NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split in workload character between these two NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti wins 8 of the 10 head-to-head comparisons, while the RTX 3060 Mobile takes only 2, but those two victories are decisive and revealing.

The most dramatic win for the mobile Ampere part comes in Geekbench Vulkan. The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 80,344 against the GTX 1080 Ti’s 40,511, a 98.3% advantage. That is nearly double the raw compute throughput in a modern, low-level graphics API. The Geekbench OpenCL result reinforces the pattern: 79,483 versus 67,929, a 17% lead for the RTX 3060 Mobile. These are compute-oriented workloads where the newer architecture’s feature set appears to pay off.

The GTX 1080 Ti, by contrast, dominates in the PassMark suite and in 3DMark Steel Nomad. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the desktop card scores 2,231 against 1,821, a delta of -18.4% for the RTX 3060 Mobile. PassMark G3D shows 18,600 versus 13,230, a 28.9% gap. The largest single delta in the entire comparison is PassMark G2D, where the GTX 1080 Ti leads by 37.4% (939 versus 588). PassMark GPU Compute shows a 40.6% lead for the older card (9,632 versus 5,718), and PassMark DirectX 9 shows a 36.8% gap (231 versus 146). Smaller but consistent wins appear in DirectX 10 (-23.7%), DirectX 11 (-27.2%), and DirectX 12 (-12.1%).

What does this mean? The RTX 3060 Mobile is not universally slower. In fact, its compute-oriented scores suggest that in the right API and workload, it can be substantially faster. The GTX 1080 Ti’s wins are spread across legacy and rasterization-heavy tests, while the RTX 3060 Mobile’s wins are concentrated in the two Geekbench tests. The average benchmark scores reflect this split: the RTX 3060 Mobile averages 18,159, while the GTX 1080 Ti averages 15,548. That puts the mobile part ahead by about 16.8% in the aggregate, despite losing the majority of individual tests. This is a case where the average hides a large variance in workload-specific outcomes.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturing generations and foundries. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses the GA106 chip on Samsung’s 8 nm process, while the GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip on TSMC’s 16 nm process. The transistor counts are close: 12,000 million for GA106 versus 11,800 million for GP102. But the die size tells a different story: the mobile chip is 276 mm², the desktop chip is 471 mm². That gives the RTX 3060 Mobile a transistor density of 43.5M per mm², compared to 25.1M per mm² for the GTX 1080 Ti. The newer process packs more transistors into less space.

Architecturally, the RTX 3060 Mobile is Ampere, while the GTX 1080 Ti is Pascal. The most obvious functional difference is that the RTX 3060 Mobile includes 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, features that are entirely absent from the GTX 1080 Ti (the data lists null for both). This explains the Vulkan and OpenCL compute advantages. The RTX 3060 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1080 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The shading unit counts are similar: 3,840 for the RTX 3060 Mobile versus 3,584 for the GTX 1080 Ti. But the texture mapping units and ROPs are very different. The GTX 1080 Ti has 224 TMUs and 88 ROPs, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has 120 TMUs and 48 ROPs. This explains why the older card wins in rasterization-heavy tests like PassMark G3D and G2D. The pixel rate is 139.2 GPixel/s for the GTX 1080 Ti versus 68.40 GPixel/s for the RTX 3060 Mobile. The texture rate is 354.4 GTexel/s versus 171.0 GTexel/s.

The FP32 compute is close: 11.34 TFLOPS for the GTX 1080 Ti versus 10.94 TFLOPS for the RTX 3060 Mobile. But FP16 is a different story: the RTX 3060 Mobile achieves 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the GTX 1080 Ti manages only 177.2 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio). That is a 60x difference in half-precision throughput, a major architectural leap.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1080 Ti wins in traditional rasterization and legacy API workloads. Its higher pixel rate, texture rate, and ROP count make it stronger for older DirectX 9, 10, and 11 titles, as well as for 2D operations. The PassMark G3D score of 18,600 versus 13,230 suggests it is the better choice for conventional gaming at high resolutions, assuming the game does not rely on ray tracing or tensor core features.

