The GTX vs RTX debate is a very genuine one for those who are into PC building. The choice between the several graphics cards offered by NVIDIA can be a bit perplexing. Because it has a direct impact on how the game will appear, choosing appropriate graphics is critical.
Throughout this post, we will be comparing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX vs RTX series to help you decide which card is best for you.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX vs RTX Series – What’s the Difference?
What is real-time emulation (RTX)?
When it comes to gaming graphic cards, many people turn to NVIDIA. NVIDIA now offers a specialized gaming portfolio dubbed the NVIDIA GeForce. GeForce has two different series: GTX and RTX.
The RTX series is new compared to the GTX series, and it incorporates a slew of cutting-edge technologies and features.
Ray Tracing and Tensor cores are included in the RTX series. This enables real-time ray tracing on the RTX series, resulting in an immersive gaming experience.
The RTX series of graphics cards are the first to include ray-tracing cores and technology devoted to ray tracing. This ultimately results in creating film-like light effects in a game, and that too in real-time.
Additionally, the RTX series is the first to include Tensor Cores. These cores enable higher artificial intelligence capabilities. According to NVIDIA, the Tensor Cores are capable of processing over 100 teraflops of AI data. When paired with NVIDIA DLSS, this can significantly increase game performance.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX vs AMD RTX: The Fundamental Differences
Here are some of the most significant changes between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX and the NVIDIA RTX graphics cards, according to NVIDIA:
| Technology features: | RTX 20-Series | GTX 16-Series | GTX 10-Series |
| Turing Architecture | Yes | Yes | No |
| NVIDIA Adaptive Shading | Yes | Yes | No |
| VR Ready | Yes | GTX 1660 or higher | GTX 1060 or higher |
| Concurrent Floating Point & Integer Operations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Turing NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) | Yes | Yes (except 1650) | No |
| Ray-Tracing Cores | Yes | No | No |
| Tensor Cores | Yes | No | No |
| NVIDIA DLSS | Yes | No | No |
Architecture
Surprisingly, there is virtually little variation between the architectures of the GTX and RTX series graphics cards. The Turing architecture is used by the GTX and RTX line of graphics cards in their most recent iterations. This is the best architecture that has been created to date.
Turing architecture has a power efficiency that is 1.4 times greater than that of the prior architectures. In general, the cards with this architecture are quieter and operate cooler than their predecessors.
The RTX series has unquestionably greater core and clock performance, but this is by design, not chance. The GTX series graphics cards, which are based on the Turing architecture, are also quite good. In terms of performance, only the older GTX cards based on the previous architecture are inferior to the newer ones.
RT Cores and Tensor Cores
Ray Tracing and RT Cores
Ray Tracing Cores (RT Cores) is an abbreviation for Ray Tracing Cores. These cores are the primary differentiator between the RTX and GTX generations of graphics cards. Ray tracing in games provides for more realistic lighting and reflections because of the way the technology works.
Although playing games without using ray tracing is possible, doing so elevates the experience to a whole new level.
It is still feasible to conduct ray tracing without RT cores, but the performance is significantly reduced. Because the RTX series has dedicated hardware for ray tracing, the version is on a whole new plane.
The ray-tracing performance of the RTX series is unaffected by the graphics card. It is six times quicker than any other GPU available on the market.
The ray-tracing cores enable real-time ray tracing, which enhances the surreal appearance of the game. No matter if you do not employ ray tracing, the RT Cores will undoubtedly improve the overall speed of your computer’s graphics.
The only essential issue to address at this point is whether or not ray-tracing is even worthwhile. Well, according to data from 2020, there are just a little more than 20 games that include ray tracing, with only a few of them being new AAA releases. It is not a major deal for the time being, but it is unquestionably beneficial in the long run.
Tensor Cores
How is the Tensor Cores GTX vs RTX? Tensor Cores are yet another feature only available in the RTX series and not in the GTX series of graphics cards.
Combining Tensor Cores with Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) gives you next-generation artificial intelligence capabilities. All of this contributes to more crisp and sharp graphics while playing games. These cores also contribute to the improvement of ray-tracing performance.
However, DLSS is a very new technology, and only a small number of games now support it.
How Can You Know Which One is Futureproof?
GTX vs RTX, which one is future-proof? The RTX series has an advantage over the GTX series in this area. It is unquestionably more advanced, thanks to RT Cores, Tensor Cores, and DLSS. The RTX series is capable of delivering improved performance in next-generation games.
The PCIe 3.0 interface is used by both the GTX and RTX series of graphics cards. Both the GTX and RTX line of graphics cards are capable of 1440p and 4K gaming. Despite this, 1080p continues to be the most popular resolution for gaming. Yes, the RTX series is more future-proof than its predecessors.
Pricing
Given that the RTX series is relatively new and has more capabilities, the price of the RTX series is higher than the price of other gaming consoles. However, the price difference between the GTX and the RTX is a bit excessive. In most cases, they are several hundred dollars in price, if not more.
Please keep in mind that both of these are high-end gaming graphics cards, so the price difference is significant, with RTX offering some interesting features that aren’t that useful at the moment.
One of the widely held beliefs in the community is that RTX is solely for marketing purposes. Now, if you take a look at the RTX series, you’ll see that it includes real-time ray tracing, increased AI capabilities, and everything else. However, for the time being, these features are only of limited utility. The majority of games do not even take advantage of the new features of the RTX series.
For the time being, the RTX series’ largest ISPs, Tensor Cores, and DLSS are the most powerful, although they are not currently in widespread use. In other words, if you remove them from the equation and only compare the latest GTX series cards to the latest RTX cards, there isn’t much of a difference.
As a result, the RTX series is merely intended to keep NVIDIA in the game by providing features and performance overkill, while the GTX series is still very much in demand.
The bottom conclusion is that if you enjoy playing games that use ray tracing and dynamic light scattering, the RTX series is a smart choice. While the older GTX series graphics cards are still excellent, the newer ones in the GTX series are comparable to or better than everything else. What do you think after knowing the differences between GTX vs RTX?
