NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two cards cleanly: the RTX 2060 wins the only head-to-head test recorded, and it does so by an enormous margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2060 scores 65,014 against the GTX 480's 13,300, a difference of 388.8% in favor of the newer card. That single result tells the story of two architectures separated by nearly a decade of GPU development.

The RTX 2060 also holds a substantial advantage in the broader database. Its average benchmark score sits at 15,290, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs tracked. The GTX 480 manages an average of 13,300, which lands it in the 53rd percentile. While both cards sit in the lower half of the current database, the RTX 2060's percentile ranking is five points higher, and its raw average score is roughly 15% higher.

Looking at the RTX 2060's individual benchmark results, it posts strong numbers across a range of tests. Its PassMark G3D score is 14,111, and its PassMark G2D score is 745. In compute workloads, it reaches 5,488 in PassMark GPU Compute and 65,846 in Geekbench Vulkan. The GTX 480 has no Vulkan support in the database, and its only recorded benchmark is the Geekbench OpenCL result of 13,300.

For the GTX 480, the data shows a card that is clearly outmatched in modern workloads. Its single recorded OpenCL score puts it in the company of AMD Radeon Pro 555X, AMD FirePro M6100, AMD Radeon RX 5500M, and AMD Radeon HD 8950M, all of which score within 0.6% of the GTX 480. Those are all much older or lower-tier parts, and the GTX 480's performance level is simply not competitive with the RTX 2060.

The wins here are one-sided. The RTX 2060 takes the only head-to-head test, and the GTX 480 has no benchmark where it comes out ahead. The data does not show a single workload where the older card wins.

# Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations of NVIDIA's GPU design. The RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU106 chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 480 uses the Fermi architecture with the GF100 chip on a 40 nm process, also from TSMC. The process node difference is significant: 12 nm versus 40 nm, which directly impacts transistor density. The RTX 2060 packs 10,800 million transistors into a 445 mm² die, giving it a density of 24.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 480 has 3,100 million transistors on a larger 529 mm² die, with a density of just 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 480 has 1,536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a wider 384-bit bus, but its bandwidth is only 177.4 GB/s. The RTX 2060's memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the GTX 480's memory runs at 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective).

Core counts show the generational leap. The RTX 2060 has 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 2060 also adds hardware that did not exist in the Fermi generation: 30 RT cores for ray tracing and 240 tensor cores for AI workloads. The GTX 480 has neither.

The RTX 2060's clock behavior is also different. It has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The GTX 480 has no base or boost clock listed in the database, only its memory clock. The compute rates reflect the architectural gap. The RTX 2060 delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12.90 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (at a 2:1 ratio). The GTX 480 delivers 1,345.0 GFLOPS of FP32, which is roughly 1.345 TFLOPS, and has no FP16 capability listed.

Power and connectivity differ as well. The RTX 2060 has a TDP of 160 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested 450 W PSU. The GTX 480 has a TDP of 250 W, needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, and the database recommends a 600 W PSU. The RTX 2060 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 480 uses PCIe 2.0 x16.

Display outputs also reflect the era. The RTX 2060 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The GTX 480 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. API support shows the RTX 2060 reaching DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 480 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only one direct comparison between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the RTX 2060 scores 65,014 against the GTX 480's 13,300. The delta is 388.8%, meaning the RTX 2060 is nearly five times faster in this OpenCL compute workload. This is not a close race; it is a complete rout.

To put the GTX 480's score in context, its nearest rivals in the database are all AMD parts: the Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, 0.2% higher), FirePro M6100 (13,354, 0.4% higher), Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, 0.4% higher), and Radeon HD 8950M (13,376, 0.6% higher). The GTX 480 sits at the bottom of this cluster, slightly behind all of them. The RTX 2060, by contrast, sits near a cluster of much faster cards. Its nearest rivals include the GTX 580 (15,283, 0% delta), Radeon 680M (15,270, 0.1% higher), RTX 3050 OEM (15,199, 0.6% higher), and Radeon RX 7600 (15,171, 0.8% higher). The RTX 2060's average score of 15,290 puts it just ahead of all of these.

The RTX 2060's individual benchmark results reinforce its advantage. Its PassMark G3D score of 14,111 is a strong result for a mid-range card, and its PassMark G2D score of 745 shows solid 2D performance. In DirectX tests, it scores 98 in PassMark DirectX 10, 110 in DirectX 11, 53 in DirectX 12, and 190 in DirectX 9. Its Vulkan score of 65,846 in Geekbench is nearly identical to its OpenCL score, indicating consistent compute performance across APIs.

The GTX 480 has no comparable results in the database beyond its single OpenCL score. There are no PassMark results, no Vulkan results, and no DirectX benchmarks recorded. This makes a full head-to-head comparison impossible, but the one available data point is decisive.

# The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The RTX 2060 outperforms the GTX 480 in every measurable way, and the one direct comparison shows a 388.8% margin. Anyone considering these two cards for modern workloads should choose the RTX 2060 without hesitation.

The GTX 480's 53rd percentile ranking and its position among low-end AMD mobile parts make it unsuitable for any current gaming or compute task. Its lack of Vulkan support, limited DirectX 12 (11_0) capability, and absence of RT and tensor cores mean it cannot run modern games or AI workloads effectively. Its 1.5 GB of GDDR5 memory is also a severe limitation; 6 GB of GDDR6 on the RTX 2060 is the minimum viable amount for current titles.

The RTX 2060, with its 58th percentile ranking, is a viable entry-level card for 1080p gaming and light compute. Its 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores give it features that the GTX 480 simply cannot match. The RTX 2060 also consumes less power (160 W versus 250 W) and requires a smaller PSU (450 W versus 600 W), making it easier to integrate into an existing system.

The GTX 480 is a historical artifact. Its only recorded benchmark places it below several AMD laptop and workstation parts from the same era. There is no workload in the database where the GTX 480 wins. For any builder or analyst looking at these two cards, the choice is clear: the RTX 2060 is the only reasonable option.

# FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 65,014 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 480 scores 13,300. The RTX 2060 is 388.8% faster.

Q: Does the GTX 480 support Vulkan?

A: No, the database lists no Vulkan support for the GTX 480. The RTX 2060 supports Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the memory difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 192-bit bus. The GTX 480 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which card has ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the RTX 2060 has these features, with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GTX 480 has neither.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 2060 has a TDP of 160 W and needs a 450 W PSU with one 8-pin connector. The GTX 480 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W PSU with both 6-pin and 8-pin connectors.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 2060 averages 15,290 across all recorded benchmarks, placing it in the 58th percentile. The GTX 480 averages 13,300, placing it in the 53rd percentile.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 2060 | GTX 480 |

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

| Architecture | Turing | Fermi |

| Chip | TU106 | GF100 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 10,800 million | 3,100 million |

| Die Size | 445 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.3M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 1,920 | 480 |

| TMUs | 120 | 60 |

| ROPs | 48 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 30 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 240 | None |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 1,536 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 177.4 GB/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.451 TFLOPS | 1,345.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 12.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| Pixel Rate | 80.64 GPixel/s | 21.03 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 201.6 GTexel/s | 42.06 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 160 W | 250 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 600 W |

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

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | None |

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

| Release Date | 2019-01-06 | 2010-03-25 |