RTX 2060 Vs GTX 1080 Ti: We Tested Both

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Uzair Qureshi

At Tech4Gamers, I proudly wear the title of Comparisons Specialist. Focused on CPUs and GPUs, I bring forth a wealth of hands-on experience and a keen eye for detail to provide our audience with the latest insights and analyses.

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While discussing the most successful graphics cards, the mention of the GTX 1080 Ti comes up very often. On the other hand, cards included in the RTX 2000 series, like the RTX 2060, were not well received. In this comparison, we will compare the RTX 2060 vs GTX 1080 Ti to see which one best suits your needs.

Key Takeaways

• Using traditional rendering methods, the GTX 1080 Ti was about 27% faster in games.
• The temperatures between the RTX 2060 and GTX 1080 Ti did not differ substantially in general gaming.
• Ray tracing flipped the tables on our results. The RTX 2060 was about 14% faster in ray-tracing titles, though it was also 9% hotter.

RTX 2060 Vs GTX 1080 Ti

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. TDP: The RTX 2060 boasts a lower TDP of 160 Watts, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti has a higher TDP of 250 Watts.
2. Clock Speeds: The RTX 2060 features a base clock of 1365MHz and a boost clock of 1680MHz. The GTX 1080 Ti offers a slightly higher base clock of 1481MHz but a lower boost clock of 1582MHz, showing differences in clock speed profiles between the two cards.
3. Processing Node: The RTX 2060 is manufactured using a TSMC 12nm processing node, representing a newer and more power-efficient manufacturing technology. The GTX 1080 Ti, on the other hand, utilizes a TSMC 16nm processing node, an older technology that may not be as power-efficient as the 12nm process used for the RTX 2060.
4. VRAM: The RTX 2060 has 6GB of GDDR6 memory, offering a rather small memory capacity for gaming and content creation tasks. In contrast, the GTX 1080 Ti features a larger 11GB of GDDR5X memory.
5. Other Features: The RTX 2060 has a few RTX-exclusive features that the GTX 1080 Ti doesn’t have, including hardware accelerated ray tracing and DLSS support, though AMD’s FSR efforts help build up for the lack of the latter feature.

Gaming Performance

In this comparison section, we will enlist the performance of the RTX 2060 vs GTX 1080 Ti in various titles. To satisfy your curiosity, we have included some ray-tracing benchmarks. All these tests were performed on a controlled test bench at 1080p. The specifications of the test bench are listed below:

• OS: Windows 11
• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
• Motherboards: ASRock Z790 Taichi Lite Motherboard
• RAM: Kingston Fury Renegade RGB DDR5 32GB 7200MHz
• SSD: XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe SSD
• PSU: Enermax Revolution D.F. X 1050W
• CPU Cooler: MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360 CPU Liquid Cooler

Forza Horizon 5 (Ultra Settings)

• In our benchmark test of Forza Horizon 5 at ultra settings, the GTX 1080 Ti exhibited exceptional performance with an average of 142 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 110 FPS.
• During demanding moments in the game, the GTX 1080 Ti maintained superior performance with 1% lows of 107 FPS, beating out the RTX 2060’s 95 FPS.
• The RTX 2060 peaked at 59°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti was significantly hotter at 64°C.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ultra Settings)

• When we ran Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at ultra settings on both cards, the GTX 1080 Ti came out ahead with an average of 76 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 62 FPS.
• Surprisingly, in this title, the RTX 2060 pulls out ahead with slightly better 1% lows, though the difference between the two cards would not have been noticeable if the framerate monitor was turned off. The RTX 2060 managed to get 48 FPS as its 1% lows, while the GTX 1080 Ti came in a bit lower with 46 FPS.
• The peak temperatures in AC Odyssey were hotter on the RTX 2060, with a peak of 66°C compared to the 61°C on the GTX 1080 Ti.

