NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data separates these two NVIDIA cards into distinct roles. The GeForce RTX 4060 wins 8 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests, making it the broader choice for modern workloads. Its decisive advantages appear in compute-heavy and DirectX 12 scenarios, where it leads by double-digit percentages. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, while older, retains specific strengths in legacy DirectX 10 rendering and raw GPU compute, winning 2 of the 10 tests. The RTX 4060 also posts a higher average benchmark score of 17,639 versus 15,548 for the GTX 1080 Ti, and it sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs compared to the 58th percentile for the older card.

For a user building a system today with an eye on current API support and efficiency, the RTX 4060 is the data-backed pick. It delivers a 39.9% lead in OpenCL compute, a 20.1% lead in Vulkan, and a 3.2% lead in the Steel Nomad DX12 test. The GTX 1080 Ti is the choice only if the workload specifically targets DirectX 10 legacy titles or if the user prioritizes pure compute throughput, where it holds a 4.4% edge. The RTX 4060's higher percentile ranking and superior average score reinforce its position as the more balanced card for the recorded benchmark suite.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different fabrication eras and design philosophies. The RTX 4060 uses the AD107 chip built on a 5 nm TSMC process, packing 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 118.9 million per square millimeter. The GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip on a 16 nm TSMC process, with 11,800 million transistors spread across a much larger 471 mm² die, resulting in a density of only 25.1 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4060's smaller, denser die is a direct result of the newer process node.

The architectural generation gap is significant. The RTX 4060 is Ada Lovelace, part of the GeForce 40 series, while the GTX 1080 Ti is Pascal, from the GeForce 10 series. This shows up in feature support. The RTX 4060 includes 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, giving it hardware acceleration for ray-traced lighting and AI-based features like DLSS. The GTX 1080 Ti has neither, with null values for both RT and tensor core counts. The RTX 4060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the GTX 1080 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory configuration differs sharply. The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus, offering 484.4 GB/s. The older card has more total memory and nearly double the bandwidth, but the RTX 4060 compensates with faster clock speeds and newer memory technology. The RTX 4060 boosts to 2460 MHz versus 1582 MHz for the GTX 1080 Ti, and its memory runs at 17 Gbps effective versus 11 Gbps.

Compute resources tell a mixed story. The GTX 1080 Ti has more shading units (3584 versus 3072), more texture mapping units (224 versus 96), and more render output units (88 versus 48). It also has higher pixel rate (139.2 GPixel/s versus 118.1) and texture rate (354.4 GTexel/s versus 236.2). However, the RTX 4060 has higher raw FP32 throughput at 15.11 TFLOPS versus 11.34 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 1:1 with FP32, while the GTX 1080 Ti's FP16 is a tiny 177.2 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio. Power draw favors the newer card: 115 W versus 250 W, with a suggested PSU of 300 W versus 600 W. The RTX 4060 also uses a single 12-pin connector, while the GTX 1080 Ti needs a 6-pin plus an 8-pin. The RTX 4060 is shorter at 240 mm versus 267 mm, though both are dual-slot and 40 mm wide. The RTX 4060 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, the GTX 1080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the RTX 4060 comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 95,057 against 67,929 for the GTX 1080 Ti, a 39.9% margin. This is a compute-focused test, and the Ada Lovelace architecture's FP32 and FP16 capabilities appear to drive this result. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4060 scores 48,643 versus 40,511, a 20.1% lead. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows a narrower win: 2,302 versus 2,231, just 3.2% ahead.

In the Passmark suite, the RTX 4060 wins several tests by solid margins. DirectX 11 shows 175 versus 151, a 15.9% advantage. DirectX 12 shows 76 versus 66, a 15.2% lead. The G2D test (2D graphics) has the RTX 4060 at 1,037 versus 939, a 10.4% edge. The G3D test (3D graphics) shows 19,545 versus 18,600, a 5.1% win. Even DirectX 9, a legacy API, favors the RTX 4060: 236 versus 231, a 2.2% margin.

The GTX 1080 Ti's wins are concentrated in two areas. In Passmark DirectX 10, it scores 118 versus 103, a 12.7% advantage. In Passmark GPU Compute, it scores 9,632 versus 9,213, a 4.4% edge. The DirectX 10 result is notable because neither card is modern in that API, but the Pascal architecture's higher raw shader count and texture units may explain the win. The GPU Compute result aligns with the GTX 1080 Ti having more shading units and higher texture rate.

The overall pattern is clear: the RTX 4060 dominates in compute-heavy modern APIs (OpenCL, Vulkan) and in DirectX 11/12, while the GTX 1080 Ti holds a niche in DirectX 10 and generic compute. The 15.9% and 15.2% wins in DirectX 11 and 12 are particularly telling, as those are the APIs most relevant to current gaming and professional workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, compared to 15,548 for the GTX 1080 Ti. The RTX 4060 also ranks higher at the 61st percentile versus the 58th percentile for the GTX 1080 Ti.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 Ti win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins two tests. It is 12.7% ahead in Passmark DirectX 10 (118 versus 103) and 4.4% ahead in Passmark GPU Compute (9,632 versus 9,213). The RTX 4060 wins the other eight recorded tests.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 4060 scores 95,057 versus 67,929 for the GTX 1080 Ti, a 39.9% lead. The second-largest is Geekbench Vulkan at 20.1% (48,643 versus 40,511).

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 Ti has more capacity and bandwidth, but the RTX 4060 runs its memory at 17 Gbps effective versus 11 Gbps.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the RTX 4060 has them, with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The GTX 1080 Ti has no ray tracing or tensor core hardware, as indicated by null values in the database.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The GTX 1080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RTX 4060 uses a single 12-pin connector, while the GTX 1080 Ti requires a 6-pin plus an 8-pin.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4060 is the clear winner for modern gaming and general-purpose computing. Its 15.9% lead in DirectX 11 and 15.2% lead in DirectX 12 make it the better choice for current game titles and applications built on those APIs. The 20.1% Vulkan advantage also positions it well for cross-platform engines and Vulkan-based games. The 39.9% OpenCL lead suggests strong performance in compute tasks like video encoding, physics simulation, and machine learning inference, especially given its FP16 throughput at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

The RTX 4060's superior transistor density (118.9M per mm² versus 25.1M) and smaller die (159 mm² versus 471 mm²) mean it achieves these results at a fraction of the power draw: 115 W versus 250 W. For a system builder constrained by power supply capacity or thermals, this is a substantial advantage. The card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which the GTX 1080 Ti cannot, and its ray tracing and tensor cores unlock features entirely absent on the older card.

The GTX 1080 Ti wins in two specific scenarios. First, for users running legacy DirectX 10 applications, its 12.7% lead means it will handle those workloads with more headroom. Second, for raw GPU compute tasks that are not API-bound, its 4.4% edge in Passmark GPU Compute, combined with its higher pixel rate (139.2 GPixel/s versus 118.1) and texture rate (354.4 GTexel/s versus 236.2), indicates it can sustain heavy throughput in certain non-modern workloads. Its larger memory capacity (11 GB versus 8 GB) and higher bandwidth (484.4 GB/s versus 272.0) also give it an advantage in memory-bound scenarios, though the recorded benchmarks do not isolate this directly.

In summary, the RTX 4060 is the data-driven pick for anyone prioritizing current API performance, compute efficiency, and modern features. The GTX 1080 Ti remains relevant only for niche legacy DirectX 10 usage or specific compute tasks where its raw throughput wins matter. For all other recorded tests, the RTX 4060 is ahead, often by substantial margins.