NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 are both Turing-architecture GPUs, but they occupy completely different segments of the market. The GTX 1630 is a modest entry-level card with a 75 W TDP and no ray tracing or tensor cores, while the RTX 2080 is a high-end model with 46 ray tracing cores, 368 tensor cores, and a 215 W TDP. Benchmark data shows the RTX 2080 dominates in every head-to-head test, but the GTX 1630 holds its own in the lower percentile rankings, making it a viable option for basic computing tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 2080 wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons by a massive margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 scores 91,313, while the GTX 1630 scores 24,858, resulting in a 72.8% advantage for the RTX 2080. This is not a close contest by any measure — the RTX 2080 delivers nearly four times the compute throughput in this workload.

The gap widens further in Geekbench Vulkan. The RTX 2080 posts 107,797 points, compared to the GTX 1630’s 23,695, a difference of 78%. This suggests the RTX 2080’s advantage grows even larger in API-level workloads that can leverage its additional hardware resources, such as tensor cores for accelerated compute and more shading units for parallel processing.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the average benchmark score for the RTX 2080 is 22,895, while the GTX 1630 averages 24,277. This is an unusual inversion — the GTX 1630 has a higher average score across all its benchmarks, even though it loses decisively in the head-to-head tests. The reason lies in the benchmark samples: the GTX 1630’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (24,236, a 0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24,442, a -0.7% delta), showing it sits in a tight cluster around 24,000 points. The RTX 2080’s nearest rivals, meanwhile, are clustered around 23,000 points, including the Intel Arc B580 (23,021, -0.5%) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172, -1.2%).

The percentile rankings tell a similar story. The GTX 1630 ranks in the 70th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 2080 ranks in the 68th percentile. This means the GTX 1630 outperforms more of the overall GPU population in its benchmark suite than the RTX 2080 does, despite the RTX 2080 being the far more powerful card in absolute terms. The discrepancy likely stems from the fact that the GTX 1630’s benchmarks are limited to OpenCL and Vulkan, while the RTX 2080’s suite includes additional tests like PassMark DX9, DX10, DX11, DX12, and G2D, which drag down its average.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Turing architecture and fabricated on TSMC’s 12 nm process node, but their chips could not be more different. The GTX 1630 uses the TU117 chip, a small die measuring 200 mm² with 4,700 million transistors and a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The RTX 2080 uses the TU104 chip, which is substantially larger at 545 mm², packing 13,600 million transistors at a density of 25.0M per mm².

The core configurations diverge sharply. The GTX 1630 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster output units (ROPs). The RTX 2080 scales this up to 2,944 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This 5.75x increase in shading units directly explains the RTX 2080’s overwhelming compute advantage.

The RTX 2080 also introduces hardware features absent from the GTX 1630: 46 ray tracing cores and 368 tensor cores. These enable real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, which the GTX 1630 cannot handle at all. The GTX 1630 has no equivalent hardware, so it relies purely on traditional rasterization.

Clock speeds are counterintuitive. The GTX 1630 runs at a base clock of 1740 MHz and boosts to 1785 MHz, both higher than the RTX 2080’s 1515 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the RTX 2080’s massive core count produces far higher throughput: 10.07 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.828 TFLOPS for the GTX 1630. The RTX 2080 also achieves 20.14 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), compared to the GTX 1630’s 3.656 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations reflect the performance gap. The GTX 1630 ships with 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2080 doubles capacity to 8 GB GDDR6 and quadruples the bus to 256-bit, delivering 448.0 GB/s. Memory clocks differ as well: the GTX 1630 runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while the RTX 2080 runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2080 is decisively ahead. It posts 10.07 TFLOPS FP32 and 20.14 TFLOPS FP16, while the GTX 1630 manages only 1.828 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.656 TFLOPS FP16. In head-to-head Geekbench tests, the RTX 2080 leads by 72.8% in OpenCL and 78% in Vulkan.

