NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a surprisingly one-sided picture. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti wins 8 of the 9 head-to-head comparisons, with the RTX 4070 Mobile managing a single, narrow victory. The largest gap comes in the DirectX 10 test, where the desktop card leads by 31.9%, scoring 153 against the mobile chip's 116. That is a substantial margin for an older architecture, suggesting the 2080 Ti's raw resources still carry significant weight in legacy API workloads.

Vulkan performance tells a similar story. The 2080 Ti posts a Geekbench Vulkan score of 132,930, which is 22.7% ahead of the 4070 Mobile's 108,367. This is not a small edge; it indicates that in modern, low-level graphics APIs, the desktop card's wider memory bus and higher pixel throughput translate directly into a commanding lead. The OpenCL result follows the same pattern, with the 2080 Ti at 128,171 versus 109,197, a 17.4% advantage.

Compute workloads reinforce the desktop card's dominance. In Passmark GPU Compute, the 2080 Ti scores 10,056, beating the 4070 Mobile's 8,399 by 19.7%. This aligns with the raw FP32 throughput figures, though the architecture differences complicate a direct comparison. The 2D performance gap is also notable: 927 vs 763, a 21.5% delta that shows the 2080 Ti handles basic rasterization tasks with far more headroom.

The 3D Mark Steel Nomad test shows the 2080 Ti at 3537, a score that places it just 0.5% behind the RTX 5070 Mobile in its nearest rival list. Meanwhile, the 4070 Mobile's average benchmark score of 27,435 is actually lower than the 2080 Ti's 29,783, a difference of roughly 8.5%. Even the mobile chip's best showing, the DirectX 12 test where it wins 85 to 84, is a margin of just 1.2% — essentially a statistical tie, though it does count as the sole victory for the newer part.

The Passmark G3D test, often considered a broad gaming proxy, shows the 2080 Ti at 21,548 versus 19,587, a 10% lead. This is not a crushing win, but it is consistent. The DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 tests show smaller margins of 5.4% and 6.1%, respectively, both favoring the desktop card. The data implies that the 2080 Ti, despite its age, retains a genuine performance advantage across most workloads, with the 4070 Mobile only managing to edge ahead in one specific DirectX 12 scenario.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is vast, and it explains much of the benchmark behavior. The 2080 Ti uses the TU102 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, while the 4070 Mobile uses the AD106 chip on a 5 nm TSMC node. That process shrink is dramatic: the 4070 Mobile packs 22,900 million transistors into a die of just 188 mm², yielding a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The 2080 Ti, by contrast, has 18,600 million transistors spread across a massive 754 mm² die, with a density of only 24.7M per mm². The newer chip is far more efficient in density, which is why it can fit in a mobile form factor.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The 2080 Ti offers 11 GB of GDDR6 on a 352-bit bus, delivering 616.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 4070 Mobile has just 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 256.0 GB/s — less than half the bandwidth. This explains why the 2080 Ti excels in bandwidth-sensitive tests like Vulkan and compute, where large data transfers dominate. The mobile chip's memory clock is higher at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps), but the narrow bus cripples overall throughput.

Shader resources are closer than one might expect. The 4070 Mobile has 4608 shading units, slightly more than the 2080 Ti's 4352. However, the 2080 Ti has far more texture mapping units (272 vs 144) and raster output units (88 vs 48). This is a crucial structural difference: the desktop card can push pixels at 136.0 GPixel/s, while the mobile part manages only 81.36 GPixel/s. Texture rate follows suit, with the 2080 Ti at 420.2 GTexel/s versus 244.1 GTexel/s. These are not minor gaps; they reflect fundamentally different design priorities.

Ray tracing and tensor core counts also differ. The 2080 Ti has 68 RT cores and 544 tensor cores, while the 4070 Mobile has 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores. The mobile part's lower counts are offset by its newer Ada Lovelace architecture, which includes more advanced ray tracing and AI acceleration features. However, the raw numbers suggest the 2080 Ti has more dedicated hardware for these tasks, even if the per-core efficiency may favor the newer design.

The FP32 throughput figures are counterintuitive: the 4070 Mobile lists 15.62 TFLOPS, slightly higher than the 2080 Ti's 13.45 TFLOPS. Yet the benchmark results consistently favor the 2080 Ti. This discrepancy likely stems from the memory bandwidth bottleneck and the lower pixel/texture rates on the mobile chip. The 4070 Mobile's FP16 performance is exactly half its FP32 (15.62 TFLOPS at 1:1), while the 2080 Ti doubles its FP32 to 26.90 TFLOPS at 2:1 — a notable difference for mixed-precision workloads.

Power and form factor differences are stark. The 2080 Ti has a 250 W TDP, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm long. The 4070 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 115 W TDP and no power connectors, fitting into laptops. The 2080 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the 4070 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The desktop card's display outputs include HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a, while the mobile chip's outputs are portable-device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Why does the RTX 2080 Ti win most benchmarks despite being older?

