The graphics processing unit has become the most sought-after computing technology for business and personal computing. GPUs are specifically designed for processing and used in a wide range of computing applications, including creative production, video rendering, and graphics.
Although feted for their popularity in gaming, they are becoming even more popular for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Originally GPUs were designed for 3D rendering acceleration but became more programmable and flexible, thus enhancing their capabilities. Programs have been able to create more visual effects and scenes with advanced lighting effects because of the flexibility of these GPUs in terms of programming.
In contrast to our computers' commonly known Central processing units (CPU), GPUs are designed to hasten computer graphics workloads. When shopping for a GPU system, it's important to know how they compare in detail.
Let's look at the differences between the RTX 3080 Ti vs. 2080 Ti GPUs.
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RTX 3080 Ti Features
Nvidia technologies launched Geforce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card on May 31st, 2021. The RTX 3080 Ti is based on the GA 102 graphics processor.
Specifications
The 3080 Ti boasts some awesome specs. It has
- 10240 shading units, unlike the GTX3090 Ti, which has 10752 shaders enabled.
- NVIDIA paired 12GB GDDR6X memory with the RTX 3080 Ti, connected using a 384-bit memory interface.
- The 3080 TI operates at 1370 MHZ frequency which can be boosted up to 16675 MHZ.
- The NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3080 Ti is a dual-slot card and draws power for a 1×12 pin power connector. Its power draw rate is a maximum of 350W.
- Display outputs include 1HDMI and a 3×16 display port. It is connected to the rest of the system using a PCI-Express 4.0×116 interface.
- The dimensions of the RTX 3080 card are 285mmx112mmx40mm, with a dual-slot cooling solution.
- It also support DirectX Ultimate 12
Price
Its price at launch was 1,119 US dollars. However, the price factor is always dynamic and dealer dependent. Right now there's a huge GPU shortage, so prices are insanely high.
You may be able to find a bargain price depending on your locality and specific dealer. However, depending on location, some dealers may decide to increase their margins, resulting in a higher MSRP.
Here are the top options on Amazon.com
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Gaming, 12G-P5-3955-KR, 12GB GDDR6X, iCX3...
- Real Boost Clock: 1725 MHz; Memory Detail: 12288 MB GDDR6X.Wattage:350 watts
- Real-Time RAY TRACING in games for cutting-edge, hyper-realistic graphics.
- Triple Fans plus iCX3 Cooling offer higher performance cooling and much quieter acoustic noise.
- Real Boost Clock: 1725 MHz; Memory Detail: 12288 MB GDDR6X.Wattage:350 watts
- Real-Time RAY TRACING in games for cutting-edge, hyper-realistic graphics.
- Triple Fans plus iCX3 Cooling offer higher performance cooling and much quieter acoustic noise.
- All-Metal Backplate & Adjustable ARGB.Avoid using unofficial software
- 3 Year Warranty & EVGA's Top Notch Technical Support.
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDRR6X 320-Bit HDMI/DP Nvlink Torx...
- Memory Speed:19 Gbps.Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320
- Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
- TRI FROZR 2 Thermal Design
- Video Memory: 12GB GDDR6X.Avoid using unofficial software
- Memory Interface: 320-bit
- Memory Speed:19 Gbps.Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320
- Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
- TRI FROZR 2 Thermal Design
- Video Memory: 12GB GDDR6X.Avoid using unofficial software
- Memory Interface: 320-bit
- Output: DisplayPort x 3 (v1.4a) / HDMI 2.1 x 1
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti Trinity OC 12GB GDDR6X 384-bit 19...
