NVIDIA GeForce 940MX vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents an unusual situation: the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB land at nearly identical average scores, with the 940MX posting 4,844 and the RTX 3080 12 GB posting 4,791. The delta between them is a mere 1.1% in favor of the 940MX, placing them within statistical noise of each other. The 940MX wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 4,939, while the RTX 3080 12 GB's only recorded benchmark is the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 4,791. There are no head-to-head benchmark entries in the data, meaning no direct comparison tests exist between these two parts.

The 940MX's strength lies in compute-style workloads as measured by Geekbench OpenCL, where it outperforms its own nearest rivals by small margins: it is 0.2% ahead of the GTX 560M (4,855), 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4,867), and 1% ahead of the GTS 450 (4,893). The RTX 3080 12 GB, conversely, shows its capability in a modern DirectX 12 workload, scoring 4,791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad. In that test, it edges out the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (4,788) by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4,752) by 0.8%, while trailing the GTX 560M (4,855) by 1.3% and the 940MX (4,844) by 1.1%.

Neither card demonstrates a clear win condition across multiple tests. The 940MX has two benchmark entries, both from Geekbench (OpenCL and Vulkan), while the RTX 3080 12 GB has only a single 3DMark entry. This makes direct comparison difficult; the data suggests these parts occupy different testing ecosystems rather than competing head-to-head. Both cards sit at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, reinforcing that they are statistical equals in the aggregate, despite representing vastly different hardware generations and market positions.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two NVIDIA parts is enormous. The 940MX uses the GM107 chip built on TSMC's 28 nm process, featuring 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. It is based on the Maxwell architecture from the GeForce 900M generation, released in mid-2016. In contrast, the RTX 3080 12 GB uses the GA102 chip fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process, packing 28,300 million transistors across a 628 mm² die, for a density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. This is Ampere architecture from the GeForce 30-series, released in early 2022.

The compute resources differ by an order of magnitude. The 940MX has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also adds 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the 940MX. Clock speeds reflect the generational leap: the 940MX runs at a 795 MHz base and 861 MHz boost, while the RTX 3080 12 GB runs at 1,260 MHz base and 1,710 MHz boost. Memory configurations are similarly divergent, with the 940MX using 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus (40.10 GB/s bandwidth), versus the RTX 3080 12 GB's 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus (912.4 GB/s bandwidth).

The interface and power delivery tell the same story. The 940MX uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the RTX 3080 12 GB uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The 940MX is an MXM module with no power connectors and a 23 W TDP; the RTX 3080 12 GB is a dual-slot card with a 1x 12-pin connector, 350 W TDP, and a suggested 750 W power supply. The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the 940MX only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The 940MX's display outputs are portable-device dependent, whereas the RTX 3080 12 GB offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, neither card emerges as a definitive winner. The 940MX holds a 1.1% average score advantage over the RTX 3080 12 GB, but this is within the margin of error for synthetic benchmarks. The 940MX's Geekbench OpenCL score of 4,939 and Vulkan score of 4,749 indicate consistent performance across compute APIs, while the RTX 3080 12 GB's single 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 4,791 shows it can handle a modern DirectX 12 workload at a similar level. Both parts sit at the 28th percentile, meaning they outperform roughly 28% of all GPUs in the database — a modest standing for either card.

For a user choosing between these two, the data suggests the 940MX is the safer pick for compute-style tasks, given its two benchmark entries and slight edge in aggregate score. Its nearest rivals cluster tightly around its performance, with the GTX 560M and Radeon R6 M255DX within 0.5%. The RTX 3080 12 GB, despite its vastly superior specifications on paper, does not translate that into a higher benchmark score in the available data. Its nearest rivals include the Radeon R5 M255 and R5 M335, both low-end mobile parts, which is a surprising placement for a card with 8,960 shading units and 70 ray tracing cores.

The verdict is that the 940MX wins on aggregate benchmark consistency, while the RTX 3080 12 GB is a wildcard with untapped potential in the data set. The 940MX's two-test average of 4,844 versus the RTX 3080 12 GB's single-test score of 4,791 gives the older card a nominal edge, but the lack of overlapping test suites makes this a weak comparison. Users prioritizing OpenCL or Vulkan compute should look toward the 940MX; those needing a modern DirectX 12 feature set may prefer the RTX 3080 12 GB, despite its lower recorded score.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX has an average benchmark score of 4,844, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has an average score of 4,791, giving the 940MX a 1.1% advantage.

