RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q vs RX 470
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q | RX 470 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 8,580 | 1,729 | +396.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 77 | 31 | +148.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 47 | 17 | +176.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 26 | 9 | +188.9% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 21.5 | 4.9 | +334.2% |
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6X | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 1,008 | 224 | +350.0% |
| TDP (W) | 157 | 120 | — |
- RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q averages 47 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 176% faster.
- RX 470 draws less power (120W vs 157W).
Verdict: RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q or RX 470?
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+64%)
- 4K gaming (+65%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+80%)
- Video memory (+67%)
- Memory bandwidth (+78%)
RX 470 advantages
- Power efficiency (+24%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RX 470 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q vs RX 470: which should you choose?
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2022, Ampere) with 12 GB of GDDR6X, averaging 47 fps at 1440p.
RX 470 — AMD desktop graphics card (2016, Polaris) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $179.
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q vs RX 470: RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q averages 47 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 176% faster. RX 470 draws less power (120W vs 157W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q averages 47 fps against 17. At 4K (26 vs 9 fps) VRAM (12GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 157 W versus 120 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q better than the RX 470?
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q averages 47 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 176% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q and the RX 470?
RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q averages 47 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 176% faster. RX 470 draws less power (120W vs 157W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 3080 12GB Max-Q if you game at 1440p. Choose the RX 470 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.