Q: Does the GTX 1630 support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 1630 has zero ray tracing cores and zero tensor cores. The RTX 2080 includes 46 ray tracing cores and 368 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS-style AI features.

Q: Why does the GTX 1630 have a higher average benchmark score than the RTX 2080?

A: The GTX 1630’s average score is 24,277 versus 22,895 for the RTX 2080. This is because the GTX 1630’s benchmark set includes only Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, while the RTX 2080’s set includes PassMark DX9 (223), DX10 (136), DX11 (158), DX12 (72), and G2D (907) tests, which are lower-scoring and pull its average down.

Q: What are the memory differences between the two cards?

A: The GTX 1630 has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2080 has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth — a 4.67x increase in bandwidth.

Q: Which card requires more power?

A: The RTX 2080 has a 215 W TDP and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The GTX 1630 has a 75 W TDP, a 250 W suggested PSU, and needs no power connectors.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of API support?

A: The RTX 2080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1630 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX 1630 | RTX 2080 |

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

| Chip | TU117 | TU104 |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 545 mm² |

| Transistors | 4,700 million | 13,600 million |

| Base Clock | 1740 MHz | 1515 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1785 MHz | 1710 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 2,944 |

| TMUs | 32 | 184 |

| ROPs | 16 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 46 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 368 |

| Pixel Rate | 28.56 GPixel/s | 109.4 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 57.12 GTexel/s | 314.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.828 TFLOPS | 10.07 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 3.656 TFLOPS (2:1) | 20.14 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 215 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 550 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

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

| Dimensions | 145 mm (5.7 in) length | 267 mm (10.5 in) length |

| Release Date | 2022-06-27 | 2018-09-19 |

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The RTX 2080 wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins exceeding 70%, and it offers a 5.5x advantage in FP32 throughput, a 4.67x advantage in memory bandwidth, and 8 GB versus 4 GB of VRAM. The RTX 2080 also adds ray tracing and tensor cores, which the GTX 1630 completely lacks. If you need compute performance, memory capacity, or modern features, the RTX 2080 is the only choice.

The GTX 1630’s advantages are limited to power efficiency (75 W versus 215 W), smaller physical footprint (145 mm versus 267 mm length), and higher clock speeds (1785 MHz versus 1710 MHz boost). Its 70th percentile ranking versus the RTX 2080’s 68th is a statistical artifact from differing benchmark suites, not a sign of real-world parity. The GTX 1630 is suitable for basic display output, low-end gaming, or systems with strict power and space constraints.

Choose the RTX 2080 for any serious gaming, rendering, or compute workload. Choose the GTX 1630 only if your primary concern is minimal power draw and a tiny card that can fit in a small case.

Where Each One Wins

RTX 2080 wins decisively in:

• Raw compute performance: 10.07 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.828 TFLOPS, and 20.14 TFLOPS FP16 versus 3.656 TFLOPS.
• Memory bandwidth: 448.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, critical for high-resolution textures and large datasets.
• VRAM capacity: 8 GB versus 4 GB, allowing larger textures and more demanding workloads.
• Ray tracing and AI features: 46 RT cores and 368 tensor cores enable workloads impossible on the GTX 1630.
• API compatibility: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus DirectX 12 (12_1).
• Display connectivity: 3x DisplayPort plus USB Type-C versus a single DisplayPort.

GTX 1630 wins narrowly in:

• Power efficiency: 75 W TDP versus 215 W, with no power connectors required.
• Physical size: 145 mm length versus 267 mm, and single-slot versus dual-slot.
• Clock speeds: 1740 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost versus 1515 MHz and 1710 MHz.
• Average benchmark score: 24,277 versus 22,895, though this reflects benchmark suite composition rather than actual performance.

The RTX 2080 is the clear winner for any performance-sensitive task. The GTX 1630’s wins are all about practicality — low power, small footprint, and simplicity — not speed. For a builder prioritizing performance, the RTX 2080 is the obvious pick; for a builder prioritizing efficiency and compactness, the GTX 1630 has its place, but it will not compete in demanding applications.