NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti are separated by nearly a decade of GPU architecture, yet both sit at similar positions in the overall performance distribution. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile holds a 71st percentile rank among all GPUs, while the GTX 780 Ti is close behind at the 70th percentile. In average benchmark scores, the mobile part reaches 25,740, roughly 6.2% higher than the desktop card’s 24,236. The head-to-head data, however, shows a far larger gap in the two shared tests, with the newer architecture dominating by margins exceeding 290%.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two GPUs share only two benchmark results directly: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In the OpenCL test, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 117,866, while the GTX 780 Ti produces 27,326. That is a 331.3% advantage for the mobile part, meaning the newer GPU delivers more than four times the compute throughput in this workload. The Vulkan result is similarly lopsided: the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile posts 107,502 against the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,238, a 294.7% lead. These are not marginal wins; they represent a generational leap in raw compute capability.

Because the GTX 780 Ti has no corresponding DirectX or Passmark entries in the shared dataset, the head-to-head comparison is limited to these two compute-oriented APIs. Still, the magnitude of the deltas is telling. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s FP32 throughput is listed at 18.71 TFLOPS, compared to 5.345 TFLOPS for the GTX 780 Ti — a 3.5x difference that aligns with the OpenCL margin. The GTX 780 Ti’s highest recorded score in any test is its Geekbench Vulkan figure, which is still less than one-third of the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s Vulkan result. There is no benchmark in the data where the older card wins outright.

The nearest rivals for each GPU further contextualize these scores. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro W5700, with an average score of 25,726 and a delta of just 0.1% — essentially a tie. The GTX 780 Ti’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, which scores 24,277, a -0.2% delta. This places the GTX 780 Ti in the same performance tier as entry-level modern GPUs, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile competes with workstation-class parts. The average score gap of 1,504 points between the two reviewed GPUs is modest in percentile terms, but the compute-specific tests reveal where the real divergence lies.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses the GA103 chip built on Samsung’s 8 nm process, while the GTX 780 Ti uses the GK110B chip on TSMC’s 28 nm node. Transistor counts reflect the process jump: the mobile GPU packs 22,000 million transistors into a 496 mm² die, yielding a density of 44.4 million transistors per mm². The GTX 780 Ti has 7,080 million transistors on a larger 561 mm² die, giving a density of just 12.6 million per mm². The newer part fits more than three times the transistors into a smaller physical area.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture and belongs to the GeForce 30 Mobile generation. It includes 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, plus 58 dedicated ray tracing cores and 232 tensor cores. The GTX 780 Ti, using the older Kepler architecture from the GeForce 700 series, has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and only 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor cores at all. The shading unit count is 2.6x higher on the mobile part, while the TMU count is slightly lower (232 vs 240), but the ROP advantage is 2x in favor of the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile.

Memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780 Ti uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, but only achieves 336.6 GB/s. The mobile GPU has 4.3 GB more memory capacity and 52% more bandwidth despite the narrower interface. Clock speeds tell a different story: the GTX 780 Ti runs at a higher base clock of 875 MHz and a boost of 928 MHz, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile sits at 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. The boost clock on the Ampere part is 35.8% higher, but the memory clock is the larger gap — 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

API support also separates the two. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 780 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), Vulkan 1.2.175, and OpenGL 4.6. The newer GPU’s DirectX feature level is a full tier above, enabling hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders that the Kepler part cannot execute. The GTX 780 Ti also lacks any FP16 support, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile lists FP16 at 18.71 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins every benchmark category where both GPUs have data. In compute-heavy APIs like OpenCL and Vulkan, it holds a 3-4x lead. The pixel rate of 121.0 GPixel/s versus 55.68 GPixel/s means the mobile part can fill frames more than twice as fast. Texture rate is also higher at 292.3 GTexel/s versus 222.7 GTexel/s, a 31.3% advantage. For workloads that leverage ray tracing or tensor operations, the GTX 780 Ti has no hardware support whatsoever, making the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile the only viable option.

