NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in raw OpenCL compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 dominates. It scores 152,423 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the GTX TITAN Z's 25,465, a delta of -83.3% favoring the RTX 3080. That is roughly a six-fold advantage in raw compute throughput.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan graphics workloads?

A: The RTX 3080 also leads, scoring 33,620 versus 22,006 for the GTX TITAN Z. The delta is -34.5%, meaning the RTX 3080 outperforms the TITAN Z by more than a third in this API.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between them?

A: The GTX TITAN Z has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 23,736 compared to the RTX 3080's 23,172. However, this aggregate figure masks the RTX 3080's dominance in the specific head-to-head tests where both were evaluated.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 3080, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, packs 45.1M transistors per mm². The GTX TITAN Z, on TSMC's 28 nm node, has only 12.6M transistors per mm². This is a 3.6x density advantage for the newer card.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX TITAN Z offers 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X on a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s — more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports hardware ray tracing?

A: Only the RTX 3080. It includes 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The GTX TITAN Z has neither, as it predates ray tracing hardware entirely.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the superior GPU for virtually every modern workload. In the head-to-head benchmarks, the RTX 3080 wins both tests decisively — by 83.3% in OpenCL and 34.5% in Vulkan. The GTX TITAN Z's only consolation is a slightly higher aggregate average score (23,736 vs 23,172), but that figure is skewed by the TITAN Z's limited benchmark pool of just two tests versus ten for the RTX 3080.

For gamers, content creators, and compute users, the RTX 3080 is the clear choice. It offers more than 5x the FP32 throughput (29.77 TFLOPS vs 5.046 TFLOPS), double the memory bandwidth, and modern feature support including DirectX 12 Ultimate, hardware ray tracing, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX TITAN Z, launched in 2014 with a 2,999 USD MSRP, is a historical artifact — a dual-GPU Kepler monster that cannot compete with Ampere's efficiency and raw power.

The only scenario where the GTX TITAN Z might be relevant is legacy software that specifically benefits from its dual-GPU architecture, but no benchmark evidence in this data supports that claim. The RTX 3080 wins on performance, features, power efficiency (320 W TDP vs 375 W), and physical footprint (dual-slot vs triple-slot). Choose the RTX 3080 unless you specifically need a museum piece.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 3080's victory in Geekbench OpenCL is staggering. With a score of 152,423 against the GTX TITAN Z's 25,465, the RTX 3080 delivers roughly 6x the compute performance. This delta of -83.3% reflects the fundamental architectural leap between Kepler (2014) and Ampere (2020). The TITAN Z's 5.046 TFLOPS FP32 rating is dwarfed by the RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS — a 5.9x gap that the OpenCL benchmark faithfully captures.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin narrows but remains decisive. The RTX 3080 scores 33,620 versus 22,006, a 34.5% advantage. This smaller gap suggests that the TITAN Z's Kepler architecture handles Vulkan's asynchronous compute reasonably well relative to its raw specs, but it still cannot match the RTX 3080's 8,704 shading units and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate.

Notably, the GTX TITAN Z has zero head-to-head wins. The RTX 3080 wins both comparisons. The TITAN Z's nearest rivals in the database — the RTX 3080 Mobile (23,628, +0.5% delta), AMD Radeon RX 9070 (23,877, -0.6%), RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (23,518, +0.9%), and Radeon RX 6800S (24,063, -1.4%) — all cluster within 1.4% of its average score. This suggests the TITAN Z's aggregate score is competitive with mid-range mobile parts, but utterly outclassed by the desktop RTX 3080.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX TITAN Z | RTX 3080 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Ampere |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 7,080 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 561 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Base Clock | 705 MHz | 1440 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 876 MHz | 1710 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR5 | 10 GB GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 320 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 760.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2880 | 8704 |

| TMUs | 240 | 272 |

| ROPs | 48 | 96 |

| Pixel Rate | 52.56 GPixel/s | 164.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 210.2 GTexel/s | 465.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 5.046 TFLOPS | 29.77 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | N/A | 29.77 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 375 W | 320 W |

| Slot Width | Triple-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 750 W | 700 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DP 1.2 | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DP 1.4a |

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | 267mm L, 111mm H, 62mm W | 285mm L, 112mm H, 40mm W |

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is vast. The GTX TITAN Z uses the GK110B chip on TSMC's 28 nm process, packing 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die. The RTX 3080 employs the GA102 chip on Samsung's 8 nm node, fitting 28,300 million transistors — four times more — into a slightly larger 628 mm² die. Transistor density jumps from 12.6M/mm² to 45.1M/mm².

The RTX 3080 introduces hardware features the TITAN Z cannot emulate. It has 68 RT cores for real-time ray tracing and 272 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The TITAN Z has neither. The RTX 3080 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the TITAN Z's DirectX 12 (11_1), a generational API leap. Vulkan support improves from 1.2.175 to 1.4.

Memory technology changes dramatically. The TITAN Z uses 6 GB of GDDR5 at 7 Gbps effective on a 384-bit bus. The RTX 3080 uses 10 GB of GDDR6X at 19 Gbps effective on a 320-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 3080 achieves 760.3 GB/s bandwidth versus 336.0 GB/s — a 2.26x improvement.

Compute resources scale similarly. Shading units jump from 2,880 to 8,704 (3x), TMUs from 240 to 272, and ROPs from 48 to 96 (2x). The FP32 throughput leaps from 5.046 TFLOPS to 29.77 TFLOPS, and the RTX 3080 adds FP16 capability at a 1:1 ratio — a feature entirely absent from the TITAN Z.

Power efficiency tells the story of process node evolution. Despite 4x more transistors and nearly 6x the FP32 throughput, the RTX 3080 draws 320 W versus the TITAN Z's 375 W. It also requires a lower suggested PSU (700 W vs 750 W) and fits in a dual-slot form factor versus the TITAN Z's triple-slot design. The RTX 3080 is also shorter in height (40 mm vs 62 mm) and slightly longer (285 mm vs 267 mm).

Where Each One Wins

RTX 3080 wins virtually everywhere. The benchmark data shows decisive victories in both OpenCL (152,423 vs 25,465) and Vulkan (33,620 vs 22,006). Its 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance makes it suitable for compute-heavy workloads ranging from scientific simulation to machine learning inference. The 10 GB GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for 4K gaming textures and large datasets. DirectX 12 Ultimate support means it can run the latest titles with ray tracing and DLSS (via tensor cores) at full fidelity. The dual-slot cooler and 320 W TDP make it practical for mainstream PC builds, and PCIe 4.0 x16 support ensures compatibility with modern platforms.

GTX TITAN Z wins only in legacy compatibility scenarios. Its 2x DVI outputs may appeal to users with older monitors that lack HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4a. The 6 GB GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, while slower, could theoretically handle certain multi-GPU compute workloads that were optimized for Kepler's dual-die design. Its average benchmark score of 23,736 places it near mobile RTX 3080-class performance, meaning it can still handle older DirectX 11 titles at reduced settings. However, its DirectX 12 (11_1) support, lack of RT/tensor cores, and 375 W TDP make it unsuitable for modern high-end gaming or professional workloads.

For any user choosing between these two today, the RTX 3080 is the only rational pick. The GTX TITAN Z is a collector's item — a 2,999 USD launch piece that was once the fastest card on earth but now falls behind even mid-range mobile parts in its nearest-rival cluster. The data does not support any use case where the TITAN Z is preferable, except perhaps for those who specifically need DVI outputs or run software that predates Ampere's feature set.