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 RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅142.1% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (368 vs 152).
✅Draws 80W instead of 200W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅40.3% more average FPS across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (152 vs 368), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
❌150% higher power demand at 200W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

2019

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅142.1% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (368 vs 152).
✅Draws 80W instead of 200W, a 120W reduction.

Why buy it

✅40.3% more average FPS across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (152 vs 368), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
❌150% higher power demand at 200W vs 80W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 40.3% more average FPS across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data and 59.1% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2020 instead of 2019, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2019, 59.1% more raw performance headroom, and a 8nm process instead of 12nm. That extra performance headroom should help it hold higher settings and newer game demands for longer.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $399 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 40.3% more estimated average FPS across 38 tracked games in our benchmark data and 59.1% 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 RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design 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 an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	156 FPS	152 FPS
medium	136 FPS	137 FPS
high	110 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	125 FPS	131 FPS
medium	106 FPS	107 FPS
high	78 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	45 FPS	77 FPS
medium	40 FPS	65 FPS
high	25 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	195 FPS	425 FPS
medium	162 FPS	366 FPS
high	137 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	248 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	272 FPS
medium	120 FPS	229 FPS
high	103 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	156 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	133 FPS
medium	67 FPS	114 FPS
high	56 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	73 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	574 FPS	859 FPS
medium	460 FPS	693 FPS
high	383 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	457 FPS
1440p
low	431 FPS	658 FPS
medium	345 FPS	529 FPS
high	287 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	287 FPS	434 FPS
medium	230 FPS	346 FPS
high	191 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	144 FPS	221 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	245 FPS	580 FPS
medium	212 FPS	514 FPS
high	172 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	146 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	188 FPS	478 FPS
medium	166 FPS	427 FPS
high	131 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	108 FPS	290 FPS
4K
low	112 FPS	285 FPS
medium	94 FPS	266 FPS
high	76 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	195 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 29 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1095 MHz. It has 2944 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,766 points.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design scores 12,766 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 59.1%. The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,944 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 6.447 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1095 MHz vs 1665 MHz. Ray tracing: 46 RT cores (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 38 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) with 368 Tensor cores vs 152.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	12,766	20,312+59%
Architecture	Turing	Ampere
Process Node	12 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2944	4864+65%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.447 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+151%
Boost Clock	1095 MHz	1665 MHz+52%
ROPs	64	80+25%
TMUs	184+21%	152
L1 Cache	2.9 MB	4.8 MB+66%
L2 Cache	4 MB	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	46+21%	38
Tensor Cores	368+142%	152

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 GDDR6. Memory bandwidth: 384 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 16.7% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	384 GB/s	448 GB/s+17%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	12 (12_2)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: NVDEC 4 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 6	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	NVDEC 4	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 85.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 0W (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: None vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75.