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 SLI (móvel)

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 300W instead of 350W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 16 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 17.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3090

2020

Why buy it

✅150.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 16 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌16.7% higher power demand at 350W vs 300W.

GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)

2016

GeForce RTX 3090

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 300W instead of 350W, a 50W reduction.

Why buy it

✅150.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 16 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 16 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 17.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌16.7% higher power demand at 350W vs 300W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3090 better than GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3090 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3090 averages 150.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 26,594 vs 26,543 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3090 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) 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 3090 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, more VRAM at 24 GB instead of 16 GB, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 16nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce RTX 3090 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3090 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $1,499 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 150.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is excellent for 1080p, very strong for 1440p, and still capable at 4K with sensible settings or upscaling. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3090 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 SLI (móvel) Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3090 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
1080p
low	181 FPS	259 FPS
medium	165 FPS	240 FPS
high	139 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	168 FPS	249 FPS
medium	141 FPS	208 FPS
high	112 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	145 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	167 FPS
medium	87 FPS	138 FPS
high	63 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	87 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3090

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
1080p
low	194 FPS	648 FPS
medium	148 FPS	557 FPS
high	109 FPS	440 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	382 FPS
1440p
low	121 FPS	475 FPS
medium	82 FPS	405 FPS
high	64 FPS	319 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	54 FPS	229 FPS
medium	40 FPS	193 FPS
high	34 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	134 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3090

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
1080p
low	700 FPS	909 FPS
medium	565 FPS	745 FPS
high	489 FPS	664 FPS
ultra	423 FPS	574 FPS
1440p
low	494 FPS	711 FPS
medium	406 FPS	583 FPS
high	344 FPS	508 FPS
ultra	289 FPS	434 FPS
4K
low	322 FPS	489 FPS
medium	265 FPS	406 FPS
high	209 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	289 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3090

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
1080p
low	397 FPS	821 FPS
medium	333 FPS	765 FPS
high	274 FPS	675 FPS
ultra	230 FPS	598 FPS
1440p
low	329 FPS	656 FPS
medium	276 FPS	609 FPS
high	209 FPS	534 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	449 FPS
4K
low	166 FPS	475 FPS
medium	132 FPS	443 FPS
high	117 FPS	397 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	299 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)Open GeForce RTX 3090

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) and GeForce RTX 3090

GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)

The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 16 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1556 MHz to 1734 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,543 points.

GeForce RTX 3090

The GeForce RTX 3090 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1395 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 10496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 82 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,594 points. Launch price was $1,499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) scores 26,543 and the GeForce RTX 3090 reaches 26,594 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 3090 uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 5,120 (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs 10,496 (GeForce RTX 3090). Boost clocks: 1734 MHz vs 1695 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
G3D Mark Score	26,543	26,594
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	5120	10496+105%
Boost Clock	1734 MHz+2%	1695 MHz

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3090 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
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)

The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) comes with 16 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3090 has 24 GB. The GeForce RTX 3090 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs 936 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3090) — a 192.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3090. Bus width: 256-bit vs 384-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
VRAM Capacity	16 GB	24 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5X	GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s	936 GB/s+193%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3090). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.2	1.4+17%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	1	4+300%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 6th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3090). Decoder: 4th Gen NVDEC vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3090).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
Encoder	6th Gen NVENC (2x)	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	4th Gen NVDEC	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) draws 300W versus the GeForce RTX 3090's 350W — a 15.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)) vs 750W (GeForce RTX 3090). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 312mm, occupying 0 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (móvel)	GeForce RTX 3090
TDP	300W-14%	350W
Recommended PSU	650W-13%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 8-pin
Length	0mm	312mm
Height	0mm	140mm
Slots	0-100%	3
Temp (Load)	85°C	85°C
Perf/Watt	88.5+16%	76.0