NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher boost clock?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM boosts to 2346 MHz, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q boosts to 1350 MHz. The N1X also has a lower base clock at 741 MHz compared to the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 795 MHz.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1X 48SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The N1X has over 10 times the capacity but lower bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 7424 shading units, while the N1X 48SM has 6144. However, the N1X delivers higher FP32 throughput at 28.83 TFLOPS versus 20.04 TFLOPS for the RTX 4080 Max-Q, due to its higher boost clock.

Q: What are the architectural differences?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process. The N1X 48SM uses Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB20B chip, also on 5 nm TSMC. The N1X die measures 382 mm² versus 294 mm² for the RTX 4080 Max-Q, though transistor counts are unknown for the N1X.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The N1X 48SM achieves 112.6 GPixel/s, slightly ahead of the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 108.0 GPixel/s. The N1X also has a much higher texture rate at 900.9 GTexel/s versus 313.2 GTexel/s.

Q: What are the display output capabilities?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has display outputs labeled "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by laptop design. The N1X 48SM provides a single HDMI output. Both are IGP slot width with no power connectors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct generations of NVIDIA mobile silicon. The RTX 4080 Max-Q belongs to the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip. The N1X 48SM belongs to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation, using the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB20B chip. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process, but the N1X die is larger at 382 mm² compared to 294 mm² for the RTX 4080 Max-Q.

Transistor counts differ significantly in reporting. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has a documented 35,800 million transistors with a density of 121.8M per mm². The N1X 48SM transistor count is listed as unknown, and its density is not provided. This makes direct transistor-level comparison impossible from the recorded data.

Core configuration separates the two clearly. The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 7424 shading units, 232 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. It also includes 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores. The N1X 48SM uses 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has more shading units and RT cores, while the N1X has substantially more TMUs.

The memory subsystems reflect different design goals. The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, reaching 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1X 48SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, but only reaches 273.2 GB/s. The N1X trades bandwidth for capacity, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q prioritizes speed.

Clock behavior shows a notable divergence. The RTX 4080 Max-Q runs at a base of 795 MHz and boosts to 1350 MHz. The N1X 48SM starts lower at 741 MHz but boosts to 2346 MHz, a substantially higher peak. Memory clocks also differ: the RTX 4080 Max-Q memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the N1X memory runs at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective).

API support marks another major difference. The RTX 4080 Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1X 48SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. This indicates the N1X may not be intended for conventional graphics API workloads.

The bus interface differs as well: the RTX 4080 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the N1X 48SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Both are IGP slot width with no power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 Max-Q wins in memory bandwidth. Its 432.0 GB/s is 58% higher than the N1X's 273.2 GB/s. This gives the RTX 4080 Max-Q an advantage in bandwidth-sensitive workloads where data throughput matters more than capacity.

The N1X 48SM wins in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 28.83 TFLOPS is 44% higher than the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 20.04 TFLOPS. The N1X also achieves the same FP16 performance at 28.83 TFLOPS with 1:1 ratio, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q delivers 20.04 TFLOPS FP16.

The N1X 48SM dominates in texture processing. Its texture rate of 900.9 GTexel/s is nearly three times the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 313.2 GTexel/s. This comes from having 384 TMUs versus 232, combined with the higher boost clock.

The N1X 48SM also wins in pixel throughput, delivering 112.6 GPixel/s versus 108.0 GPixel/s for the RTX 4080 Max-Q. The margin is small, but the N1X still holds the edge.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q wins in memory speed per channel. With 18 Gbps effective GDDR6 versus 8.5 Gbps LPDDR5X, the RTX 4080 Max-Q memory is more than twice as fast per pin. This contributes to its bandwidth advantage despite the narrower bus.

