NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA hardware, separated by a full product cycle. The RTX 4060 AD106 is an end-of-life product from the GeForce 40 series built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, while the RTX 5080 is an active GeForce 50 series part using Blackwell 2.0. The database contains benchmark scores only for the RTX 5080, with no recorded measurements for the RTX 4060 AD106, so the comparison relies on architectural specifications and the RTX 5080's performance data relative to its nearest rivals.

The Verdict

The RTX 5080 is the clear performance leader based on every measurable specification. Its FP32 compute reaches 56.28 TFLOPS, which is 3.7 times the 15.11 TFLOPS of the RTX 4060 AD106. Texture rate stands at 879.3 GTexel/s versus 236.2 GTexel/s, a 3.7-fold advantage. Pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s compared to 118.1 GPixel/s, a 2.5-fold difference. Memory bandwidth is 960.0 GB/s against 272.0 GB/s, a 3.5-fold gap. These ratios place the RTX 5080 firmly in a higher performance class.

The RTX 4060 AD106 suits systems where power draw and interface requirements are minimal. Its TDP is 115 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W and PCIe 4.0 x8 connectivity. The RTX 5080 demands 360 W, a 750 W suggested PSU, and PCIe 5.0 x16. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses a single 12-pin connector, while the RTX 5080 uses a 16-pin connector. Users with older power supplies or compact builds may find the RTX 4060 AD106 easier to integrate, but the performance difference is substantial.

The RTX 5080 also carries a launch MSRP of 999 USD, which can be stated once as a reference point. The RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded launch MSRP in the database. Buyers prioritizing raw performance, larger memory capacity, and modern connectivity should select the RTX 5080. Buyers constrained by power delivery or slot width may consider the RTX 4060 AD106, but the data shows no benchmark wins for it.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses Ada Lovelace, while the RTX 5080 uses Blackwell 2.0. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process, but the die sizes differ significantly. The RTX 4060 AD106 measures 188 mm² with 22,900 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The RTX 5080 has a 378 mm² die with 45,600 million transistors, a density of 120.6 million per square millimeter. The RTX 5080 packs roughly twice the silicon area and exactly double the transistor count.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 4060 AD106 has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. The RTX 5080 has 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. Each of these counts is 3.5 times higher on the RTX 5080, matching the shading unit ratio of 10752 divided by 3072. The architectural layout scales linearly across all compute blocks.

Clock speeds favor the RTX 5080 as well. Its base clock is 2295 MHz and boost clock is 2617 MHz, compared to 1830 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost on the RTX 4060 AD106. The RTX 5080's boost clock is 6.4% higher, a modest gain on top of the massive core count increase. Memory clocks also differ: the RTX 4060 AD106 runs at 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective speed, while the RTX 5080 runs at 1875 MHz but achieves 30 Gbps effective due to GDDR7 signaling.

Memory configuration is a major architectural split. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 uses 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 960.0 GB/s. The capacity is doubled and the bandwidth nearly quadrupled. The bus width doubling and faster memory type combine for the bandwidth advantage.

Interface and output differences also separate the two. The RTX 4060 AD106 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, doubling both the generation and lane count. Display outputs are similar in count but different in versions: the RTX 4060 AD106 provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 5080 provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API coverage is identical.

Physical dimensions are only recorded for the RTX 5080: 304 mm length, 137 mm height, and 40 mm width. Both are dual-slot cards. The RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded dimensions, so a direct size comparison is unavailable.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 wins in every performance-oriented category. Its FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS dominates the RTX 4060 AD106's 15.11 TFLOPS, making it the choice for compute-heavy workloads such as scientific simulation or large-scale rendering. The FP16 performance is identical to FP32 on both cards at a 1:1 ratio, so the RTX 5080 also leads in half-precision tasks by the same factor.

Memory bandwidth is another decisive win for the RTX 5080. With 960.0 GB/s, it handles high-resolution textures and large datasets more fluidly than the RTX 4060 AD106's 272.0 GB/s. The 16 GB capacity versus 8 GB also means the RTX 5080 can hold larger working sets without spillover. The RTX 5080's GDDR7 memory operates at 30 Gbps effective, while the RTX 4060 AD106's GDDR6 runs at 17 Gbps effective.

The RTX 5080 further leads in rasterization throughput. Its pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s is 2.5 times the RTX 4060 AD106's 118.1 GPixel/s. Texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s is 3.7 times higher. These metrics indicate faster fill rates and texture filtering for gaming and 3D workloads. RT core and tensor core counts are also 3.5 times higher on the RTX 5080, suggesting better ray tracing and AI acceleration capability.

