RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q vs RTX 4080 Max-Q
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q | RTX 4080 Max-Q | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 10,259 | 13,644 | -24.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 88 | 110 | -20.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 54 | 69 | -21.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 30 | 39 | -23.1% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 23.9 | 34.1 | -30.0% |
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6X | 16 GB GDDR6X | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 1,008 | 672 | +50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 157 | 144 | — |
| Stable Diffusion (it/s) | 9.5 | 13.6 | -30.1% |
| LLM inference (tokens/s) | 80 | 53 | +50.9% |
- RTX 4080 Max-Q averages 69 fps at 1440p versus 54 fps — about 22% faster.
- RTX 4080 Max-Q draws less power (144W vs 157W).
Verdict: RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q or RTX 4080 Max-Q?
RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q advantages
- Memory bandwidth (+33%)
- Local LLM inference (+34%)
RTX 4080 Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+22%)
- 4K gaming (+23%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+25%)
- Video memory (+25%)
- AI image generation (+30%)
- Power efficiency (+8%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads.
- Choose the RTX 4080 Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q if you run local LLMs and AI inference.
RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q vs RTX 4080 Max-Q: which should you choose?
RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2021, Ampere) with 12 GB of GDDR6X, averaging 54 fps at 1440p.
RTX 4080 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2022, Ada Lovelace) with 16 GB of GDDR6X, averaging 69 fps at 1440p.
RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q vs RTX 4080 Max-Q: RTX 4080 Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 4080 Max-Q averages 69 fps at 1440p versus 54 fps — about 22% faster. RTX 4080 Max-Q draws less power (144W vs 157W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 4080 Max-Q averages 69 fps against 54. At 4K (30 vs 39 fps) VRAM (12GB vs 16GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
AI and creator workloads
Beyond gaming, the RTX 4080 Max-Q is quicker for AI image generation (13.6 vs 9.5 it/s in Stable Diffusion) and local LLM inference (80 vs 53 tokens/s), which increasingly matters for creators and developers.
Power and value
Board power is 157 W versus 144 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 Ti Max-Q better than the RTX 4080 Max-Q?
RTX 4080 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 4080 Max-Q averages 69 fps at 1440p versus 54 fps — about 22% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q and the RTX 4080 Max-Q?
RTX 4080 Max-Q averages 69 fps at 1440p versus 54 fps — about 22% faster. RTX 4080 Max-Q draws less power (144W vs 157W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 3080 Ti Max-Q if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads. Choose the RTX 4080 Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
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.