NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop) vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q design is a mainstream GPU based on the Pascal architecture and was announced in January 2018. Contrary to the faster models, the GTX 1050 uses the GP107 chip, which is manufactured in a 14 nm process at Samsung.

The clock is not the only difference compared to the regular GTX 1050 though. The drivers for the Max-Q version were optimized for efficiency (and not performance; only for Max-Q models), there are optimized voltage converters for 1V operation, high-end cooling methods, and a 40 dB limit for the fan noise (with clock adjustments to ensure this at all times).

Features

The GP107 chip is manufactured in a 14 nm FinFET process at Samsung and offers a number of new features, including support for DisplayPort 1.4 (ready), HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) as well as improved H.265 video de- and encoding (PlayReady 3.0). A full list of improvements and the new Pascal desktop GPUs is available in our dedicated Pascal architecture article.

Performance

The performance of the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q should be around 10-15 % below a regular GTX 1050 for laptops. This means the GPU is most suited for full HD gaming at high settings (not maximum).

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is rated at 34 to 40 Watt and therefore significantly lower than the normal laptop GTX 1050 (53 Watt). Therefore, the Max-Q variant is also suited for thin and light laptops.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 is a fast desktop graphics card based on the Pascal architecture. It was announced in May 2016 and offers all 2,560 shader of the used GP104 chip. Furthermore, the GPU is coupled with 8 GB GDDR5X graphics memory using a 256 Bit interface (10 GHz, 320 GB/s). The chip is manufactured at TSMC in 16nm (FinFET). The TDP is specified at 180 Watt and therefore slightly higher than the predecessor, the GTX 980 with 165 Watt.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 is the second fastest Pascal based graphics card in mid May 2016. It is a high-end desktop graphics card. The mobile pendant is also called GeForce GTX 1070, but features more shaders and a lower core clock (see this page for details on the laptop version of the GTX 1070). Both cards are based on a cut down GP104 chip as the GTX 1080 and manufactured in 16 nm FinFET at TSMC. More details on the Pascal architecture including all features and comparisons to Maxwell, can be found here.

Compared to the GTX1080, the GTX1070 features less CUDA cores (1920 versus 2560) that are clocked a bit lower (maximum Boost 1683 versus 1733). Instead of the new GDDR5X, the GTX 1070 uses slower GDDR5 graphics memory - but still 8 GB. The TDP is also reduced from 180 Watt to 150 Watt.

The performance of the GTX 1070 is between the old GTX 980 Ti and the GTX 1080. Therefore, gaming in 4k at high details is possible with the card and also VR gaming is possible.