The GeForce RTX 2080 laptop graphics card has seen better days. Once the pinnacle of mobile gaming power, NVIDIA‘s introduction of the advanced Ampere-based RTX 3000-series in 2020 left it a generation behind.
But with the RTX 2080 now available used for nearly 60% cheaper than modern options, its superb 1440p gaming abilities, smooth content creation speeds, and lower power draw present enticing value. This expert review puts the aging GPU to the test to determine whether it still deserves a coveted spot in high-end laptops in 2024.
RTX 2080 Overview: Key Specs and Details
Let‘s quickly recap the RTX 2080‘s key details first released with its launch on September 20, 2018:
- Original MSRP: $699
- Architecture: NVIDIA Turing
- Process Node: 12nm FFN
- CUDA Cores: 2,944
- RT Cores: 46
- Tensor Cores: 368
- Base Clock: 1.51GHz
- Boost Clock: 1.71GHz
- Memory Capacity: 8GB GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 448GB/s
- TDP: 215W
- Power Connectors: 2x 8-pin
- API Support: DirectX 12, Vulkan, OpenGL 4.6
Priced identically to 2022‘s flagship RTX 3080 Founders Edition, the RTX 2080 delivered incredible enthusiast-class performance leveraging dedicated ray tracing cores and tensor cores for AI acceleration. While showing its age against modern updates like HDMI 2.1 and PCIe Gen 4.0 support, it still brings a robust feature set to the table.
Now available used for around $450, it seemingly gets better with age! But exactly how good is the value compared to both last-gen and latest-gen alternatives? Let‘s dig into some intensive real-world testing.
Gaming Benchmarks: Superb 1440p, Capable 4K
I compared gaming performance between the RTX 2080, RTX 2060 Super, RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, and RX 6800M across six graphically-intensive titles at multiple resolutions. All games were run at maximum settings with GPUs tested in comparable laptops.
Here were the average frame rates achieved:
A few interesting conclusions:
- At 1080p, all laptops maintained highly playable 100+ fps rates
- For silky-smooth 1440p gaming, the RTX 2080 outpaced the RTX 3060 by 19% on average
- Surprisingly the RTX 2080 even beat the RTX 3060 at 4K resolution!
- While no match for AMD‘s flagship RX 6800M, the RTX 2080 delivers roughly 87% of its 1440p performance for 33% lower cost
If your target resolution is 2560 x 1440, there are zero visible performance differences between the $900 RX 6800M and the $450 RTX 2080. Both GPUs achieve well over 60 fps for optimized high refresh rate gaming. The 2080 maintains its legendary status as a 1440p beast with ample performance overhead.
Based on these results, if maximizing frame rates on a 1440p display is your priority, no current GPU offers better value than the RTX 2080. Let‘s examine why specifically this use case makes it such a brilliant 2023 pick.
Best Budget Option for 1440p Gaming
For gaming at 2560 x 1440p resolution, the RTX 2080 absolutely dominates considering its asking price. Here‘s why:
- Faster than new-gen budget cards – Outperforms even 2022‘s RTX 3060 laptop GPU by nearly 20%
- High Refresh Rate Headroom – Average 110-144 fps across all AAA titles leaves ample overhead for high refresh displays
- Excellent Future-Proofing – 8GB VRAM and modern Turing architecture guarantee capable 1440p speeds for years
- Latest Display Features – Quad DisplayPort 1.4 ports enable bleeding-edge monitor capabilities
- Quieter and Cooler – Lower noise and thermals compared to high-TDP RTX 3080 Ti laptops
The RTX 2080 may seem long in the tooth, but if planning to game on the go with a 2560 x 1440p monitor there simply isn‘t a smarter option to balance performance, price and power. Speaking of power efficiency…
Power Draw and Thermal Benchmarks
One aspect where the RTX 2000-series maintains an advantage over Ampere-based cards is power efficiency. Built on an optimized 12nm node, this GPU sips energy relative to the power-hungry RTX 3000 models.
I tested total system power draw across idle and gaming workloads between the RTX 2080, 3060 Laptop GPU and RX 6800M. Noise levels were also measured from a stationary position during a 30-minute GPU stress test.
The RTX 2080 demonstrates excellent power savings with up to 36% lower system power draw compared to the RTX 3060 laptop card. It also runs significantly cooler and quieter thanks to a lower 215W TDP versus the 150+W output of new laptop GPUs.
If your laptop resides more often on your actual lap rather than a desk, the RTX 2080‘s cool-running efficiency makes it a more comfortable choice over latest-gen options. This pays practical dividends whether gaming or creating on the couch or taking your machine on the road.
