NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Desktop) vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super or 2080S sits behind the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti as the second fastest desktop GPU in NVIDIA's current Turing line-up (mid 2019). It is the refresh of the one year old RTX 2080 (Desktop) with slightly higher performance. The GPU offers 3,072 cores (up from 2,944) and is based on the TU104 chip. The VRAM is still 8 GB of GDDR6 but now higher clocked at 15.5 GHz (496 GB/s vs. 14 GHz and 448 GB/s).

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 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 Super slightly outperforms the older Nvidia Titan XP and of course the RTX 2080 which it succeeds. Therefore, the RTX2080S is located in the absolute high end and well suited for 4k gaming with high to maximum detail settings (depending on the game). Using raytracing features, will reduce the playable resolution however.

Power Requirements

NVIDIA estimates that the RTX 2080 Super should consume a maximum of 250 W, which is 35 W higher than the company rates its GeForce GTX 2080.

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.