NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, and it is not close. The GTX 1080 scores 51,204 points, while the GTX 480 manages only 13,300 points. That is a delta of -74% for the older card, meaning the GTX 1080 delivers roughly four times the raw compute throughput in this workload. In practical terms, the GTX 1080 finishes OpenCL tasks in about a quarter of the time the GTX 480 would require. This is a generational leap, not an incremental step.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the GTX 480's average score sits at 13,300, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321 (-0.2%), the AMD FirePro M6100 at 13,354 (-0.4%), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356 (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M at 13,376 (-0.6%), all cluster within a fraction of a percent. The GTX 480 is effectively the median performer here; it trades blows with those mobile and workstation parts, but none of them break away from the pack.

The GTX 1080, by contrast, posts an average benchmark score of 11,960 across its full suite of tests, which includes DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 workloads via Passmark, Geekbench Metal, Vulkan, and OpenCL, plus a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result. Its percentile ranks at 51, slightly below the GTX 480's 53, but this is misleading because the average is dragged down by the older API tests. In the Passmark DirectX 9 test, the GTX 1080 scores 211, in DirectX 10 it hits 93, in DirectX 11 it reaches 124, and in DirectX 12 it drops to 55. These are legacy API workloads where the card's modern architecture does not shine, but the raw compute numbers tell the real story. The GTX 1080's nearest rivals include the GTX 960A at 11,998 (-0.3%), the RX 6500 XT at 11,842 (+1%), the GTX 1660 at 11,680 (+2.4%), and the RX 7800 XT at 11,627 (+2.9%). The GTX 1080 leads all of them in average score, though the margins are slim against the 960A.

The head-to-head data shows one winner: the GTX 1080 takes the single OpenCL test, and the GTX 480 has zero wins. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the older Fermi card outperforms the Pascal card. The delta is so large that no amount of driver tuning or workload selection could close the gap.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 480 is built on the GF100 chip using the Fermi architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 1080 uses the GP104 chip, based on the Pascal architecture, on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 7,200 million transistors on a much smaller 314 mm² die, achieving a density of 22.9 million transistors per square millimeter. That is nearly four times the density, which explains how Pascal fits more than double the transistors into roughly 40% less silicon.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The GTX 480 ships with 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, providing 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth at a memory clock of 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective). The GTX 1080 uses 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, with 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth at 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective). Despite the narrower bus, the GTX 1080 delivers 80% more bandwidth, and it holds a 5.3x capacity advantage. For modern games and compute workloads that are bandwidth-hungry, the Pascal card's memory is clearly the more capable resource.

Core counts follow the same pattern. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GTX 1080 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Pixel throughput jumps from 21.03 GPixel/s on the GTX 480 to 110.9 GPixel/s on the GTX 1080, and texture rate goes from 42.06 GTexel/s to 277.3 GTexel/s. FP32 compute scales from 1,345.0 GFLOPS to 8.873 TFLOPS, a 6.6x increase. The GTX 1080 also lists FP16 at 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), while the GTX 480 has no FP16 figure in the database.

Clock behavior differs as well. The GTX 480 has no base or boost clock listed, while the GTX 1080 runs at 1607 MHz base and 1733 MHz boost. Power requirements move in the opposite direction: the GTX 480 draws 250 W and needs a 600 W suggested PSU with dual connectors (1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin), while the GTX 1080 uses 180 W, a 450 W suggested PSU, and a single 8-pin connector. The GTX 480 is dual-slot and 267 mm long; the GTX 1080 is also dual-slot, same 267 mm length, but adds listed dimensions of 112 mm height and 40 mm width.

Interface and output differences matter for system integration. The GTX 480 runs on PCIe 2.0 x16 and offers 2x DVI plus 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The GTX 1080 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support diverges: both support OpenGL 4.6 and DirectX 12, but the GTX 480 is at DirectX 12 (11_0) while the GTX 1080 reaches DirectX 12 (12_1), and only the GTX 1080 lists Vulkan support at version 1.4.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the GTX 1080 in OpenCL compute compared to the GTX 480?

A: The GTX 1080 scores 51,204 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 13,300 for the GTX 480, a delta of -74% for the older card. In raw terms, the GTX 1080 is about 3.85x faster in this specific test.

Q: Does the GTX 480 have any benchmark win over the GTX 1080?

