NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data shows a clear split between the two NVIDIA parts, with the RTX A2000 Mobile winning 2 of 9 comparisons and the GTX 1080 taking the remaining 7. The most dramatic difference appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX A2000 Mobile scores 53146 versus 30398 for the GTX 1080, a 74.8% advantage. That is the single largest delta in either direction across the entire comparison set. The RTX A2000 Mobile also wins the Geekbench OpenCL test, posting 56518 against 51204, a 10.4% lead.

For the GTX 1080, the wins are spread across the Passmark suite but are consistently substantial. In Passmark DirectX 9, the GTX 1080 scores 211 versus 115, a 45.5% gap. DirectX 11 shows 124 versus 68, a 45.2% advantage. DirectX 10 results are closer in percentage terms but still favor the GTX 1080: 93 versus 57, a 38.7% gap. The DirectX 12 test is the narrowest GTX 1080 win, 55 versus 47, a 14.5% difference. Passmark G2D shows 888 versus 491, a 44.7% edge, while G3D delivers 15586 versus 9611, a 38.3% lead. The GPU compute test favors the GTX 1080 at 7614 versus 4334, a 43.1% gap.

The average benchmark scores place the RTX A2000 Mobile at 13821 and the GTX 1080 at 11960. The RTX A2000 Mobile sits in the 55th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 1080 sits in the 51st percentile. The nearest rivals for the RTX A2000 Mobile include the AMD Radeon 660M at 0.1% higher average score, the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 0.4% lower, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT at 0.6% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 at 1.5% lower. For the GTX 1080, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A at 0.3% lower average score, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT at 1% higher, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 at 2.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT at 2.9% higher.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A2000 Mobile establishes its dominance in compute-oriented and modern API workloads. Its 74.8% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan indicates strong driver and architecture support for current-generation graphics interfaces. The 10.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL points to efficient general-purpose compute execution. These are the tests that stress asynchronous compute, modern pipeline features, and parallel workload dispatch, areas where the Ampere architecture with dedicated hardware acceleration holds a clear edge over the older Pascal design.

The GTX 1080 wins in every Passmark category tested. The DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 results, with gaps of 45.5% and 38.7% respectively, reflect the GTX 1080's higher raw fill rates and texture throughput. The DirectX 11 result, 45.2% ahead, reinforces this pattern. The DirectX 12 gap narrows to 14.5%, suggesting the RTX A2000 Mobile's newer feature set partially closes the gap in more modern APIs, but the GTX 1080 still holds the lead. The G2D test, where the GTX 1080 leads by 44.7%, indicates superior 2D performance, likely tied to its higher memory bandwidth and larger ROP count. The G3D test, 38.3% ahead, and the GPU compute test, 43.1% ahead, show that the GTX 1080 retains a substantial overall throughput advantage in legacy and traditional workloads.

The use-case split is therefore clear: for legacy DirectX titles, 2D desktop workloads, and conventional GPU compute, the GTX 1080 is the stronger performer. For Vulkan-based applications and OpenCL compute loads, the RTX A2000 Mobile takes the lead, often by a wide margin.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA generations and foundries. The RTX A2000 Mobile uses the GA107 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the GTX 1080 uses the GP104 chip on TSMC's 16 nm process. Transistor counts are close: 8,700 million for the RTX A2000 Mobile versus 7,200 million for the GTX 1080. Die sizes differ substantially, with the RTX A2000 Mobile at 200 mm² and the GTX 1080 at 314 mm². Transistor density is nearly double on the newer part, 43.5M per mm² versus 22.9M per mm².

Both GPUs have 2560 shading units. The RTX A2000 Mobile has 80 texture mapping units and 48 ROPs, while the GTX 1080 has 160 texture mapping units and 64 ROPs. This explains the GTX 1080's higher texture rate of 277.3 GTexel/s versus 135.0 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate of 110.9 GPixel/s versus 80.98 GPixel/s. The RTX A2000 Mobile includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the GTX 1080. FP32 throughput is close, 8.637 TFLOPS for the RTX A2000 Mobile versus 8.873 TFLOPS for the GTX 1080. FP16 performance is a major divergence: the RTX A2000 Mobile achieves 8.637 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 1080 manages 138.6 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio.

