The GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q is only 10 percent faster than the GTX 1080 Max-Q when running DX11 games

Now that the GeForce Turing Max-Q series is six months old, we have a better understand about how much of a performance boost users can expect over the last generation Pascal Max-Q series and between the different Turing Max-Q GPUs available.

First, let's compare the RTX 2080 Max-Q to the GTX 1080 Max-Q. 3DMark Time Spy results show an average 24 percent boost in performance when running DX12 titles compared to just 10 percent when running Fire Strike or DX11-based titles. Thus, users who intend on playing the latest DX12-enabled games will benefit the most from the new Turing GPUs.

When comparing the RTX 2080 Max-Q to the RTX 2070 Max-Q, however, the performance delta is slightly smaller than expected. Based on almost 18 different laptops equipped with the aforementioned GPUs, the average RTX 2080 Max-Q is only 17 percent faster than the average RTX 2070 Max-Q when running DX12 titles or 15 percent when running DX11 titles. In contrast, the average GTX 1080 Max-Q is about 21 percent faster than the average GTX 1070 Max-Q.

The results are notable because manufacturers tend to charge an extra $400 to $500 for the RTX 2080 Max-Q configuration for a smaller jump in raw performance when compared to the last generation GTX Pascal series especially if you plan on playing DX11-based games or older.

On the other hand, performance-per-Watt is the best it has been ever been for the Max-Q series. The MSI GS65 with RTX 2080 Max-Q, for example, consumes 143 W when running Witcher 3 compared to 148 W on the Asus Zephyrus GX501 with the GTX 1080 Max-Q while offering an average 24 percent boost in graphics performance for DX12-based titles.