- Memory Speed:19 Gbps.Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320
- NVIDIA Ampere architecture, 2nd Gen Ray Tracing Cores, 3rd Gen Tensor Cores
- 12GB 384-bit GDDR6X, 19 Gbps, PCIE 4.0
- SPECTRA 2.0 RGB Lighting, IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, FREEZE Fan Stop, Active Fan Control, Metal Frontplate, Lighted Metal Backplate.Avoid using unofficial software
- Memory Speed:19 Gbps.Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320
- NVIDIA Ampere architecture, 2nd Gen Ray Tracing Cores, 3rd Gen Tensor Cores
- 12GB 384-bit GDDR6X, 19 Gbps, PCIE 4.0
- SPECTRA 2.0 RGB Lighting, IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, FREEZE Fan Stop, Active Fan Control, Metal Frontplate, Lighted Metal Backplate.Avoid using unofficial software
- 8K Ready, 4 Display Ready, HDCP 2.3, VR Ready; Boost Clock 1695 MHz
- 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1 x HDMI 2.1, DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan RT API, OpenGL 4.6
Pros and Cons
The RTX 3080 Ti is fast and a technically excellent product with an extra 2GB of VRAM. However, its pricing of $1,119 changes nothing from a gamer's perspective since it's ill-timed and slow release is also its major undoing. This GPU also has low noise operation, even under stress, and almost matches the RTX3090's performance.
Gamers also like the fact that it has a resizable bar and NVIDIA light hash rate tech and minimizes ray racing impact. Besides its price and release timelines, some other cons include the fact that its actual market pricing and supply levels are unknown and consume a lot of power.
RTX 2080 Ti Features
Specifications
This card was launched on September 20th, 2018, and is built on the 12nm process.
The RTX 2080 Ti is based on the TU104 graphics processor and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate capabilities for hardware raytracing and variable shading. These capabilities ensure that all modern games run on this platform.
It also has:
- The TU104 graphics processor has a die area of 545mm2 and 13600 million transistors. Some of its shading units have been disabled by the manufacturer to meet the product's target shader count. It has 4352 shading units. It also possesses 46 raytracing acceleration cores.
- It is paired with its DDR6, 8GB memory connected using a 256- bit memory interface. THE OC'd version even boastsa 11GB of DDR6 RAM.
- The RTX 2080 Ti GPU operates at a frequency of 1350MHz, which is boostable to 1545 MHz.
- This dual-slot card draws power from a 1×6 pin and 1×8- pin power connector, drawing power at 250W maximum.
- The card's dimensions are 267 mm x 116mm x 35 mm, featuring a dual-slot cooling solution.
Price
During its launch, the RTX 2080 Ti featured at $ 1200. Due to shortages and demand the price is much higher these days:
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition
Pros and Cons
It is capable of 4k gaming and 60fps. It also has DSS, an exciting feature for gamers with much potential, and has set the bar for single GPU performance. Some of the RTX 2080 Ti's undoings include the fact that its price is high and has never shown any signs of going down. It's also not equipped with unique ray tracing features, unlike the RTX 3080Ti. Its founders' edition is even more expensive, commanding an upwards of $200 premium.
Having said that, the 2080 Ti is still an awesome GPU for the respective price. If you are on a smaller budget and can't shell out the big bucks for a 3080 or 3090, you'll be good to go with the 2080 Ti if you adjust a few settings for your games (see below).
Benchmark comparisons on gaming
Let's take a look on the difference that 3 years of tech innovation made on the benchmarks.
Here are some great videos that showcase the two GPUS side by side in different games:
By Testing Games:
By RedGamingTech:
By WePC Benchmarks:
4K Gaming
The RTX3080 Ti is the only option for future proof 4K gaming, which is reflected in its price. It's the clear winner when it comes to 4k gaming, where the 2080 Ti can fall a bit short in some very demanding titles. So if you want a future proof card for 4k gaming, the 3080 Ti should definitely be your choice among these two GPUs.
Winner: 3080 Ti
1440 p Gaming
The RTX 3080 Ti is the winner in the category of 1440p resolution gaming. However, the 2080 Ti holds up nicely, hitting quite decent frame rates in most top AAA games at 1440p (almost always 60+). FOr a 3 year old card this is an oustanding performance. It goes to show that the 2080 Ti is still a beast of a GPU if you pair it with a matching CPU.
Winner: Still got to give it to the 3080 Ti
1080p gaming
Since both of these GPUs perform well on relatively low-resolution gaming of 1080p, the gaming quality difference is difficult to ascertain. However, the RTX 3080 Ti, by virtue of its enhanced RAM capacity, is a clear winner in this category because of its enhanced speed. However, users can decide on the RTX 2080 Ti because of its lower power consumption.
Winner: 3080 Ti – but the 2080 Ti will still hit incredible FPS on 1080p.