The N1X 48SM wins in memory capacity by a wide margin. Its 128 GB is more than 10 times the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 12 GB. This makes the N1X suitable for workloads requiring very large working sets.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 4080 Max-Q | N1X 48SM |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Chip | AD104 | GB20B |

| Generation | GeForce 40 Mobile | Blackwell IGP (N1x) |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Transistors | 35,800 million | unknown |

| Transistor Density | 121.8M / mm² | null |

| Base Clock | 795 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1350 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps | 1067 MHz, 8.5 Gbps |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 432.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 7424 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 232 | 384 |

| ROPs | 80 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 58 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 232 | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 108.0 GPixel/s | 112.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 313.2 GTexel/s | 900.9 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 20.04 TFLOPS | 28.83 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 20.04 TFLOPS (1:1) | 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 60 W | unknown |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2026-05-31 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two GPUs. Both entries show zero wins, zero benchmark scores, and empty nearest rival lists. The percentile ranking for both is 50, indicating they sit at the median of all GPUs in the database.

Without direct benchmark scores, the comparison must rely on the recorded specification data. The most significant performance differentiator is FP32 throughput. The N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS, which is 8.79 TFLOPS or 44% higher than the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 20.04 TFLOPS. This is a substantial margin that would show up in compute-heavy workloads.

Texture rate shows an even larger gap. The N1X 48SM achieves 900.9 GTexel/s, which is 587.7 GTexel/s higher than the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 313.2 GTexel/s. This is a 188% advantage for the N1X, driven by its 384 TMUs and higher boost clock. This would benefit tasks that rely heavily on texture fetching and filtering.

Pixel rate favors the N1X by a smaller margin. The N1X 48SM delivers 112.6 GPixel/s versus 108.0 GPixel/s for the RTX 4080 Max-Q, a 4.3% advantage. This difference is modest and may not be noticeable in most scenarios.

Memory bandwidth favors the RTX 4080 Max-Q significantly. Its 432.0 GB/s is 158.8 GB/s higher than the N1X's 273.2 GB/s, representing a 58% advantage. This would matter for workloads that stream large amounts of data, such as high-resolution textures or large datasets.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q also has more shading units at 7424 versus 6144, a 21% advantage. However, the N1X's higher clock speed more than compensates, as shown by its higher FP32 output. The N1X also has 48 more TMUs, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q has 32 more ROPs.

RT core counts differ: 58 for the RTX 4080 Max-Q versus 48 for the N1X. Tensor cores also differ: 232 versus 192. Both GPUs maintain a 1:1 ratio for FP16 to FP32, which is consistent across the two architectures.

The N1X 48SM has a higher boost clock by 996 MHz, which is a 74% increase over the RTX 4080 Max-Q's boost. This clock advantage drives most of the N1X's compute performance lead, despite having fewer cores.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between two different design philosophies. The RTX 4080 Max-Q is a conventional mobile gaming GPU with full API support, high memory bandwidth, and a moderate power envelope of 60 W. The N1X 48SM is a larger-chip IGP with massive memory capacity, extremely high compute throughput, and no conventional graphics API support.

For gaming and standard graphics workloads, the RTX 4080 Max-Q is the only viable option. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1X lists N/A for all three. The RTX 4080 Max-Q also has higher memory bandwidth, which matters for texture streaming and frame buffer operations.

For compute-heavy workloads that do not rely on standard graphics APIs, the N1X 48SM shows clear advantages. Its FP32 performance is 44% higher, its texture rate is 188% higher, and its pixel rate is slightly better. The 128 GB memory capacity is unmatched, allowing very large datasets to reside on the GPU.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q has more shading units, more RT cores, and more tensor cores. It also has a higher memory clock and smaller die size. The N1X has more TMUs, a larger die, and a substantially higher boost clock.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q was released in January 2023, while the N1X has a release date of May 2026. The N1X is part of the Blackwell IGP generation and uses PCIe 5.0, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0.

Both GPUs are listed as Active in production status. Neither has a launch MSRP in the database, and neither has recorded benchmark scores or rival data.

The N1X 48SM delivers higher raw compute numbers across FP32, FP16, texture rate, and pixel rate. The RTX 4080 Max-Q delivers higher memory bandwidth and full API support. The selection depends on whether the workload requires graphics API compatibility or maximum compute throughput with large memory capacity.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q serves the traditional mobile graphics role. The N1X 48SM serves a specialized compute or AI inference role. Each wins in the domain where its strengths are relevant.