G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1080

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 180W instead of 220W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (15,609 vs 22,172).
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
20% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.1 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+42% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 26.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌22.2% higher power demand at 220W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1080

2016

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 180W instead of 220W, a 40W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+42% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 26.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (15,609 vs 22,172).
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
20% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.1 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌22.2% higher power demand at 220W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than GeForce GTX 1080?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 15,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 1080 is a 2016 model from an older high-end class with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, 42.0% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is about $100 cheaper on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $599 MSRP, and you are getting 42.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 70.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce GTX 1080 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1080 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $599 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3070 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1080 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	153 FPS	158 FPS
medium	135 FPS	140 FPS
high	120 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	134 FPS
medium	106 FPS	109 FPS
high	94 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	80 FPS
medium	65 FPS	67 FPS
high	52 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	45 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	300 FPS	470 FPS
medium	251 FPS	405 FPS
high	187 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	151 FPS	277 FPS
1440p
low	188 FPS	294 FPS
medium	158 FPS	246 FPS
high	126 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	106 FPS	141 FPS
medium	87 FPS	120 FPS
high	71 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	83 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	702 FPS	885 FPS
medium	562 FPS	712 FPS
high	468 FPS	619 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	499 FPS
1440p
low	527 FPS	692 FPS
medium	421 FPS	557 FPS
high	351 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	374 FPS
4K
low	351 FPS	479 FPS
medium	281 FPS	388 FPS
high	234 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	249 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open GeForce RTX 3070

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	433 FPS	600 FPS
medium	364 FPS	527 FPS
high	303 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	258 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	356 FPS	489 FPS
medium	298 FPS	433 FPS
high	235 FPS	339 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	297 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	292 FPS
medium	151 FPS	270 FPS
high	137 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	112 FPS	200 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1080 and GeForce RTX 3070

GeForce GTX 1080

The GeForce GTX 1080 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,609 points. Launch price was $599.

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1080 scores 15,609 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 42%. The GeForce GTX 1080 is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score	15,609	22,172+42%
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	5888+130%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS+129%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	1725 MHz
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	160	184+15%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	5.8 MB+517%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) — a 40% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s	448 GB/s+40%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th gen (GeForce GTX 1080) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd gen vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder	NVENC 6th gen	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd gen	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 draws 180W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 20% difference. The GeForce GTX 1080 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	GeForce RTX 3070
TDP	180W-18%	220W
Recommended PSU	500W-23%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	75°C
Perf/Watt	86.7	100.8+16%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1080 launched at $599 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. The GeForce RTX 3070 costs 16.7% less ($100 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 70.1% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).