NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA’s flagship-tier GPU lineup, and the benchmark data shows a clear, if nuanced, shift in performance. Across a suite of ten head-to-head tests, the RTX 3070 Ti claims eight victories, while the RTX 2080 Ti manages two. However, the margin of victory is not uniform. The RTX 3070 Ti’s largest win comes in the compute-oriented Passmark GPU Compute test, where it scores 11,601 against 10,056, a substantial 15.4% advantage. It also shows a strong 13.8% lead in Passmark G2D (1,055 vs 927), and an 11.1% edge in the legacy DirectX 9 test (261 vs 235). In modern rasterization, the RTX 3070 Ti’s Passmark G3D score of 23,356 is 8.4% higher than the 21,548 posted by the RTX 2080 Ti, and its DirectX 12 score of 91 beats 84 by 8.3%. Vulkan performance also favors the newer card, with a 5% lead (139,541 vs 132,930). The margins are smaller in DirectX 10 (1.3% ahead) and DirectX 11 (1.1% ahead), but they still favor the RTX 3070 Ti.

The RTX 2080 Ti’s two wins are not trivial, however. In the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 3,537 against 3,478, a 1.7% advantage. More notably, it dominates in Geekbench OpenCL, posting 128,171 versus 119,718, a 6.6% lead. This suggests that in certain raw compute workloads, the older Turing architecture still holds an edge. The overall average benchmark scores reflect this split: the RTX 3070 Ti averages 29,945, while the RTX 2080 Ti sits at 29,783, a difference of only 0.5%. Both cards occupy the 75th percentile among all GPUs, and the nearest rival data confirms they are closely matched. The RTX 3070 Ti’s average score is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile and 0.5% higher than the RTX 2080 Ti, while the RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% behind the RTX 3070 Ti and 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800. The data shows a generational improvement in most tests, but the RTX 2080 Ti remains a formidable competitor in specific scenarios.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental difference between these two cards lies in their underlying architectures and manufacturing processes. The RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. In contrast, the RTX 2080 Ti uses the older Turing architecture with the TU102 chip, produced on a 12 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows the RTX 3070 Ti to pack 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The RTX 2080 Ti, with 18,600 million transistors on a much larger 754 mm² die, has a density of only 24.7M per mm². The Ampere card’s higher density is a key factor in its efficiency and performance per unit area.

The core configurations differ significantly. The RTX 3070 Ti features 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 raster output units (ROPs). It also includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 2080 Ti, by comparison, has fewer shading units at 4,352, but more TMUs at 272 and slightly fewer ROPs at 88. Its ray tracing core count is higher at 68, and it carries 544 tensor cores. These numbers indicate that the RTX 2080 Ti was designed with a wider texture pipeline, while the RTX 3070 Ti prioritizes a larger number of general-purpose shaders. The FP32 compute throughput reflects this: the RTX 3070 Ti delivers 21.75 TFLOPS, while the RTX 2080 Ti manages 13.45 TFLOPS. However, in FP16, the RTX 2080 Ti achieves 26.90 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 3070 Ti matches its FP32 figure at 21.75 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Memory architecture also diverges. The RTX 3070 Ti uses 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The RTX 2080 Ti counters with 11 GB of GDDR6 on a wider 352-bit bus, achieving a slightly higher bandwidth of 616.0 GB/s. The memory clock rates differ, with the RTX 3070 Ti running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) and the RTX 2080 Ti at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The newer card’s use of faster GDDR6X compensates for its narrower bus. Other differences include the bus interface: the RTX 3070 Ti supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 2080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The RTX 3070 Ti requires a single 12-pin power connector, whereas the RTX 2080 Ti needs two 8-pin connectors. Both recommend a 600 W power supply, but the RTX 3070 Ti has a higher TDP of 290 W versus 250 W for the RTX 2080 Ti.

Where Each One Wins

Looking at the benchmark results, the RTX 3070 Ti emerges as the stronger choice for most modern and compute-heavy workloads. Its 15.4% lead in Passmark GPU Compute indicates a decisive advantage in general-purpose compute tasks. The 13.8% win in Passmark G2D suggests better 2D rendering and desktop compositing performance. In DirectX 12, the 8.3% lead (91 vs 84) points to superior performance in modern game engines that leverage the newer API. The 8.4% advantage in Passmark G3D reinforces this, showing that the RTX 3070 Ti is generally faster in Direct3D rasterization. Its 5% lead in Geekbench Vulkan also positions it well for Vulkan-based titles and applications. Even in legacy DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 workloads, the RTX 3070 Ti holds an 11.1% and 1.3% edge, respectively, indicating it does not sacrifice backward compatibility for modern performance.