A: The data shows the 2080 Ti has a 352-bit memory bus with 616.0 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the 4070 Mobile's 128-bit bus and 256.0 GB/s. This more than doubles the bandwidth, which heavily benefits compute and Vulkan workloads. The desktop card also has 88 ROPs versus 48, and a pixel rate of 136.0 GPixel/s versus 81.36 GPixel/s.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Mobile ever faster?

A: Yes, in one test. The Passmark DirectX 12 benchmark shows the 4070 Mobile winning with a score of 85 against the 2080 Ti's 84, a 1.2% margin. This is a narrow victory and likely reflects the newer architecture's better optimization for DirectX 12 features.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The 2080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,783, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. The 4070 Mobile averages 27,435, in the 73rd percentile. This puts the desktop card roughly 8.5% ahead on average, which is consistent with its 10% lead in the Passmark G3D test.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card?

A: For the 2080 Ti, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile with an average score of 29,928 (a 0.5% gap), followed by the RTX 3070 Ti at 29,945. The 4070 Mobile's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT at 27,425, which is a 0% delta, showing near-identical performance.

Q: Does the 4070 Mobile's higher FP32 throughput matter?

A: The 4070 Mobile lists 15.62 TFLOPS FP32, higher than the 2080 Ti's 13.45 TFLOPS. However, benchmark results show the 2080 Ti winning compute tests by 19.7% (Passmark GPU Compute). This suggests raw FP32 does not translate to real-world wins when memory bandwidth is a limiting factor.

Q: How do the transistor densities compare?

A: The 4070 Mobile's 5 nm process yields a density of 121.8M transistors per mm², versus the 2080 Ti's 24.7M per mm² on 12 nm. This is a 5x difference in density, but the 2080 Ti compensates with a much larger die (754 mm² vs 188 mm²) and more memory bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Turing | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 18,600 million | 22,900 million |

| Die Size | 754 mm² | 188 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.7M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1350 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1545 MHz | 1695 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 11 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 352 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 616.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4352 | 4608 |

| TMUs | 272 | 144 |

| ROPs | 88 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 68 | 36 |

| Tensor Cores | 544 | 144 |

| Pixel Rate | 136.0 GPixel/s | 81.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 420.2 GTexel/s | 244.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 13.45 TFLOPS | 15.62 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 26.90 TFLOPS (2:1) | 15.62 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 115 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm × 116 mm × 35 mm | None |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2018-09-19 | 2023-01-02 |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | None |

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 2080 Ti is the faster GPU in nearly every measurable way. Its 8-1 win record in head-to-head benchmarks, combined with an 8.5% higher average score, makes it the clear performance leader. The 2080 Ti's advantage is most pronounced in memory-intensive tasks, where its 616.0 GB/s bandwidth (2.4x the 4070 Mobile's) and 352-bit bus provide an insurmountable edge. For users who prioritize raw performance in desktop workloads — particularly Vulkan, compute, and high-resolution rendering — the 2080 Ti is the superior choice based on this data.

However, the 4070 Mobile is not without merit. Its 5 nm architecture delivers comparable FP32 throughput (15.62 TFLOPS) in a fraction of the power envelope (115 W vs 250 W) and physical footprint. The mobile chip's single DirectX 12 win, while narrow, hints at better optimization for modern APIs. The 4070 Mobile is also an active product, while the 2080 Ti is end-of-life, which may matter for driver support and availability.

The verdict depends on context. For a stationary desktop system where power and space are not constraints, the 2080 Ti offers better performance across the board. For a laptop or compact mobile workstation, the 4070 Mobile is the only viable option, and its performance is respectable — just not on par with the older desktop card. The 4070 Mobile's average score of 27,435 places it in the 73rd percentile, only two points below the 2080 Ti's 75th, so it is not far behind in the broader GPU landscape.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 Ti wins decisively in scenarios that demand high memory bandwidth and pixel throughput. The Passmark G3D test, a general 3D gaming workload, shows a 10% lead (21,548 vs 19,587). The Vulkan benchmark, which heavily utilizes memory and compute resources, shows a 22.7% advantage. Compute-heavy tasks, such as GPU-accelerated rendering or scientific simulations, favor the 2080 Ti by 19.7% in the Passmark GPU Compute test. Legacy DirectX 10 and DirectX 9 applications see the biggest gap at 31.9% and 5.4%, respectively, indicating the desktop card's superior rasterization pipeline.

The RTX 4070 Mobile's single victory comes in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, where it scores 85 against the 2080 Ti's 84. This 1.2% margin suggests that the Ada Lovelace architecture has better tuned execution for DirectX 12's explicit multi-threading and advanced features. The mobile chip also has a higher boost clock (1695 MHz vs 1545 MHz) and more shading units (4608 vs 4352), which may help in workloads that are not memory-bound. In practice, the 4070 Mobile is the better choice for portable gaming or mobile workstations where the 115 W TDP and integrated design are essential. For users who need a compact, power-efficient solution, the 4070 Mobile delivers solid performance — but the data consistently shows the 2080 Ti remains the performance king.