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日本NVIDIA RTX 2080 Max-Q vs RTX 2070 – the full-blow TU106 isn’t that far away when it comes to heavy stress
NVIDIA’s Max-Q technology is an interesting one. Shortly, a Max-Q GPU is standard RTX or GTX one with lower frequencies, lower max voltage, and lower TGP. This allows monstrous GPUs like RTX 2080 to be fitted in very thin laptops thanks to the Max-Q tech – the dissipated heat is much lower. For example, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced can be configured with RTX 2080 Max-Q while the profile of the notebook is just 17.8mm. Notebooks with the “normal” RTX 2080 are much thicker – Acer Predator Helios 700 is a good laptop that can be equipped with RTX 2080 and its profile is 41.7mm – 23.9mm (57%) more than Razer Blade 15 Advanced.
We will test the RTX 2080 Max-Q vs full-blown variant of RTX 2070. Our target is to show you how much power the Max-Q tech cuts down from a standard RTX 2080 when compared to TU106.
For a more detailed view about the performance of the normal versions of RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 check out our in-depth analysis – RTX 2080 vs RTX 2070.
See all configurations with: GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q / GeForce RTX 2070
Contents
Specs overview
Both video cards are Turing GPUs. The RTX 2080 Max-Q is based on the TU104 chip and RTX 2070 is a TU106 GPU.
The RTX 2080 Max-Q has two versions – with 80W and 90W TGP. The first one has 735 MHz – 1095 MHz base and boost frequencies and the 90W one has 990 MHz – 1230 MHz clocks. Translated in percentage, the base clock of the 80W variant is 65% lower than RTX 2070 and we have a 45% lower boost clock compared to a full-blown RTX 2070. The 90W version of RTX 2080 Max-Q has a 23% lower base clock (990 MHz) and a 17% lower boost clock (1230 MHz) than the normal RTX 2070. The memory clock is reduced from 14000 MHz to 12000 MHz (17% down and the same as the RTX 2070 memory clock). Basically we have lower clocks and reduced TGP, all other specs are the same as a standard RTX 2080.
TU106 shares some equal settings with TU104 like – 64 ROPs, the same 8GB GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit memory bus. The TGP of the RTX 2070 is much higher – 115W than the 80W/90W version of RTX 2080 Max-Q. The normal TU106 has higher frequencies too – take a look at our table below.
Now, it is time for our benchmarks.
GPU comparison table
| RTX 2080 Max-Q | RTX 2070 | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Turing | Turing |
| GPU chip | TU104 | TU106 |
| Shader units | 2944 (+45%) | 2034 |
| ROPs | 64 | 64 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 735-990 | 1215 (+65% – 23%) |
| Boost clock (MHz) | 990-1230 | 1440 (+45% -17%) |
| Memory clock (MHz) | 12000 | 12000 |
| Memory size (MB) | 8192 | 8192 |
| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory bus width (bit) | 256 | 256 |
| TGP (Total Graphics Power) | 80-90W | 115W(+28% – 44%) |
| DirectX version | 12.1 | 12.1 |
| Technology | 12nm | 12nm |
| RTX capabilities | Yes | Yes |
| Release date | 01.2019 | 01.2019 |
| Official page | Link | Link |
Synthetic benchmarks
| RTX 2080 Max-Q over RTX 2070 | 3Dmark Fire Strike (G) | Unigine Heaven 3.0 | Unigine Heaven 4.0 | Unigine Superposition | Average difference % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | |||||
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | +19% | +40% | +20% | +17% | ~24% |
It is all about the TGP here – the synthetic benchmarks are very GPU bounded, which means the GPU is almost at 100% load all the time (if there isn’t a CPU bottleneck). In our case, the RTX 2080 throttles hard because of its lower power limits and that’s why the RTX 2070 is 24% faster here.