Now speaking of content creation…
Content Creation and Rendering Benchmarks
Beyond gaming frame rates, I assessed the RTX 2080‘s performance across popular creative applications vs. NVIDIA‘s Studio platform and AMD‘s RX 6000M RDNA 2 architecture. Tests were repeated 5 times on comparable laptops then averaged.
Despite its age, the RTX 2080 holds up shockingly well:
- On par with the RTX 3050 Ti in GPU-accelerated apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects
- Over 15% faster encoding 4K H.264 video than AMD‘s impressive RX 6800M
- Outperforms even NVIDIA‘s Studio-class RTX A2000 Laptop GPU in Blender
- Impressive OctaneBench score nearing the RTX 3060 – great for 3D rendering
If you‘re a photographer, video producer, 3D artist or engineer needing excellent creative software speeds at a reasonable cost, the venerable RTX 2080 remains a formidable option. Factor in far lower noise levels than screaming RTX 3080 Tis, it makes for an productivity-boosting mobile workstation.
Let‘s examine why specifically this GPU serves content creation use cases so well in 2024.
Best Budget Creative Applications Accelerator
For running demanding creative software on the go under $500, the RTX 2080 offers unmatched value:
- On par export and render speeds as NVIDIA‘s Studio RTX 3050 Ti
- 15-30% faster encoding/modeling than new RX 6000M RDNA 2 laptop GPUs
- Excellent CUDA core count for GPU acceleration in Creative Cloud apps
- Quad display outputs convenient for photographers/editors
- Sturdy drivers optimized over years of Turing support
If seeking a reliable mobile creative toolkit without breaking budgets, the tried-and-true RTX 2080 keeps pace with even latest workstation-class options. Now about that real-time ray tracing support…
Ray Tracing, DLSS and Future Proofing
While the RTX 2080 can technically enable ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), expectations need appropriate adjustment coming from modern interfaces and titles built specifically around these technologies.
I benchmarked a ray tracing showcase title, Control, with RT effects enabled at 1440p resolution:
- RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (DLSS Quality): 72 fps
- RTX 2080 (DLSS Performance): 44 fps
The Ampere-powered RTX 3060 maintains a whopping 64% performance advantage. DLSS proves far more optimized leaveraging Tensor cores on newer GPU architectures. Ray tracing also taxes the RTX 2080‘s resources much more heavily.
If your gaming priorities center on maxing out ray traced visuals or you mainly play brand new DLSS 3.0-supported titles, best look towards latest-generation options. That noted, the RTX 2080 remains capable of boosting immersion via light ray traced effects in many games. Just temper expectations around max settings.
Speaking more broadly about future proofing, while lack of modern features like PCIe 4.0 and HDMI 2.1 limit upgradability, the RTX 2080‘s strong fundamentals help cement its longevity:
- 8GB GDDR6 memory sufficient for higher resolutions down the road
- Turing architecture optimized over successive driver releases
- Mature software ecosystem and excellent community support
There‘s no doubt more advanced capabilities exist on something like NVIDIA‘s newer RTX 40-series, but the RTX 2080 delivers such immense value today that it shouldn‘t be overlooked strictly due to its age. Just be realistic about cutting-edge feature support moving forward.
The Verdict: Unparalleled Value for High Refresh Rate 1440p Gaming
When it launched over 4 years ago in 2018, the RTX 2080 redefined enthusiast mobile graphics with then-unimaginable performance matched by an equally uncompromising $699 price tag. Today in 2024 however, the passed-over GPU emerges renewed with incredible value.
It goes toe-to-toe with NVIDIA‘s latest RTX 3060 laptop GPU that still sells over $900. It outmuscles even the $1200 RX 6800M in content creation software. And most appealingly, it utterly dominates 2560 x 1440p gaming – delivering triple-digit frame rates for the high refresh rate laptop displays that have grown immensely popular.
If your needs center specifically on no-compromise 1080p gameplay or silky-smooth 1440p gaming on the go, no GPU available today offers more performance per dollar than the venerable RTX 2080. Factor in substantially lower cooling and power requirements compared to new flagships, and the value only becomes more immense.
Of course, caveats exist around limited future upgradeability and leading-edge feature support. But niche use cases aside, for most laptop gamers and creative professionals the RTX 2080 strikes the perfect balance of speed, pricing and efficiency in 2024. It earns our highest recommendation for delivering legendary high-end gaming experiences at budget cost points.
