GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB vs RTX 2080 Max-Q

Place in the ranking	136	108
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	31.10	16.19
Architecture	Turing (2018−2022)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	TU104B	GA106
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	29 January 2019 (5 years ago)	12 October 2022 (2 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	2944	3584
Core clock speed	735 MHz	1320 MHz
Boost clock speed	1095 MHz	1777 MHz
Number of transistors	13,600 million	12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	170 Watt
Texture fill rate	201.5	199.0
Floating-point processing power	6.447 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	48
TMUs	184	112
Tensor Cores	368	112
Ray Tracing Cores	46	28

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 12-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1500 MHz	1875 MHz
Memory bandwidth	384.0 GB/s	240.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	7.5	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 2080 Max-Q 36.14

RTX 3060 8 GB 39.97
+10.6%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 2080 Max-Q 13894

RTX 3060 8 GB 15364
+10.6%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	115 −4.3%	120−130 +4.3%
1440p	77 −10.4%	85−90 +10.4%
4K	53 −3.8%	55−60 +3.8%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	70−75 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	75−80 −5.3%	80−85 +5.3%
Elden Ring	120−130 −4%	130−140 +4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	78 −9%	85−90 +9%
Counter-Strike 2	70−75 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	75−80 −5.3%	80−85 +5.3%
Forza Horizon 4	170−180 −10.5%	190−200 +10.5%
Metro Exodus	95 −5.3%	100−105 +5.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	95 −5.3%	100−105 +5.3%
Valorant	140 −7.1%	150−160 +7.1%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	132 −6.1%	140−150 +6.1%
Counter-Strike 2	70−75 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	75−80 −5.3%	80−85 +5.3%
Dota 2	109 −10.1%	120−130 +10.1%
Elden Ring	120−130 −4%	130−140 +4%
Far Cry 5	71 −5.6%	75−80 +5.6%
Fortnite	160−170 −4.9%	170−180 +4.9%
Forza Horizon 4	170−180 −10.5%	190−200 +10.5%
Grand Theft Auto V	100 −10%	110−120 +10%
Metro Exodus	75 −6.7%	80−85 +6.7%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	241 −7.9%	260−270 +7.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	59 −10.2%	65−70 +10.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	120−130 −3.2%	130−140 +3.2%
Valorant	121 −7.4%	130−140 +7.4%
World of Tanks	270−280 −7.5%	300−310 +7.5%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	68 −10.3%	75−80 +10.3%
Counter-Strike 2	70−75 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	75−80 −5.3%	80−85 +5.3%
Dota 2	120 −8.3%	130−140 +8.3%
Far Cry 5	90−95 −7.5%	100−105 +7.5%
Forza Horizon 4	170−180 −10.5%	190−200 +10.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	104 −5.8%	110−120 +5.8%
Valorant	134 −4.5%	140−150 +4.5%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	65−70 −6.1%	70−75 +6.1%
Elden Ring	70−75 −4.2%	75−80 +4.2%
Grand Theft Auto V	65−70 −6.1%	70−75 +6.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 −8.6%	190−200 +8.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
World of Tanks	230−240 −8.7%	250−260 +8.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	66 −6.1%	70−75 +6.1%
Counter-Strike 2	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −3.4%	120−130 +3.4%
Forza Horizon 4	100−110 −7.8%	110−120 +7.8%
Metro Exodus	75−80 −7.6%	85−90 +7.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	60−65 −6.6%	65−70 +6.6%
Valorant	110−120 −9.1%	120−130 +9.1%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
Dota 2	74 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Elden Ring	30−35 −2.9%	35−40 +2.9%
Grand Theft Auto V	74 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%
Metro Exodus	21 +0%	21−24 +0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	118 −10.2%	130−140 +10.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 −4.3%	24−27 +4.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	74 −8.1%	80−85 +8.1%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	38 −5.3%	40−45 +5.3%
Counter-Strike 2	35−40 −8.1%	40−45 +8.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 −6.7%	16−18 +6.7%
Dota 2	65−70 −8.7%	75−80 +8.7%
Far Cry 5	50−55 −5.8%	55−60 +5.8%
Fortnite	51 −7.8%	55−60 +7.8%
Forza Horizon 4	55−60 −10.2%	65−70 +10.2%
Valorant	55−60 −5.3%	60−65 +5.3%

This is how RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 3060 8 GB compete in popular games:

RTX 3060 8 GB is 4% faster in 1080p
RTX 3060 8 GB is 10% faster in 1440p
RTX 3060 8 GB is 4% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	36.14	39.97
Recency	29 January 2019	12 October 2022
Chip lithography	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	170 Watt

RTX 2080 Max-Q has 112.5% lower power consumption.

RTX 3060 8 GB, on the other hand, has a 10.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, and a 50% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.