Also Read: RTX 2060 Vs GTX 1080

Hitman 2 (Ultra Settings)

• When we put both cards through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at ultra settings, the GTX 1080 Ti delivered a remarkable average of 112 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 85 FPS.
• The GTX 1080 Ti maintained its superiority with 1% lows of 85 FPS in our test of Hitman 2, outperforming the RTX 2060’s 67 FPS.
• Peak temperatures were greater on the GTX card in this game, with a peak of 69°C compared to 65°C on the RTX 2060.

Far Cry A New Dawn (Ultra Settings)

• Pulling up Far Cry A New Dawn on our test bench with ultra settings, the GTX 1080 Ti kept its lead with an average of 115 FPS, outperforming the RTX 2060’s 103 FPS.
• The GTX 1080 Ti kept ahead in performance with 1% lows of 83 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 79 FPS.
• The RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 66°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti maintained a lower peak temperature of 62°C.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Ultra Settings)

• Running The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at ultra settings on our test bench showed the GTX 1080 Ti to shine with an impressive average of 145 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s much lower 104 FPS average.
• The GTX 1080 Ti provided 1% lows of 122 FPS compared to the RTX 2060’s 88 FPS. This difference caught the eye of our testing team.
• The RTX 2060 peaked at 65°C while the GTX 1080 Ti was slightly hotter at 68°C.

Also Read: RTX 3050 Vs 2060

Ray Tracing – Metro Exodus (Ultra Quality)

• With ultra-quality settings and ray tracing enabled in Metro Exodus, the RTX 2060 surprised us with a solid average of 65 FPS, greater than its rival. The GTX 1080 Ti struggled to maintain 40 FPS because it lacked dedicated RT hardware. 
• Regarding challenging game scenes, the RTX 2060 outperformed the GTX 1080 Ti with 1% lows of 50 FPS, compared to the 1080’s 27 FPS.
• The maximum temperature achieved by the RTX 2060 was 70°C, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti reached a much lower peak temperature of 55°C. The use of the 2060’s RT cores is the reason for this much warmer temperature.

Metro Exodus (Ultra Quality)

• The GTX 1080 Ti exhibited superior performance in Metro Exodus with ultra-quality settings and ray tracing disabled, boasting an average of 123 FPS, significantly higher than the RTX 2060’s 102 FPS.
• The GTX 1080 Ti maintained better performance with 1% lows of 85 FPS, leaving the 65 FPS offered by the RTX 2060 in the dust.
• While the RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 62°C, the GTX 1080 Ti operated at a higher peak temperature of 65°C.

Ray Tracing – Battlefield V (Ultra Settings)

• When playing Battlefield V with ultra settings and DXR (DirectX Raytracing) with both test setups, the GTX 1080 Ti gave us an average of 62 FPS, slightly outperforming the RTX 2060’s 58 FPS.
• During demanding gameplay scenarios, the GTX 1080 Ti performed better with 1% lows of 40 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 37 FPS. The difference here is practically unnoticeable.
• The RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 62°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti operated at a slightly higher peak temperature of 65°C.

Similar Comparisons: RX 6600 Vs RTX 2060

Battlefield V ( Ultra Settings)

• When we turned off DXR in Battlefield V at ultra settings, the GTX 1080 Ti showcased impressive performance with an average of 135 FPS, outperforming the RTX 2060’s 103 FPS.
• The GTX 1080 Ti maintained superior performance with 1% lows of 92 FPS, surpassing the RTX 2060’s 87 FPS.
• The RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 63°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti ran at a slightly higher peak temperature of 64°C.

