NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The database places the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q sits at the 50th percentile. That percentile gap is the single clearest signal: the newer Blackwell mobile part is the stronger performer overall, despite carrying fewer shading units, fewer ray tracing cores, and less memory bandwidth on paper. The RTX 5070 Mobile shows an average benchmark score of 29,928, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 3070 Ti (29,945, within 0.1%), the RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, 0.5% ahead), and the AMD RX 6800 (30,095, 0.6% behind). The RTX 4080 Max-Q has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, so its 50th percentile reflects position rather than direct measurements.

For users choosing strictly from the data, the RTX 5070 Mobile is the pick for anyone who needs verified compute performance across OpenCL, Vulkan, DirectX, and PassMark suites. Its recorded scores show a consistent spread: Geekbench OpenCL at 122,238, Vulkan at 116,960, PassMark G3D at 20,355, and GPU compute at 8,279. The RTX 4080 Max-Q, with no benchmark entries, cannot claim any measured win. Its only advantage lies in architectural headroom: more transistors (35,800 million vs 21,900 million), a larger die (294 mm² vs 181 mm²), higher texture and pixel rates, and double the memory capacity at 12 GB versus 8 GB. But those specifications do not translate into recorded scores in this database.

The RTX 5070 Mobile also delivers that performance at a lower TDP of 50 W versus 60 W for the RTX 4080 Max-Q. That combination of verified higher scores, lower power draw, and a newer architecture makes it the data-backed choice for general graphics workloads. The RTX 4080 Max-Q is the choice only for scenarios where the larger 12 GB frame buffer or the wider 192-bit memory bus matters more than benchmark scores, which the database does not quantify.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher recorded average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5070 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 29,928. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has no benchmark entries in the database, so no comparison is possible.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Mobile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It is effectively tied with the RTX 3070 Ti (29,945, just 0.1% higher), ahead of the RTX 2080 Ti by 0.5%, and behind the AMD RX 6800 by 0.6% and the RX 6700 by 1.7%.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q is rated at 60 W TDP. The RTX 5070 Mobile is rated at 50 W TDP, which is 10 W lower.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and ray tracing cores?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 7,424 shading units and 58 RT cores. The RTX 5070 Mobile has 4,608 shading units and 36 RT cores.

Q: Are both GPUs on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both use a 5 nm process node at TSMC, though the RTX 4080 Max-Q uses the Ada Lovelace architecture and the RTX 5070 Mobile uses Blackwell 2.0.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 4080 Max-Q is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, while the RTX 5070 Mobile uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB206 chip. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm node, but the transistor counts diverge sharply. The AD104 packs 35,800 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a density of 121.8M transistors per mm². The GB206 is much smaller at 181 mm² with 21,900 million transistors, a density of 121.0M per mm². That means the older chip has roughly 63% more transistors and a 62% larger die, yet it still scores lower in the percentile ranking.

The RT core and tensor core counts reflect the same disparity. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, while the RTX 5070 Mobile has 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores. Shading units follow: 7,424 versus 4,608. TMUs are 232 versus 144, and ROPs are 80 versus 48. The pixel rate for the 4080 Max-Q is 108.0 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 313.2 GTexel/s. The 5070 Mobile delivers 68.40 GPixel/s and 205.2 GTexel/s. These are large hardware differences on paper.

Memory architecture changes generationally. The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 Mobile uses GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. The newer memory type does not compensate for the narrower bus; the older part has 12.5% more bandwidth. The 4080 Max-Q also has a larger frame buffer at 12 GB versus 8 GB. Both support PCIe, but the 5070 Mobile uses PCIe 5.0 x16 while the 4080 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The feature set for APIs is identical: both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs are portable device dependent for both, and neither has power connectors or a slot width beyond IGP. The 4080 Max-Q has a predecessor in GeForce 30 Mobile and a successor in GeForce 50 Mobile. The 5070 Mobile lists GeForce 40 Mobile as its predecessor and has no successor recorded.

Specification Differences

Clock speeds are modestly different. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has a base clock of 795 MHz and a boost clock of 1350 MHz. The RTX 5070 Mobile starts at 907 MHz base and boosts to 1425 MHz. The newer part runs faster at both ends, which helps explain its benchmark advantage despite fewer cores. Memory clocks differ by generation: the 4080 Max-Q runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective, while the 5070 Mobile runs at 1500 MHz with 24 Gbps effective. The higher effective data rate on GDDR7 does not overcome the narrower bus.