Memory configurations differ significantly. The RTX A2000 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256 bit bus, yielding 320.3 GB/s bandwidth. Clock speeds show the GTX 1080 running higher, with a base of 1607 MHz and boost of 1733 MHz, versus 1215 MHz base and 1687 MHz boost for the RTX A2000 Mobile. Memory clocks are 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective for the RTX A2000 Mobile, and 1251 MHz with 10 Gbps effective for the GTX 1080.

Power characteristics differ sharply. The RTX A2000 Mobile is rated at 95 W TDP with no power connectors and an IGP slot width. The GTX 1080 is rated at 180 W TDP, uses a dual-slot cooler, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 450 W. The RTX A2000 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 1080 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. API support shows the RTX A2000 Mobile at DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1080 is at DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 1080 has fixed display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the RTX A2000 Mobile's outputs are portable device dependent. Physical dimensions for the GTX 1080 are 267 mm length, 112 mm height, and 40 mm width; the RTX A2000 Mobile has no listed dimensions.

The RTX A2000 Mobile launched on 2021-04-11, the GTX 1080 on 2016-05-26. The RTX A2000 Mobile's predecessor is Quadro Turing-M and its successor is Ada-MW. The GTX 1080's predecessor is GeForce 900 and its successor is GeForce 20. The GTX 1080 has a launch MSRP of 599 USD. Both parts are end-of-life in the database.

The Verdict

The benchmark data supports distinct recommendations based on workload profile. For users running Vulkan applications or OpenCL compute workloads, the RTX A2000 Mobile is the clear choice, with a 74.8% lead in Vulkan and a 10.4% lead in OpenCL. Its dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores provide hardware capabilities the GTX 1080 lacks entirely, which matters for any application that can utilize those features.

For users running legacy DirectX titles, 2D desktop applications, or traditional GPU compute, the GTX 1080 is the stronger performer. It leads by 45.5% in DirectX 9, 45.2% in DirectX 11, 38.7% in DirectX 10, and 14.5% in DirectX 12. Its 44.7% lead in G2D and 38.3% lead in G3D indicate superior conventional graphics throughput. The 43.1% lead in GPU compute further cements its position for older compute workloads.

The GTX 1080 also offers double the memory capacity, 8 GB versus 4 GB, and substantially higher bandwidth, 320.3 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s. Its higher texture and pixel rates, 277.3 GTexel/s versus 135.0 GTexel/s and 110.9 GPixel/s versus 80.98 GPixel/s, give it raw throughput advantages in fill-rate-limited scenarios. The GTX 1080's higher boost clock of 1733 MHz versus 1687 MHz and its 256 bit bus versus 128 bit contribute to these results.

The RTX A2000 Mobile is the efficiency pick, with a 95 W TDP versus 180 W, no power connectors, and an IGP form factor suitable for portable systems. It brings modern PCIe 4.0 connectivity and DirectX 12 Ultimate API support. The GTX 1080 requires a dual-slot cooler, an 8-pin power connector, and a 450 W suggested PSU, making it a desktop-only solution.

Given the data, the RTX A2000 Mobile is the appropriate choice for modern API workloads, ray tracing, tensor-based applications, and power-constrained mobile platforms. The GTX 1080 remains the better option for legacy DirectX performance, high-resolution texture workloads, and any scenario where memory capacity and bandwidth are limiting factors. The 2-7 win split in the head-to-head tests favors the GTX 1080 in raw benchmark count, but the magnitude of the RTX A2000 Mobile's Vulkan win is unmatched by any single GTX 1080 advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 13821, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 has 11960. The RTX A2000 Mobile also sits in the 55th percentile versus the 51st percentile for the GTX 1080.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile scores 53146 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to 30398 for the GTX 1080, a 74.8% advantage. This is the largest delta in any head-to-head test between the two GPUs.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the GTX 1080 wins 7 of 9 head-to-head tests. Its largest wins are 45.5% in Passmark DirectX 9, 45.2% in DirectX 11, and 44.7% in Passmark G2D. It also leads in DirectX 10, DirectX 12, G3D, and GPU compute.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1080 has 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256 bit bus with 320.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RTX A2000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which GPU has hardware ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the RTX A2000 Mobile includes dedicated hardware, with 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The GTX 1080 has no ray tracing or tensor core hardware listed in the database.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile is rated at 95 W TDP with no power connectors and an IGP slot width. The GTX 1080 is rated at 180 W TDP, uses a dual-slot cooler, requires one 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 450 W.