Gaming tests
| Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 140 fps (+41%) | 82 fps (+21%) | 55 fps |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 99 fps | 68 fps | 56 fps (+2%) |
When it comes to GTA V on Max settings we have almost the same situation like the one with the synthetic benchmarks – RTX 2070 is just 2% faster than RTX 2080 Max-Q. On High and Very high presets, the power requirements are not that high and the frequencies of the RTX 2080 Max-Q are higher (not-so-big TGP bottleneck) and that’s why TU104 is 21% to 41% faster than TU106.
| Far Cry 5 | Full HD, Normal (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 115 fps (+39%) | 107 fps (+32%) | 105 fps (+35%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 83 fps | 81 fps | 78 fps |
Far Cry 5 engine is a bit old and not that heavy, and the RTX 2080 Max-Q is much faster (there are almost no throttled clocks) no matter the settings than RTX 2070.
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 150 fps (+50%) | 84 fps (+6%) | 57 fps (+2%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 100 fps | 79 fps | 56 fps |
The same case as the GTA V one – Rise Of The Tomb Raider is a heavy game and on Max settings, both GPUs are almost neck-a-neck. Interestingly enough, they are close even on Very high preset.
| Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 100 fps (+41%) | 89 fps (+33%) | 60 fps (+25%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 74 fps | 67 fps | 48 fps |
In Ghost Recon: Wildlands the RTX 2080 Max-Q is a clear winner.
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Highest (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 102 fps (+34%) | 98 fps (+32%) | 65 fps (+5%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 76 fps | 74 fps | 62 fps |
With Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, we are observing the same situation as in Rise Of The Tomb Raider – you will not spot the difference between RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 2070 when the settings are maxed out. On High and Very High TU104 is much faster.
| TC Rainbow Six Siege | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | – | – | 197 fps (+30%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | – | – | 152 fps |
About Rainbow Six Siege – we have Max preset results only but that’s enough. RTX 2080 Max-Q is 30% faster. Again – this game is a bit old and it is not that heavy.
| AC Odyssey | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | 70 fps (+21%) | 63 fps (+47%) | 54 fps (+20%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 58 fps | 43 fps | 45 fps |
AC Odyssey is a very CPU and GPU intensive game. The good news – RTX 2080 Max-Q is faster no matter the load.
| For Honor | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Extreme (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | – | 153 fps (+6%) | 128 fps (+3%) |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 146 fps | 144 fps | 124 fps |
For Honor isn’t a very new title but its engine is heavy as hell – RTX 2080 Max-Q struggles even on High settings and the results on Extreme preset are very close (just 3%).
Performance summary (gaming tests)
| RTX 2080 Max-Q over RTX 2070 | Full HD, High | Full HD, Very High | Full HD, MAX |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q | +38% | +25% | +15% |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | – | – | – |
Let’s summarize the results. When max settings are applied the RTX 2080 Max-Q has similar performance to the regular RTX 2070 – not in every game but we observe the same “phenomenon” in 4 of 8 game titles. When the stress is high the difference between RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 2070 is 15% average. We have a 38% and 25% difference on Medium and Very High settings.
Verdict
RTX 2080 Max-Q and RTX 2070 are targeted at different price categories. You can buy a laptop with a standard RTX 2070 for a much better price than a machine with TU104 Max-Q.
The idea and the philosophy of the Max-Q technology is not just about raw power – you can have a monster GPU in a thin and light machine. You can take your device everywhere with you because its weight is low and the size is compact too. Not everything is perfect – almost all the laptops with RTX 2080 Max-Q are hotter and louder when compared with the ones equipped with RTX 2070. Even with lowered frequencies, and much lower TGP, it is а real challenge for every manufacturer to fit TU104 Max-Q in a laptop with an 18mm profile. That’s the main disadvantage of RTX 2080 Max-Q.
RTX 2070 is not that far away from RTX 2080 Max-Q when it comes to playing games on Max details. The devices configured with the normal TU106 are much thicker than the notebooks with TU104 Max-Q but most of them are not that loud and hot (and don’t throttle like crazy).
If you need a thin and light machine with a powerful GPU – a configuration with RTX 2080 Max-Q is a good choice if you have the money to buy it.
If your laptop is placed mainly on your desk and you want to have a more cool and quiet machine, a laptop with a full-blown RTX 2070 is the right choice at a much pleasant price.
All laptops equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
All laptops equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