The GTX 780 Ti’s only advantages are in physical specifications: it has a higher base clock (875 MHz vs 810 MHz), a slightly higher TMU count (240 vs 232), and a dual-slot form factor with a 600 W suggested PSU. It also has a larger die (561 mm² vs 496 mm²), but that is a consequence of the older process node rather than a performance benefit. In practical terms, the only scenario where the GTX 780 Ti could be preferred is one where its specific output configuration — 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 — is required, since the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

For gaming, the data points to the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile being the clear choice. Its Passmark G3D score of 19,288 versus the GTX 780 Ti’s lack of any Passmark entry in the dataset suggests the mobile part has far more DirectX 11 and 12 headroom. The GTX 780 Ti’s DirectX 12 (11_1) support is a limitation for modern titles, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s 12 Ultimate feature set is future-proof. For compute tasks like OpenCL rendering or Vulkan-based workloads, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is in a different league entirely.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile in OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 117,866 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 331.3% higher than the GTX 780 Ti’s 27,326.

Q: Does the GTX 780 Ti support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 780 Ti has no ray tracing cores, while the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile includes 58 dedicated RT cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of GDDR5. The mobile part also has 512.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 336.6 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile boosts to 1260 MHz, compared to the GTX 780 Ti’s 928 MHz boost clock.

Q: Are both GPUs end-of-life products?

A: Yes, both are listed as end-of-life. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile was released in January 2022, and the GTX 780 Ti was released in November 2013.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 44.4 million transistors per mm² on an 8 nm process, while the GTX 780 Ti has 12.6 million per mm² on a 28 nm process.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs in the data:

• Process node: 8 nm (Samsung) vs 28 nm (TSMC)
• Transistor count: 22,000 million vs 7,080 million
• Die size: 496 mm² vs 561 mm²
• Transistor density: 44.4M / mm² vs 12.6M / mm²
• Base clock: 810 MHz vs 875 MHz
• Boost clock: 1260 MHz vs 928 MHz
• Memory clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) vs 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective)
• Memory size: 16 GB GDDR6 vs 3 GB GDDR5
• Memory bus width: 256 bit vs 384 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 512.0 GB/s vs 336.6 GB/s
• Shading units: 7424 vs 2880
• TMUs: 232 vs 240
• ROPs: 96 vs 48
• RT cores: 58 vs none
• Tensor cores: 232 vs none
• Pixel rate: 121.0 GPixel/s vs 55.68 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 292.3 GTexel/s vs 222.7 GTexel/s
• FP32: 18.71 TFLOPS vs 5.345 TFLOPS
• FP16: 18.71 TFLOPS (1:1) vs none
• TDP: 115 W vs 250 W
• Slot width: not specified vs dual-slot
• Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: not specified vs 600 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display outputs: Portable Device Dependent vs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2
• DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs 12 (11_1)
• Vulkan support: 1.4 vs 1.2.175
• Release date: 2022-01-24 vs 2013-11-06
• Predecessor: GeForce 20 Mobile vs GeForce 600
• Successor: none vs GeForce 900
• Launch MSRP: not available vs 699 USD

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable way. It holds a 6.2% higher average benchmark score (25,740 vs 24,236) and a 331.3% lead in OpenCL, with a 294.7% advantage in Vulkan. Its 18.71 TFLOPS FP32 output is 3.5x the GTX 780 Ti’s 5.345 TFLOPS, and its 16 GB memory capacity is more than five times larger. The only specifications where the GTX 780 Ti leads are base clock, TMU count, and die size — none of which translate into a single benchmark win.

Users who need modern API support, ray tracing, or high compute throughput should choose the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set and Vulkan 1.4 support make it suitable for current-generation workloads. The GTX 780 Ti, with its DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175, is limited to older applications. The GTX 780 Ti’s 600 W suggested PSU and 250 W TDP also make it less efficient than the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile’s 115 W TDP, though the mobile part requires a portable device’s power delivery system.

The GTX 780 Ti remains relevant only for legacy systems with specific DVI or DisplayPort 1.2 output needs, or for users constrained to its dual-slot desktop form factor. Its 3 GB memory and 48 ROPs are a bottleneck for modern resolutions. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, despite being a mobile part, outperforms the older desktop card by a wide margin in all shared tests, making it the clear choice for any workload that can leverage its Ampere architecture. The percentile ranks — 71 vs 70 — understate the true gap because they aggregate across all tests, but the head-to-head results show a generational chasm.