The RTX 2080 Ti, despite being older, wins in two notable areas. Its 6.6% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL suggests that certain OpenCL compute workloads, perhaps those optimized for the Turing architecture’s tensor core layout, still run faster on this card. The 1.7% win in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is more significant, as this is a demanding, modern DirectX 12 benchmark. This result implies that in specific, heavily optimized DirectX 12 scenarios, the RTX 2080 Ti’s higher memory bandwidth (616.0 GB/s) and larger memory pool (11 GB) can provide a tangible benefit. For users whose primary workloads involve OpenCL compute or specific DirectX 12 titles that favor the Turing design, the RTX 2080 Ti remains competitive. However, the breadth of the RTX 3070 Ti’s wins—covering 8 of 10 tests—makes it the more versatile performer overall.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reveals several key differences beyond the architectural divide. The process node is a major differentiator: 8 nm for the RTX 3070 Ti versus 12 nm for the RTX 2080 Ti. This leads to the transistor density gap mentioned earlier (44.4M / mm² vs 24.7M / mm²). The die size differs dramatically, with the RTX 2080 Ti’s TU102 chip measuring 754 mm² compared to the RTX 3070 Ti’s 392 mm² GA104. Clock speeds are higher on the newer card: the RTX 3070 Ti has a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, while the RTX 2080 Ti runs at 1350 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. Memory configurations diverge: 8 GB GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus versus 11 GB GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus, with bandwidths of 608.3 GB/s and 616.0 GB/s respectively. The pixel rate of the RTX 3070 Ti is 169.9 GPixel/s, higher than the RTX 2080 Ti’s 136.0 GPixel/s, but the texture rate tells a different story: the RTX 2080 Ti achieves 420.2 GTexel/s versus 339.8 GTexel/s for the RTX 3070 Ti, due to its higher TMU count. Power requirements also differ: the RTX 3070 Ti has a 290 W TDP with a single 12-pin connector, while the RTX 2080 Ti has a 250 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors. The physical dimensions are nearly identical in length (267 mm), but the RTX 2080 Ti is slightly taller at 116 mm versus 112 mm, and the RTX 2080 Ti is specified at 35 mm wide. The RTX 3070 Ti offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the RTX 2080 Ti provides 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3070 Ti was released on 2021-05-30 with a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the RTX 2080 Ti launched on 2018-09-19 with a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 29,945, compared to 29,783 for the RTX 2080 Ti, a difference of 0.5%.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti scores 91 in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, which is 8.3% higher than the RTX 2080 Ti’s score of 84. However, in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX 2080 Ti wins with 3,537 versus 3,478, a 1.7% advantage.

Q: What is the most significant architectural difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process, while the RTX 2080 Ti uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm TSMC process. This results in a transistor density of 44.4M / mm² for the RTX 3070 Ti versus 24.7M / mm² for the RTX 2080 Ti.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a slightly higher memory bandwidth of 616.0 GB/s, compared to 608.3 GB/s for the RTX 3070 Ti, despite the newer card using faster GDDR6X memory.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 2080 Ti show its largest win?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti’s largest win is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 128,171 against 119,718, a 6.6% advantage over the RTX 3070 Ti.

Q: Are both cards in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the RTX 3070 Ti and the RTX 2080 Ti are in the 75th percentile among all GPUs, confirming they are closely matched in overall performance.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear picture: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the more capable card in the majority of benchmark scenarios. It wins 8 out of 10 head-to-head tests, with particularly strong showings in compute (15.4% ahead in Passmark GPU Compute), 2D performance (13.8% ahead in Passmark G2D), and modern DirectX 12 rasterization (8.3% ahead in Passmark DX12 and 8.4% ahead in Passmark G3D). Its higher shading unit count (6,144 vs 4,352) and FP32 throughput (21.75 TFLOPS vs 13.45 TFLOPS) give it a fundamental advantage in most workloads. For users prioritizing general gaming, modern API support, or compute-heavy tasks, the RTX 3070 Ti is the definitive choice. Its average benchmark score of 29,945 edges out the RTX 2080 Ti’s 29,783, and its smaller die and newer process node indicate better architectural efficiency.

However, the RTX 2080 Ti retains relevance in specific niches. Its 6.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL suggests that certain OpenCL-optimized applications may still run faster on this card. More importantly, its 1.7% victory in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, combined with its larger 11 GB memory pool and higher memory bandwidth (616.0 GB/s), makes it a viable option for users who play specific DirectX 12 titles that are sensitive to memory capacity or bandwidth. The RTX 2080 Ti’s higher TMU count (272 vs 192) and texture rate (420.2 GTexel/s vs 339.8 GTexel/s) also make it a stronger candidate for texture-heavy workloads. For users with legacy OpenCL software or specific DirectX 12 games that favor the Turing architecture, the RTX 2080 Ti can still hold its own. Ultimately, the RTX 3070 Ti is the better all-rounder and the recommended pick for most buyers, while the RTX 2080 Ti is a specialized tool for those who know their workloads align with its strengths.