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

✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.1 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Radeon RX 6800S

2022

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 19.8 vs 26.1 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1080

2016

Radeon RX 6800S

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.1 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 19.8 vs 26.1 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 6800S better than GeForce GTX 1080?

Yes. Radeon RX 6800S is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 15,841 vs 15,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 6800S is a 2022 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, 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?

Radeon RX 6800S is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2016, better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm 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?

Radeon RX 6800S is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 6800S is about 33.6% more expensive on MSRP at $800 MSRP versus $599 MSRP, and you are getting 1.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1080 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1080 is 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 15,609 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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

Radeon RX 6800S Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
1080p
low	153 FPS	166 FPS
medium	135 FPS	146 FPS
high	120 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	140 FPS
medium	106 FPS	113 FPS
high	94 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	84 FPS
medium	65 FPS	71 FPS
high	52 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open Radeon RX 6800S

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
1080p
low	289 FPS	292 FPS
medium	242 FPS	242 FPS
high	181 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	147 FPS	153 FPS
1440p
low	186 FPS	184 FPS
medium	158 FPS	150 FPS
high	127 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	95 FPS
4K
low	106 FPS	100 FPS
medium	88 FPS	81 FPS
high	73 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open Radeon RX 6800S

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
1080p
low	702 FPS	713 FPS
medium	562 FPS	570 FPS
high	468 FPS	475 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	356 FPS
1440p
low	527 FPS	535 FPS
medium	421 FPS	428 FPS
high	351 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	267 FPS
4K
low	351 FPS	356 FPS
medium	281 FPS	285 FPS
high	234 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	178 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open Radeon RX 6800S

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
1080p
low	399 FPS	472 FPS
medium	334 FPS	395 FPS
high	281 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	241 FPS	275 FPS
1440p
low	332 FPS	384 FPS
medium	277 FPS	324 FPS
high	220 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	205 FPS
4K
low	180 FPS	221 FPS
medium	141 FPS	181 FPS
high	129 FPS	168 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	130 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 Open Radeon RX 6800S

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1080 and Radeon RX 6800S

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.

Radeon RX 6800S

The Radeon RX 6800S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1800 MHz to 2100 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,841 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 scores 15,609 and the Radeon RX 6800S reaches 15,841 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 6800S uses RDNA 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 6800S). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 8.602 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6800S). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2100 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
G3D Mark Score	15,609	15,841+1%
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+25%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+3%	8.602 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	2100 MHz+21%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160+25%	128
L1 Cache	960 KB+88%	512 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6800S is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 1080 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 1080 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 6800S relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 6800S) — a 25% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1080. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+25%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 6800S). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th gen (GeForce GTX 1080) vs RDNA 2 Media Engine (Radeon RX 6800S). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd gen vs RDNA 2 Media Engine. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 6800S).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
Encoder	NVENC 6th gen	RDNA 2 Media Engine
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd gen	RDNA 2 Media Engine
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 6800S's 100W — a 57.1% difference. The Radeon RX 6800S is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 650W (Radeon RX 6800S). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080	Radeon RX 6800S
TDP	180W	100W-44%
Recommended PSU	500W-23%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75°C	75°C
Perf/Watt	86.7	158.4+83%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1080 launched at $599 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 6800S launched at $800. The GeForce GTX 1080 costs 25.1% less ($201 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.1 (GeForce GTX 1080) vs 19.8 (Radeon RX 6800S) — the GeForce GTX 1080 offers 31.8% better value. The Radeon RX 6800S is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2016).