NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly seven years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the story is more nuanced than a simple score comparison. This analysis explores the benchmark data, architectural shifts, and specific use-case strengths derived solely from the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: Based on the average benchmark score, how close is the performance gap between the GTX TITAN Z and the RTX 3080 Mobile?

A: The gap is remarkably narrow. The GTX TITAN Z holds an average benchmark score of 23736, while the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23628. This places the RTX 3080 Mobile just 0.5% behind the TITAN Z in the TITAN Z's rival list, and the TITAN Z is 0.5% ahead in the RTX 3080 Mobile's list.

Q: Which GPU wins in the Geekbench OpenCL test, and by what margin?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile is the decisive winner in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 104831 compared to the TITAN Z's 25465. The data shows a deltaPct of -75.7 for the TITAN Z, meaning the RTX 3080 Mobile outperforms it by a substantial margin.

Q: Is the Geekbench Vulkan result similar to the OpenCL result for these two GPUs?

A: Yes, the pattern holds. In the Vulkan test, the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104066 against the TITAN Z's 22006. This represents a -78.9 deltaPct for the TITAN Z, confirming the RTX 3080 Mobile's dominance in modern compute APIs.

Q: What is the total win count in the head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile secures all wins, with a total of 2 wins in the head-to-head benchmarks. The GTX TITAN Z records 0 wins in these direct comparisons.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of their percentile ranking against all GPUs?

A: Both GPUs are ranked at the 69th percentile against all GPUs, indicating they occupy a similar tier in the overall performance distribution, despite their differing benchmark scores in specific tests.

Q: Are there any benchmark scores for the TITAN Z that are not available for the RTX 3080 Mobile?

A: Yes, the TITAN Z has no scores listed for tests like 3DMark Steel Nomad, Passmark DirectX, or Passmark G3D. The RTX 3080 Mobile has a richer set of benchmark data, including 3DMark, Passmark DirectX 9/10/11/12, Passmark G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute tests.

The Verdict

The data presents a fascinating split. For users focused on raw compute performance in modern APIs, the RTX 3080 Mobile is the clear choice, delivering a 4x improvement in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores. The RTX 3080 Mobile also offers a massive architectural leap in features like ray tracing and tensor cores, which are absent from the TITAN Z. However, for those relying on legacy DirectX 11 or older workloads, the TITAN Z's higher average score (23736 vs 23628) suggests it remains marginally competitive in that specific context. The RTX 3080 Mobile is the better pick for any modern, compute-heavy or feature-rich workload. The TITAN Z, with its end-of-life status and 2014 release date, is only relevant for specific legacy scenarios where its unique dual-GPU architecture and higher average score in certain tests provide a slight edge.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is stark and one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3080 Mobile produces a score of 104831, which is a 75.7% improvement over the TITAN Z's 25465. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational leap in raw compute throughput. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story. The RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104066, while the TITAN Z manages 22006, a deltaPct of 78.9% in favor of the RTX 3080 Mobile. These results indicate that the RTX 3080 Mobile's architecture is vastly more efficient at handling the parallel workloads these tests demand. The TITAN Z, despite having a high transistor count, cannot keep pace with the newer design's execution capabilities. The data suggests that in any application that leverages Vulkan or OpenCL, the RTX 3080 Mobile will be significantly faster.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal fundamental differences beyond raw performance. The RTX 3080 Mobile features 6144 shading units, more than double the TITAN Z's 2880. The RTX 3080 Mobile also has 96 ROPs, compared to 48 on the TITAN Z, and a higher texture rate of 296.6 GTexel/s versus 210.2 GTexel/s. Clock speeds differ substantially, with the RTX 3080 Mobile's base clock at 1110 MHz and boost at 1545 MHz, while the TITAN Z runs at a base of 705 MHz and boost of 876 MHz. Memory configurations also diverge: the RTX 3080 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the TITAN Z uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus for 336.0 GB/s. The RTX 3080 Mobile also has a significantly lower TDP of 115 W versus the TITAN Z's 375 W.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is the core of this comparison. The GTX TITAN Z is built on the Kepler architecture using a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 561 mm². Its chip, the GK110B, houses 7,080 million transistors. In contrast, the RTX 3080 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with a die size of 392 mm² and a much higher transistor count of 17,400 million. This leads to a transistor density of 44.4M / mm² for the RTX 3080 Mobile versus 12.6M / mm² for the TITAN Z. The RTX 3080 Mobile introduces 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the TITAN Z. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the TITAN Z is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 3080 Mobile also offers FP16 performance at 18.98 TFLOPS (1:1), a capability the TITAN Z does not list.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 Mobile is the definitive winner in any scenario that utilizes modern graphics APIs or compute workloads. Its 4x lead in both Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks makes it the superior choice for GPU-accelerated computing, machine learning inference, and modern game engines that leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features like ray tracing. The presence of dedicated RT and tensor cores further cements its advantage in these areas. The RTX 3080 Mobile's higher pixel rate of 148.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 296.6 GTexel/s also make it better suited for high-resolution rendering tasks. The GTX TITAN Z, with its higher average benchmark score, might hold a slight edge in specific legacy DirectX 11 workloads, but this is not supported by any direct head-to-head data. The TITAN Z's only clear advantage is its 2,999 USD launch MSRP, which is a historical fact. For any practical modern use, the data overwhelmingly favors the RTX 3080 Mobile.