The RTX 4060 AD106 wins only in power efficiency and system integration. Its 115 W TDP is less than one-third of the RTX 5080's 360 W. The suggested PSU of 300 W versus 750 W makes it suitable for lower-capacity power supplies. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is more forgiving on older motherboards, while the RTX 5080 requires PCIe 5.0 x16 for full bandwidth. The RTX 4060 AD106 also uses a smaller 12-pin connector versus the RTX 5080's 16-pin, which may ease cable management in tight cases.

For gaming, the RTX 5080's benchmark scores indicate strong performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 8637, and its PassMark G3D score is 36565. The RTX 4060 AD106 has no recorded benchmarks, so there is no direct score to compare. The RTX 5080's percentile of 87 means it ranks above 87% of all GPUs in the database. The RTX 4060 AD106 sits at the 50th percentile, placing it at the median.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 5080 delivers 56.28 TFLOPS, while the RTX 4060 AD106 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS. The RTX 5080 is 3.7 times faster in this metric.

Q: How do memory specifications differ between the two?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 offers double the capacity and 3.5 times the bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 has a TDP of 115 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The RTX 5080 has a TDP of 360 W and a suggested PSU of 750 W. The RTX 5080 also uses a 16-pin connector instead of the RTX 4060 AD106's 12-pin.

Q: Which GPU has better ray tracing hardware?

A: The RTX 5080 has 84 RT cores, compared to 24 on the RTX 4060 AD106, a 3.5-fold difference. Tensor cores also number 336 versus 96, favoring the RTX 5080.

Q: Are there any benchmark scores for the RTX 4060 AD106?

A: No. The database contains no benchmark entries for the RTX 4060 AD106. The RTX 5080 has ten recorded benchmarks, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 and a PassMark G3D score of 36565.

Q: What is the production status and release timing?

A: The RTX 4060 AD106 is end-of-life and was released on 2024-03-31. The RTX 5080 is active and was released on 2025-01-29. The RTX 5080's predecessor is GeForce 40, while the RTX 4060 AD106's predecessor is GeForce 30.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no head-to-head benchmark results between the RTX 4060 AD106 and the RTX 5080. The winsA and winsB fields are both zero, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This means the comparison must rely on the RTX 5080's standalone benchmark scores and its performance relative to its nearest rivals.

The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 56083. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S with an average score of 55757, which is 0.6% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 0.7% slower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, 2.3% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% faster than the RTX 5080. These deltas place the RTX 5080 in a competitive mid-range position among its peers.

Individual benchmark scores for the RTX 5080 show strengths across different test suites. Its OpenCL score is 235901 and its Vulkan score is 255450, indicating strong compute and graphics API performance. The PassMark G3D score of 36565 is the highest among its recorded PassMark results, while the PassMark GPU Compute score is 21789. DirectX-specific tests show 208 for DirectX 10, 324 for DirectX 11, 151 for DirectX 12, and 389 for DirectX 9. The PassMark G2D score is 1415.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 provides a modern game-oriented measurement. At the 87th percentile, the RTX 5080 outperforms 87% of all GPUs in the database. The RTX 4060 AD106 sits at the 50th percentile, meaning half of all recorded GPUs exceed its performance level. This percentile gap, while not a direct benchmark score, indicates a significant tier difference.

No recorded wins exist for the RTX 4060 AD106 in any head-to-head comparison. The RTX 5080 also has zero recorded head-to-head wins, but its standalone scores and architectural advantages establish it as the stronger part. The RTX 4060 AD106's lack of benchmarks means its real-world performance cannot be quantified from this data, only inferred from its specifications.

The RTX 5080's memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is 3.5 times that of the RTX 4060 AD106. Its texture rate is 3.7 times higher, and its pixel rate is 2.5 times higher. These ratios consistently favor the RTX 5080 across all throughput metrics. The only specifications where the RTX 4060 AD106 is not decisively behind are power draw, connector size, and PCIe generation requirements, none of which affect benchmark performance.

In summary, the RTX 5080 has no recorded benchmark losses to the RTX 4060 AD106 because no direct comparisons exist. The architectural data, however, shows a uniform advantage for the RTX 5080 in every performance-relevant metric. Users seeking maximum throughput should choose the RTX 5080 based on its 56.28 TFLOPS FP32, 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 87th percentile ranking.