NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M represent two very different moments in NVIDIA's mobile and desktop GPU history. The GTX 1080 is a desktop Pascal flagship from the GeForce 10-series, built on a 16 nm process, while the GTX 780M is a Kepler-based mobile part from the GeForce 700M generation, using a 28 nm process. Benchmark data shows a decisive generational leap, with the GTX 1080 winning all head-to-head comparisons by wide margins, but the GTX 780M still holds its own in the context of its era. This analysis breaks down the performance gap, answers key questions from the data, and clarifies the architectural and specification differences that drive the results.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data covers three compute-oriented Geekbench tests, and in each one, the GTX 1080 dominates. The largest margin is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the GTX 1080 scores 51,204 against the GTX 780M's 12,769. That is a delta of 301%, meaning the GTX 1080 delivers roughly four times the compute performance in this workload. This is consistent with the raw FP32 throughput figures: the GTX 1080 is rated at 8.873 TFLOPS, while the GTX 780M is at 2.448 TFLOPS. The OpenCL test appears to be highly sensitive to raw shader throughput, and the GTX 1080's 2560 shading units versus 1536 on the GTX 780M, combined with much higher clocks, explains the scale of the win.

In the Geekbench Metal test, the GTX 1080 scores 23,824, while the GTX 780M scores 8,319. The delta here is 186.4%, which is still a massive advantage but smaller than OpenCL. Metal is a graphics API that relies more on memory bandwidth and pixel throughput than pure compute. The GTX 1080 has 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth versus 160.0 GB/s on the GTX 780M, and its pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s compared to 25.50 GPixel/s. Those factors likely narrow the gap relative to OpenCL, but the GTX 1080 still more than doubles the GTX 780M's score.

The closest result is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the GTX 1080 scores 30,398 against the GTX 780M's 12,696, a delta of 139.4%. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that can be bottlenecked by driver efficiency and memory latency. The GTX 1080's modern Pascal architecture and newer driver support for Vulkan 1.4 (versus 1.2.175 on the GTX 780M) likely contribute to this tighter, though still enormous, margin. Notably, the GTX 780M's Vulkan score is higher than its Metal score, suggesting the older GPU handles the low-level API relatively better than Apple's Metal.

Across all three tests, the GTX 1080 wins 3-0. The average benchmark score for the GTX 1080 is 11,960, compared to 11,261 for the GTX 780M. That is a modest 6.2% difference in overall averages, but this is misleading because the GTX 780M only has three benchmark results in the database, while the GTX 1080 has eleven. The GTX 1080's average includes many DirectX and PassMark tests that are not in the head-to-head set, dragging its average down relative to its strong Geekbench showings. The GTX 780M's percentile rank is 50, while the GTX 1080 sits at 51, meaning both are near the middle of all GPUs in the database, but the GTX 1080's score distribution is far more lopsided.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides context. The GTX 1080's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A, with an average score of 11,998, which is just 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is 1% lower at 11,842, and the GTX 1660 is 2.4% lower at 11,680. The GTX 780M's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 at 11,228, which is 0.3% lower, and the AMD FirePro W4300 at 11,225, also 0.3% lower. This shows that in overall average terms, the GTX 1080 is essentially tied with a GTX 960A, while the GTX 780M is effectively tied with a Radeon Pro WX 3200. The head-to-head Geekbench data, however, reveals that the GTX 1080's compute-oriented strengths are far beyond what its average score suggests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in compute-heavy workloads?

A: The GTX 1080 wins decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 51,204 versus 12,769 for the GTX 780M, a 301% advantage. Its FP32 rating of 8.873 TFLOPS is over 3.6 times the GTX 780M's 2.448 TFLOPS, and its 2560 shading units outnumber the GTX 780M's 1536.

Q: Is the GTX 780M competitive in any modern graphics API?

A: The data indicates it is not competitive against the GTX 1080, but its relative performance varies by API. Its best head-to-head result is in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 12,696 versus 30,398, a 139.4% delta. That is still a massive loss, but it is far closer than the 301% gap seen in OpenCL.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory bandwidth and capacity?

A: The GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s. The GTX 1080 offers double the capacity and double the bandwidth.

Q: What is the significance of the transistor counts and process nodes?

A: The GTX 1080 uses a 16 nm process with 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, resulting in a density of 22.9M transistors per mm². The GTX 780M uses a 28 nm process with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a density of 12.0M per mm². The newer process allows the GTX 1080 to pack more than twice the transistors into a slightly larger die.

Q: Which card has higher power requirements?

