NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
22.5Rasterization46.4
20Ray Tracing39.7
32.4Memoryspec-based54.6
76.3Efficiencyspec-based68
29.8Compute61.6
1 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 97010 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
InnoReviews verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 wins this graphics card face-off, 51.8 to 32.6, pulling ahead mainly in compute (+32) and rasterization (+24). NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
- 55% lower TDP: 145 W vs 320 W
- Lower launch price: $329 vs $699
Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- Stronger rasterization score: 46 vs 23
- Stronger Ray Tracing score: 40 vs 20
- Stronger compute score: 62 vs 30
- 423% higher Shading units: 8,704 vs 1,664
- 386% higher 3DMark Time Spy: 17,600 vs 3,625
General
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2014 | 2020 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Ampere |
| Process | 28 nm | 8 nm+71% |
| TDP | 145 W+55% | 320 W |
| Power connector | 2x 6-pin | 1x 12-pin |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| Shading units | 1,664 | 8,704+423% |
| RT cores | — | 68 |
| Tensor / AI cores | — | 272 |
| Base clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,440 MHz+37% |
| Boost clock | 1,178 MHz | 1,710 MHz+45% |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 4 GB | 10 GB+150% |
| VRAM type | GDDR5 | GDDR6X |
| Bus width | 256 bit | 320 bit+25% |
| Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 760 GB/s+239% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,625Bottom 7% | 17,600+386%Top 32% |
| 3DMark Speed Way | — | 4,700Top 37% |
| PassMark G3D | 9,635Bottom 13% | 24,500+154%Top 24% |
| 1080p Ultra | — | 146 fpsTop 41% |
| 1440p Ultra | — | 108 fpsTop 41% |
| 4K Ultra | — | 60 fpsTop 39% |
Features
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling | — | DLSS 4 (no FG) |
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