Ray Tracing – Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (High Settings)

• Shadow of the Tomb Raider with ray tracing enabled and high settings showed us a similar average FPS performance between the RTX 2060 and the GTX 1080 Ti, with the RTX 2060 achieving 51 FPS and the GTX 1080 Ti reaching 50 FPS. 
• The RTX 2060 performs better with 44 FPS compared to the GTX 1080 Ti’s 31 FPS. This difference showcases the disparity between the modernity of the hardware of the 2060 cards.
• The RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 60°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti operated at a slightly cooler temperature of 55°C.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (High Settings)

• In our final test of this comparison, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, running at high settings, showcased the superior performance of the GTX 1080 Ti, achieving an impressive average of 128 FPS. Meanwhile, the RTX 2060 delivers a respectable average of 99 FPS.
• The GTX 1080 Ti maintained better performance with 1% lows of 80 FPS, while the RTX 2060 lags with 70 FPS.
• The RTX 2060 reached a peak temperature of 71°C, while the GTX 1080 Ti maintained a slightly lower peak of 66°C.

Also Check: RTX 2060 Vs 3060

Overall Gaming Performance

In this section of the RTX 2060 vs GTX 1080 Ti comparison, we will discuss the findings of the gaming benchmarks in terms of 1% lows, averages, and temperatures over 9 games. We will also give our insights into the difference between the traditionally rastorized performance vs the ray-traced performance in each metric.

Frame Rates

During the benchmarks, the GTX 1080 dominated the RTX 2060 without fail in traditionally rendered titles by a good margin.

• The RT 2060 had an average of 96 FPS over the nine games that we tested, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti brought up its average to about 122 FPS. The difference in these metrics is about 27% in favor of the GTX card.

• In ray-traced titles, the RTX 2060 got us about 58 FPS on average, while the GTX 1080 Ti managed to get about 50 FPS. This disparity was about 14% in favor of the RTX card.

• The RTX 2060 had lows of 75 FPS on average in the rasterized games we tested, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti had lows of 87.5 FPS. Both of these are well above the enjoyable threshold.
• These cards do not give satisfying results for 1% lows in ray-traced games. The RTX 2060 comes in at about a 44 FPS average, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti underperforms even further with an average of 33 FPS. 

Temperatures

• The RTX 2060 had an average peak temperature of 64.4°C, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti was marginally warmer at 64.5°C. This difference can be chalked up to the margin of error. 
• When we enabled ray tracing in our tests, the results changed quite a bit. It had an average temperature of 64°C compared to 58°C on the GTX 1080 Ti. 

Also Read: RTX 2060 Vs RX Vega 56

RTX 2060 Vs 1080 Ti: Price And Availability

• The RTX 2060 had a modest MSRP of $349 at launch, whereas the GTX 1080 Ti represented the absolute best from Nvidia at the time of launch, appropriately reflected in its price tag of $699.
• Buying these cards so late in their life cycle for their full MSRP would be an unwise decision. For this reason, we would recommend buying these cards from used resalers, further sweetening the value proposition. You can find a  GTX 1080 Ti for around $170 on eBay, whereas the RTX 2060 comes a bit cheaper, selling around the $150 mark. 
• It would be hard to spot these cards in larger stores so late in their life cycle, but they can be found with a bit of hunting in a new condition. On the other hand, it’s going to be no problem finding these cards on the used market.

RTX 2060 Vs GTX 1080 Ti: What We Recommend

• For longevity and future-proofing, the 1080 Ti is the better choice despite its age, offering noticeable performance gains and extra VRAM.
• While the 1080 Ti may suffer in ray-traced games, the RTX 2060 doesn’t provide a satisfying ray-tracing experience either.
• If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option that delivers solid performance, we recommend the RTX 2060 as it is a great choice, especially when combined with DLSS for excellent performance at 1080p high settings.
• In conclusion, both the RTX 2060 and 1080 Ti offer good value for their respective price points, and the choice depends on your gaming needs and budget.

Similar Comparisons: GTX 1080 Ti Vs RTX 2080 Ti

Pros And Cons

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Uzair Qureshi

[Comparisons Specialist]

I’m a passionate computer hardware expert specializing in CPUs and GPUs. With a lifelong curiosity for hardware and extensive hands-on experience, I provide valuable insights, practical advice, and in-depth analysis on these components. Engaging with the hardware community, I exchange knowledge and stay at the forefront of technological advancements.

Get In Touch: uzair@tech4gamers.com