Q: What is the performance difference between these two cards?

A: The deltaPct from the 940MX's perspective is 1.1% ahead of the RTX 3080 12 GB. From the RTX 3080 12 GB's perspective, it is 1.1% behind the 940MX. Both cards share the same 28th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The 940MX is 0.2% behind the GTX 560M (4,855), 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4,867), and 1% behind the GTS 450 (4,893). The RTX 3080 12 GB is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (4,788) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4,752), but 1.3% behind the GTX 560M.

Q: What benchmark tests are available for each card?

A: The 940MX has two benchmark results: Geekbench OpenCL scoring 4,939 and Geekbench Vulkan scoring 4,749. The RTX 3080 12 GB has one result: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scoring 4,791.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. The 940MX has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do these cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the 940MX supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no head-to-head benchmark entries in the data, so this comparison relies on each card's individual test results. The 940MX's strongest result is its Geekbench OpenCL score of 4,939, which is 3% higher than its own Vulkan score of 4,749. That OpenCL score also exceeds the RTX 3080 12 GB's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 4,791 by 148 points, or roughly 3.1%. This is the largest single-test gap in the data set. The 940MX's Vulkan score of 4,749, however, falls 42 points short of the RTX 3080 12 GB's 3DMark score, a deficit of about 0.9%.

The RTX 3080 12 GB's only benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 4,791, lands between the 940MX's two Geekbench results. It beats the Vulkan score by 42 points but trails the OpenCL score by 148 points. This places the RTX 3080 12 GB's performance roughly in the middle of the 940MX's range. When comparing against their respective nearest rivals, the 940MX's OpenCL score of 4,939 is 84 points above the GTX 560M's average of 4,855, while the RTX 3080 12 GB's 3DMark score of 4,791 is 64 points below the same GTX 560M average. The RTX 3080 12 GB does edge out the Radeon R5 M255 (4,788) by a slim 3-point margin in its single test.

Given the absence of shared test suites, the biggest wins are contextual. The 940MX wins on compute throughput, demonstrated by its OpenCL result, and on aggregate consistency across two tests. The RTX 3080 12 GB wins on modern API support, as evidenced by its DirectX 12 Ultimate compatibility and its ability to post a competitive score in a DX12-only workload. In absolute terms, the 940MX's peak score of 4,939 is the highest number in this comparison, while the RTX 3080 12 GB's peak of 4,791 is the lowest of the three recorded scores. The data does not support a decisive victory for either card; instead, it shows two very different architectures converging on similar benchmark outcomes.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The 940MX uses the GM107 chip (Maxwell architecture) on a 28 nm TSMC process, while the RTX 3080 12 GB uses the GA102 chip (Ampere architecture) on an 8 nm Samsung process. Transistor counts are 1,870 million versus 28,300 million, and die sizes are 148 mm² versus 628 mm². Transistor density is 12.6M per mm² for the 940MX and 45.1M per mm² for the RTX 3080 12 GB. Clock speeds: the 940MX runs at 795 MHz base and 861 MHz boost; the RTX 3080 12 GB runs at 1,260 MHz base and 1,710 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 1,253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the 940MX and 1,188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3080 12 GB.

Memory capacity is 2 GB GDDR5 versus 12 GB GDDR6X, with bus widths of 64-bit versus 384-bit and bandwidths of 40.10 GB/s versus 912.4 GB/s. The 940MX has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs; the RTX 3080 12 GB has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, plus 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores. Pixel rates are 6.888 GPixel/s versus 164.2 GPixel/s, texture rates are 27.55 GTexel/s versus 478.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 881.7 GFLOPS versus 30.64 TFLOPS. The RTX 3080 12 GB also has FP16 performance of 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1), while the 940MX has no listed FP16 figure.

TDP is 23 W for the 940MX versus 350 W for the RTX 3080 12 GB. The 940MX is an MXM module with no power connectors; the RTX 3080 12 GB is dual-slot with a 1x 12-pin connector and a suggested 750 W PSU. Bus interfaces are PCIe 3.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. DirectX support is 12 (11_0) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2); both share OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The 940MX has no listed dimensions, while the RTX 3080 12 GB measures 285 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. Release dates are June 2016 for the 940MX and January 2022 for the RTX 3080 12 GB. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a launch MSRP of 799 USD; the 940MX has no listed launch MSRP.