256, ROPs are 88 versus 128. The RX 9070 XT has 64 ray tracing cores; the GTX 1080 Ti has none. Pixel rates are 139.2 GPixel/s versus 380.2 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 354.4 GTexel/s versus 760.3 GTexel/s. FP32 is 11.34 TFLOPS versus 48.66 TFLOPS. FP16 is 177.2 GFLOPS (1:64) versus 48.66 TFLOPS (1:1).

Power and connectivity: TDP is 250 W versus 304 W. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 2x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 600 W versus 700 W. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0 + 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus 1x HDMI 2.1b + 3x DisplayPort 2.1a. The GTX 1080 Ti has dimensions of 267 mm length, 112 mm height, and 40 mm width; the RX 9070 XT dimensions are not recorded. Production status is end-of-life versus active. Release dates are 2017-03-09 versus 2025-03-05. The launch MSRP for the GTX 1080 Ti was 699 USD, and for the RX 9070 XT it was 599 USD.