A: The GTX 1080 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU with a single 8-pin power connector. The GTX 780M has a lower TDP of 122 W and uses an MXM Module form factor with no power connectors listed, as it is designed for portable devices.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No, both are end-of-life. The GTX 1080 was released on 2016-05-26, and the GTX 780M was released on 2013-05-10. The GTX 1080 succeeded the GeForce 900 series and was succeeded by the GeForce 20 series, while the GTX 780M succeeded the GeForce 600M and was succeeded by the GeForce 800M.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the GTX 1080 is the superior GPU in every measured benchmark. Its 186.4% lead in Metal, 301% lead in OpenCL, and 139.4% lead in Vulkan over the GTX 780M make it the clear choice for anyone seeking maximum performance. The GTX 1080's 8 GB of memory, 320.3 GB/s bandwidth, and 8.873 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are all more than double the GTX 780M's respective figures. The GTX 780M, meanwhile, is a much older mobile part from 2013, and its 4 GB of memory and 2.448 TFLOPS are severely outclassed.

For a user choosing between these two, the GTX 1080 is the only rational pick for desktop use. It offers a 51st percentile rank versus the GTX 780M's 50th, but that near-tie in percentile is misleading given the head-to-head results. The GTX 1080's average score of 11,960 is only 6.2% higher than the GTX 780M's 11,261, but that average includes many tests where the GTX 1080's strengths are not fully captured. The GTX 780M's only advantage is its lower TDP of 122 W versus 180 W, which makes sense for a mobile MXM module, but that is irrelevant for a desktop card.

The GTX 780M should be considered only in the context of a legacy laptop that cannot be upgraded. Its 4 GB of memory and 32 ROPs are sufficient for older titles, but its 25.50 GPixel/s pixel rate and 102.0 GTexel/s texture rate are less than a quarter of the GTX 1080's 110.9 GPixel/s and 277.3 GTexel/s. For any modern workload, the GTX 1080 is the definitive winner, and the benchmark data supports this conclusion without qualification.

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is form factor. The GTX 1080 is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The GTX 780M is an MXM Module with a MXM-B (3.0) interface and no listed physical dimensions, as it is designed for portable devices. The GTX 1080 has display outputs of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 780M's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Memory configurations differ significantly. The GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective) and 320.3 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 doubles both capacity and bandwidth.

Core configurations are also different. The GTX 1080 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the GTX 780M has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the GTX 1080 runs at 1607 MHz base and 1733 MHz boost, while the GTX 780M runs at 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. The GTX 1080's pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s and texture rate is 277.3 GTexel/s, versus 25.50 GPixel/s and 102.0 GTexel/s for the GTX 780M.

Power and cooling also differ. The GTX 1080 has a TDP of 180 W, a suggested PSU of 450 W, and a single 8-pin power connector. The GTX 780M has a TDP of 122 W, no listed PSU requirement, and no power connectors. The GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. Finally, the GTX 1080 has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the GTX 780M has no launch MSRP listed.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 1080 is built on the Pascal architecture, using the GP104 chip, while the GTX 780M uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip. This is a fundamental generational shift. Pascal is designed for higher clock speeds and better power efficiency, which is evident in the 16 nm process node versus the GTX 780M's 28 nm node. The GTX 1080's transistor count is 7,200 million on a 314 mm² die, giving a density of 22.9M transistors per mm². The GTX 780M has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of 12.0M per mm². The newer process allows for more than double the transistor density.

The FP32 performance differential is stark: 8.873 TFLOPS for the GTX 1080 versus 2.448 TFLOPS for the GTX 780M. The GTX 1080 also supports FP16 at 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), while the GTX 780M has no FP16 rating listed. This indicates Pascal's more flexible compute capabilities, even if FP16 is not a primary focus. The GTX 780M's Kepler architecture is older and lacks the compute optimizations found in Pascal.

Cache and memory hierarchy differences are not directly specified in the data, but the memory type and bandwidth are. The GTX 1080 uses GDDR5X, a faster memory standard, while the GTX 780M uses GDDR5. The GTX 1080's memory clock of 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective) is double the GTX 780M's 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). This, combined with the same 256-bit bus, yields double the bandwidth. The GTX 1080 also has a higher ROP count (64 versus 32), which directly impacts pixel fill rate. The GTX 780M's 32 ROPs are a clear bottleneck compared to the GTX 1080's 64 ROPs, especially at high resolutions.

Both cards lack RT cores and tensor cores, as neither architecture supports hardware ray tracing or AI acceleration. The GTX 1080's Pascal architecture does offer better support for newer APIs, including DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 780M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The GTX 780M's OpenGL 4.6 support matches the GTX 1080, but the older Kepler architecture is less efficient at executing modern workloads. The GTX 1080's 16 nm process is the key enabler of its higher clocks and lower power consumption per transistor, allowing it to achieve 180 W TDP with far more compute resources than the GTX 780M's 122 W TDP.