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head data, the GTX 480 has zero wins, while the GTX 1080 takes the single OpenCL test. There is no measured workload where the Fermi card beats the Pascal card.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1080, with 320.3 GB/s on a 256-bit GDDR5X interface, compared to the GTX 480's 177.4 GB/s on a 384-bit GDDR5 interface. The GTX 1080 also has more memory: 8 GB versus 1536 MB.

Q: Is the GTX 480 more power-hungry than the GTX 1080?

A: Yes. The GTX 480 has a 250 W TDP and recommends a 600 W PSU, while the GTX 1080 has a 180 W TDP and recommends a 450 W PSU. The older card also needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, whereas the GTX 1080 uses a single 8-pin.

Q: What API features does the GTX 1080 support that the GTX 480 does not?

A: The GTX 1080 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 480 has no Vulkan entry in the database. Also, the GTX 1080 reaches DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 480 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the two cards compare in transistor density?

A: The GTX 1080 has a transistor density of 22.9M per mm², fabricated on a 16 nm process, versus 5.9M per mm² for the GTX 480 on a 40 nm process. The GTX 1080 packs 7,200 million transistors into 314 mm², while the GTX 480 uses 3,100 million in 529 mm².

The Verdict

The data points to a decisive outcome. The GTX 1080 wins the only direct benchmark comparison by a margin of -74%, and it holds advantages in every measurable specification: compute throughput (8.873 TFLOPS versus 1,345.0 GFLOPS), memory capacity (8 GB versus 1536 MB), bandwidth (320.3 GB/s versus 177.4 GB/s), pixel rate (110.9 GPixel/s versus 21.03 GPixel/s), and texture rate (277.3 GTexel/s versus 42.06 GTexel/s). It also does so with lower power draw (180 W versus 250 W) and fewer power connectors.

The GTX 480's only comparative strengths are its wider memory bus (384-bit versus 256-bit) and its slightly higher percentile ranking (53 versus 51), but neither translates into a performance win in the recorded data. The wider bus does not compensate for slower memory technology and a much smaller frame buffer. The percentile difference is within the noise of the database, as the GTX 480 sits 0.2% behind the Radeon Pro 555X and the GTX 1080 sits 0.3% behind the GTX 960A, both negligible margins.

For anyone choosing between these two cards today, the GTX 1080 is the clear pick. It outperforms the GTX 480 in compute, has more than five times the memory, supports modern APIs including Vulkan, and runs cooler in the power budget. The GTX 480 belongs to an era where 1536 MB was adequate and 250 W was acceptable; the GTX 1080 represents a later generation that solved both constraints. There is no workload in the database where the GTX 480 comes out ahead.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX 480 | GTX 1080 |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | Pascal |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 529 mm² | 314 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.9M / mm² | 22.9M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 1536 MB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 177.4 GB/s | 320.3 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective) | 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 480 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 60 | 160 |

| ROPs | 48 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.03 GPixel/s | 110.9 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 42.06 GTexel/s | 277.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 1,345.0 GFLOPS | 8.873 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | Not listed | 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 250 W | 180 W |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | Not listed | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2010-03-25 | 2016-05-26 |

| Launch MSRP | 499 USD | 599 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1080 wins in every compute and rendering category measured. OpenCL performance is the only direct head-to-head test, and it dominates there. For gaming, video encoding, 3D rendering, and any GPU-accelerated workload, the GTX 1080's 2,560 shading units, 8 GB frame buffer, and 320.3 GB/s bandwidth provide the headroom that the GTX 480 cannot match. Its lower 180 W TDP also makes it easier to cool and power, and its PCIe 3.0 interface plus DisplayPort 1.4a outputs align with modern motherboards and monitors.

The GTX 480 wins only in the abstract: it has a wider 384-bit memory bus, which is a technical curiosity but not a practical benefit given the slower GDDR5 and smaller capacity. It also holds a percentile rank of 53 versus the GTX 1080's 51, but that rank is based on an average that includes many legacy API tests where the GTX 1080's scores are low. The GTX 480's nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its score, so it is essentially a mid-pack part from its era. In real-world use, the GTX 480 is a card for retro builds or compatibility testing with older DirectX 11-era software, while the GTX 1080 serves as a capable performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming plus general compute tasks. The database shows no scenario where the GTX 480 is the better choice.