Compute throughput numbers strongly favor the older chip. The RTX 4080 Max-Q delivers 20.04 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1 ratio). The RTX 5070 Mobile delivers 13.13 TFLOPS for both, a 34.5% deficit. Yet the 5070 Mobile still ranks higher in percentile. The TDP difference is real: 60 W for the 4080 Max-Q versus 50 W for the 5070 Mobile. Release dates differ by over two years: the 4080 Max-Q launched on January 2, 2023, and the 5070 Mobile on April 14, 2025. Both are marked as Active production status.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the 4080 Max-Q, PCIe 5.0 x16 for the 5070 Mobile. Neither lists a suggested PSU, and both have no dimensions recorded. The 4080 Max-Q has no launch MSRP in the database, and the 5070 Mobile also has no launch MSRP, so no price comparison can be made. The 5070 Mobile has a full set of benchmark scores, while the 4080 Max-Q has an empty benchmark array.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no direct head-to-head benchmark entries in the database. The comparison must rely on the RTX 5070 Mobile's individual scores and the RTX 4080 Max-Q's absence of any. The 5070 Mobile's Geekbench OpenCL score of 122,238 and Vulkan score of 116,960 indicate strong compute and graphics API performance. Its PassMark G3D score of 20,355 places it near the RTX 3070 Ti (29,945 average, within 0.1% of the 5070's overall avg) and the RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, 0.5% lower). The PassMark GPU compute score of 8,279 shows a different workload profile, one where the 4080 Max-Q has no recorded response.

The 5070 Mobile also has PassMark DirectX scores: 214 for DirectX 9, 192 for DirectX 11, 129 for DirectX 10, and 93 for DirectX 12. The G2D score is 896. These are lower than the G3D score, but they provide a multi-API picture. The RTX 4080 Max-Q cannot be positioned against any of these because the database has no data. The percentile field tells the story: 75th for the 5070 Mobile, 50th for the 4080 Max-Q. That is a 25-percentage-point gap in relative standing among all GPUs.

The nearest rivals for the 5070 Mobile reinforce its competitive position. It is 0.1% behind the RTX 3070 Ti, 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2080 Ti, 0.6% behind the RX 6800, and 1.7% behind the RX 6700. Those deltas are small, meaning the 5070 Mobile sits in a tight performance cluster. The 4080 Max-Q has no such cluster data. The average benchmark score of 29,928 for the 5070 Mobile is the only average recorded in this comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5070 Mobile wins in every measured category because it is the only one with measurements. Its wins are across Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, all five PassMark DirectX tests (9, 10, 11, 12), PassMark G2D, PassMark G3D, and PassMark GPU compute. The percentile standing of 75th versus 50th gives it a clear advantage in overall ranking. The lower TDP of 50 W versus 60 W also favors it for sustained mobile workloads, as less power means less heat in a laptop chassis. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface is a generational upgrade over PCIe 4.0 x16, which could benefit data transfer in supported systems.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q wins on raw specification count. It has more shading units (7,424 vs 4,608), more TMUs (232 vs 144), more ROPs (80 vs 48), more RT cores (58 vs 36), and more tensor cores (232 vs 144). Its FP32 throughput of 20.04 TFLOPS is 52.7% higher than the 5070 Mobile's 13.13 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate of 108.0 GPixel/s versus 68.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 313.2 GTexel/s versus 205.2 GTexel/s are both higher. The memory advantage is also structural: 12 GB versus 8 GB, 192-bit versus 128-bit bus, and 432.0 GB/s versus 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Those wins are theoretical, not measured. The database assigns no benchmark scores to the 4080 Max-Q, so its higher specs do not yield a percentile above 50. The 5070 Mobile achieves its 75th percentile with fewer resources, which suggests architectural efficiency improvements in Blackwell 2.0 are substantial. For users who prioritize capacity, the 4080 Max-Q's 12 GB frame buffer is a real advantage for large textures or datasets, but the database does not quantify that benefit. For users who prioritize verified performance, the 5070 Mobile's recorded scores and higher percentile make it the data-supported choice. The use-case split is therefore clear: the 5070 Mobile for measured performance, the 4080 Max-Q for specification-driven needs like memory size, with the caveat that no benchmarks back that second path.