The RTX 3060 Mobile wins in compute and modern API workloads. Its Vulkan score is nearly double, and its OpenCL score is 17% higher. This points to advantages in applications that leverage async compute, ray tracing, or half-precision math. The tensor cores and RT cores give it capabilities the GTX 1080 Ti simply lacks. For DX12 Ultimate titles that use ray tracing, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the only one of the two that can support those features at all.

The power envelope is also a deciding factor. The RTX 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W, while the GTX 1080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W. The mobile part delivers its compute advantages at less than one-third the power draw. The GTX 1080 Ti requires a 600 W suggested PSU and dual-slot cooling, plus a 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connector. The RTX 3060 Mobile needs no power connectors and is portable-device dependent for displays. For laptops, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the only realistic option. For a desktop with space and power to spare, the GTX 1080 Ti offers higher rasterization throughput.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 3060 Mobile | GTX 1080 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Process node | 8 nm Samsung | 16 nm TSMC |

| Die size | 276 mm² | 471 mm² |

| Transistor density | 43.5M/mm² | 25.1M/mm² |

| Base clock | 900 MHz | 1481 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1425 MHz | 1582 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective) |

| Memory size | 6 GB GDDR6 | 11 GB GDDR5X |

| Memory bus | 192 bit | 352 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 484.4 GB/s |

| Shading units | 3840 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 120 | 224 |

| ROPs | 48 | 88 |

| RT cores | 30 | null |

| Tensor cores | 120 | null |

| Pixel rate | 68.40 GPixel/s | 139.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 171.0 GTexel/s | 354.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 10.94 TFLOPS | 11.34 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 10.94 TFLOPS | 177.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 80 W | 250 W |

| Power connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | null | 600 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Dimensions | null | 267 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release date | 2021-01-11 | 2017-03-09 |

| Launch MSRP | null | 699 USD |

FAQ

Q: Why does the RTX 3060 Mobile win the Vulkan test by so much?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile scores 80,344 versus 40,511, a 98.3% advantage. This is likely due to the Ampere architecture’s dedicated RT and tensor cores, plus its 1:1 FP16 throughput, which the Pascal-based GTX 1080 Ti lacks.

Q: Is the GTX 1080 Ti always faster?

A: No. It wins 8 of 10 head-to-head tests, including all PassMark tests and 3DMark Steel Nomad, but loses both Geekbench tests. The average benchmark score actually favors the RTX 3060 Mobile: 18,159 versus 15,548.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has 484.4 GB/s over a 352-bit bus with 11 GB of GDDR5X. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 336.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus with 6 GB of GDDR6.

Q: Can the RTX 3060 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: The data shows it has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The GTX 1080 Ti has no RT or tensor cores and supports only DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W, while the GTX 1080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W. The GTX 1080 Ti also requires a 600 W suggested PSU and dual-slot cooling.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti achieves 139.2 GPixel/s, exactly double the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 68.40 GPixel/s. Its texture rate is also higher: 354.4 GTexel/s versus 171.0 GTexel/s.

The Verdict

The data points to a fundamental trade-off. The GTX 1080 Ti is a high-power desktop rasterization monster. It wins every PassMark test, including a 40.6% margin in GPU compute and a 37.4% margin in G2D. Its 11 GB of VRAM and 484.4 GB/s bandwidth make it better suited for high-resolution traditional rendering. The RTX 3060 Mobile is a low-power, feature-rich mobile chip. It wins only in compute-oriented APIs but wins them decisively, with a 98.3% Vulkan lead and a 17% OpenCL lead. Its 80 W TDP makes it viable in laptops, where the GTX 1080 Ti’s 250 W TDP and dual-slot size are impossible.

For a desktop gamer playing DX9-11 titles or traditional DX12 games without ray tracing, the GTX 1080 Ti is the stronger choice based on the recorded scores. For a laptop user, or for workloads that leverage Vulkan, half-precision math, or ray tracing, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the only option that even supports those features. The percentile rankings reflect this: the RTX 3060 Mobile sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 1080 Ti sits at the 58th. The avgBenchmarkScore is higher for the mobile chip, but the distribution of wins is heavily skewed toward the desktop card. The verdict is simple: pick the GTX 1080 Ti for raw rasterization power in a desktop, pick the RTX 3060 Mobile for compute, portability, and modern API support.