NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the GTX 1080 and the RTX 4050 Laptop with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RTX 4050 Laptop is ~5% faster than the GTX 1080 on average at 1080p.
RTX 4050 Laptop
- Index (1080p)
- 38/100
- VRAM
- 6 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- —
- Upscaling
- DLSS + Frame Gen
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | GTX 1080 | RTX 4050 Laptop | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 38 | 40 | +5% |
| 1440p | 29 | 28 | +4% |
| 4K | 14 | 12 | +17% |
Which one for your resolution?
RTX 4050 Laptop (+5%)
GTX 1080 (+4%)
GTX 1080 (+17%)
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the GTX 1080 and RTX 4050 Laptop: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | GTX 1080 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| TDP | 180W | 75W |
| Tier | High-end | Mid-range |
| Score 1080p | 36 | 38 |
| Score 1440p | 31 | 30 |
| Score 4K | 19 | 17 |
| Price (MSRP) | $599 | — |
| Architecture | Pascal | Ada Lovelace |
| Process Node | TSMC 16nm | TSMC 4nm (4N) |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 2560 | 2560 |
| RT Cores | — | 20 |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 160 | 80 |
| ROPs | 64 | 32 |
| Base Clock | 1607 MHz | 1605 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz | 2370 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 8.87 TFLOPS | 12.13 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR5X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 10000 MHz | 16000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 96-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 320 GB/s | 192 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Transistor Count | 7.2B | 18.9B |
| Release Date | 2016-05-27 | 2023-02-08 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
GTX 1080
- TDP
- 180W
- FPS/W
- 0.21
RTX 4050 Laptop
- TDP
- 75W
- FPS/W
- 0.53
The RTX 4050 Laptop is more efficient: it draws 105W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 4050 Laptop is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | GTX 1080 | RTX 4050 Laptop | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 42 | 44 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 39 | 41 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 31 | 33 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 33 | 35 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 34 | 36 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
| 32 | 34 | RTX 4050 Laptop | |
 | 40 | 43 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 42 | 44 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 47 | 49 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
 | 37 | 39 | RTX 4050 Laptop |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop wins in 10 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RTX 4050 Laptop comes out ahead by around 5% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the GTX 1080 with the RTX 4050 Laptop.
Which is better, the GTX 1080 or the RTX 4050 Laptop?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 4050 Laptop is 5% faster than the GTX 1080. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the GTX 1080 averages 14 FPS and the RTX 4050 Laptop 12 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 5% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
1080 vs 4050 Laptop: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 4050 Laptop beats the GTX 1080 by around 5% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 1080 and the 4050 Laptop on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
