Graphics cards war update: Comparing Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 with AMD Radeon RX 480
American technology companies NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are placed side by side again after releasing new architectures and graphics cards for the year 2016. The products of the two companies have always been compared and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and AMD Radeon RX 480 are no exception.
NVIDIA was the first to announce its pascal-based graphics processing unit (GPU). AMD followed almost a month after. PC gamers and virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts are now both looking into the specs and features of the two graphics cards as they decide which one to go for.
As detailed on NVIDIA'S official website, Pascal GTX 1080 is equipped with a 2560 CUDA cores. It comes with a base clock of 1,607 MHz and a boosted clock of 1,773 MHz. For its frame buffer, it is listed to have 8 GB of GDDRX 5 which is actually said to be a standard.
It has a memory speed of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) and a bandwidth speed of 320 gigabytes pero second (GBps). It is also equipped with a 256-bit memory interface and utilizes the 16nm FinFET manufacturing process. Moreover, it features a 7.2b transistor and a thermal design power (TDP) of 180 watts.
On the other hand, the AMD Radeon RX 480 is made with a core clock of 1,266 MHz and a boost block of 1,733 MHz. It is said to have two video random access memory (VRAM) variants — the 4 GB and 8 GB — and has a memory clock of 8 Gbps. Its memory bandwidth is 256 GBps, while its TDP is 150 watts. The manufacturing process used is FinFET 14nm and its steam processors is 2304. It also has a 256-bit memory bus width.
Apparently, the AMD contender isn't as beastly as NVIDIA's product, but it's also essential to take note that the former comes with a lower price tag. AMD notes that it costs only $199 but it still offers premium VR capability. The GeoForce GTX starts at $699 for the Founders Edition and it can do more. Even though it's double the price of the Radeon RX 480, it's worth the use as it is more powerful.
