NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop) vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q design is the power saving variant of the mobile RTX 2080 with reduced clock speeds and power consumption. Therefore, it is suitable for thin gaming laptops. It is based on the same TU104 chip is the desktop and mobile variant and offers 2,944 shaders and 8 GB GDDR6 memory connected by a 256 bit interface (12 GHz).

Currently it looks like there will be two variants, a low power 80 Watt variant with 735 - 1095 MHz core clock and a faster 90 Watt variant with 990 - 1230 MHz core clock).

The clock is not the only difference compared to the regular RTX 2080 though. The drivers for the Max-Q version were optimized for efficiency (and not performance; only for Max-Q models), there are optimized voltage converters for 1V operation, high-end cooling methods, and a 40 dB limit for the fan noise (with clock adjustments to ensure this at all times).

Features

NVIDIA manufactures the TU104 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games supports it). The RTX 2080 is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

The RTX 2080 Max-Q should be slightly faster than a regular mobile RTX 2070 and therefore a high end gaming graphics card. It should be able to run all demanding games in 4k with maximum details. Raytracing features however may reduce framerates a lot.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q design is the power saving variant of the mobile GeForce RTX 2080 Super with reduced clock speeds, performance and of course power consumption. It is intended for thin gaming laptops and based on the same TU104 chip with 3,072 shaders, 8 GB GDDR6 memory and a 256 Bit memory bus.

Currently it looks like there are three variants with a TGP of 80, 85 and 90 Watt. The clock speed ranges from 735 - 975 MHz for the base clock speed and 1080 - 1230 for the boost.

With the refresh, Nvidia also reworked the Max-Q technologies for more efficiency. Low Voltage GDDR6 (lower clocked but more headroom for the GPU) and improved regulator efficiency should improve the performance per Watt. Two new optional features can also be implemented by the OEM. Max-Q Dynamic Boost is able to shift power from the CPU to the GPU on a per frame basis to increase overall performance. Furthermore, the laptop manufacturer can also implement Advanced Optimus with a dynamic display switch (hardware) to enable Optimus, G-SYNC and high refresh rate displays (up to 4K 120 Hz).

Features

NVIDIA manufacturers the TU104 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games supports it). The RTX 2080 Super Max-Q is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

Due to the lower clock rates, the Max-Q variant is clearly slower than the mobile RTX 2080 Super. In our benchmarks with the first devices, the performance is very similar to the old RTX 2080 Max-Q and only on a level with the non Max-Q RTX 2070. Therefore, the performance is ideal for 1440p gaming at max details for demanding games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Control or Borderlands 3. Less demanding games like F1 2019 can be played in 4k with maximum settings. Detailed gaming benchmarks can be found at the end of this page.

The power consumption of the card is between 80 - 90 Watt TGP and therefore significantly lower than the RTX 2080 Super Mobile (150 - 200 Watt).