GTX 1080 Ti vs Arc A770 for Gaming: Which Is Better?

For most gamers in 2026 the Arc A770 is the better pick, because it matches the GTX 1080 Ti in average raster performance while adding hardware ray tracing, XeSS on dedicated matrix units, 16 GB of VRAM and continued driver development; the GTX 1080 Ti only remains the smarter buy for older PCs without Resizable BAR or for a library of mostly older DirectX 11 games.

It is a remarkable pairing: Nvidia’s 2017 $699 Pascal flagship against Intel’s 2022 $329 first-generation Arc card. The fact that a five-year-newer budget card only roughly ties the old flagship says a lot about how strong the GTX 1080 Ti was, but features and software support now matter as much as raw frame rate.

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#1 Pick

ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 TI 11GB VR Ready 5K HD Gaming Graphics Card (ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-11G-GAMING) (Renewed)

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#2 Pick

MSI GAMING GeFroce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GDRR5X DirectX 12 352-bit VR Ready Graphics Card (GTX 1080 TI GAMING X 11G) (Renewed)

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#3 Pick

ASRock Intel Arc A770 Phantom Gaming 16GB OC Graphics Card, 2200 MHz GPU Clock, 16GB GDDR6, DisplayPort 2.0, HDMI 2.1, Triple Fan Cooling, Polychrome SYNC

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Pascal vs Alchemist on Paper

Rasterized Gaming: Closer Than Expected

No major outlet has run a dedicated head-to-head of these two cards, so the comparison comes from each card’s position relative to common reference points. TechPowerUp’s Arc A770 review placed it about 10% ahead of the RTX 3060 and about 17% behind the RTX 3060 Ti at 1440p. The GTX 1080 Ti historically lands in that same RTX 3060 to RTX 3060 Ti band in TechPowerUp’s relative performance charts. Per-game data from aggregated benchmarks confirms the overlap: Notebookcheck’s results show the 1080 Ti slightly ahead in Borderlands 3 at 1080p and the A770 slightly ahead at 1440p, with Control essentially tied.

• 1080p: roughly even; the GTX 1080 Ti often leads slightly in older DirectX 11 titles.
• 1440p: roughly even to a mid-single-digit lead for the A770 in modern DirectX 12 and Vulkan games.
• Newer releases: the A770 tends to pull ahead, as games increasingly use features Pascal handles poorly.

As an illustration only, a game running around 60 fps at 1440p high on one card typically runs somewhere between the mid-50s and mid-60s on the other, depending on the API, settings, CPU and driver version.

Ray Tracing, Mesh Shaders and Game Compatibility

This is where the age gap shows. The GTX 1080 Ti has no hardware ray tracing units. Some recent games now require hardware ray tracing support to launch at all, and others rely on DirectX 12 Ultimate features such as mesh shaders that Pascal does not support. Those titles either will not start or run poorly on the GTX 1080 Ti.

The A770 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, including hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders. Its ray tracing performance is modest, roughly in RTX 3060 territory in lighter RT games, but it can at least run RT-required titles at reduced settings.

Upscaling and Frame Generation

The GTX 1080 Ti has no Tensor cores, so it cannot use DLSS at all. It can use FSR 3.1 upscaling and frame generation, and XeSS through the DP4a fallback path, which is slower and lower quality than XeSS on Arc hardware.

The A770 runs XeSS on its XMX matrix units, the higher-quality path, and supports Intel’s XeSS 2 frame generation in games that implement it. It can also use FSR 3.1. In practice, the A770 has a meaningfully better upscaling toolbox, which extends its useful life in demanding new releases.

Driver Support Outlook

Nvidia has moved its Pascal generation off regular Game Ready driver updates, with the 580 driver branch being the last to add new optimizations for these cards; further updates are limited to security fixes. That means no new game-specific optimizations for the GTX 1080 Ti going forward.

Intel continues to update drivers for Arc A-series cards alongside the newer B-series. Hardware Unboxed’s retesting showed steady gains after launch, including around 9% higher average frame rates at 1080p after a few months and large improvements in DirectX 9 titles. Arc still has rougher edges in some older or niche games than GeForce cards do.

VRAM: 11 GB vs 16 GB

The GTX 1080 Ti’s 11 GB was generous in 2017 and still holds up reasonably well at 1080p and 1440p. The A770’s 16 GB provides more headroom for high-resolution textures in 2026 releases.

• 1080p: 8-10 GB is generally enough; both are comfortable.
• 1440p: 12 GB is the comfortable target; the 1080 Ti may need texture adjustments in a few new games.
• 4K: 16 GB is ideal, though neither card has the GPU power for high-setting 4K in new games.

Power, PSU, Platform and Size

Power ratings are close: 250 W for the GTX 1080 Ti and 225 W for the A770. Both use a 6-pin plus 8-pin layout on the reference design.

PSU sizing worked example

• GTX 1080 Ti: 250 W + 105 W (typical midrange CPU) + 150 W headroom = about 505 W, so a quality 600 W unit is appropriate.
• Arc A770: 225 W + 105 W + 150 W = about 480 W, also pointing to a quality 600 W unit, which matches Intel’s recommendation.

Platform requirements

The A770 depends on Resizable BAR for good performance; without it, frame rates drop and stutter increases significantly. Older platforms that lack Resizable BAR are better served by the GTX 1080 Ti, which has no such requirement. The A770 can also idle at higher power than expected unless ASPM power management is enabled.

The GTX 1080 Ti reference card is 267 mm long and two slots wide. A770 length varies by partner design, so checking the exact model against the case clearance is necessary.

Used Prices and Value

At launch MSRP the comparison is lopsided: equal raster performance at $699 versus $329 means the A770 offered about 2.1 times the performance per launch dollar. On the 2026 used market, the GTX 1080 Ti typically sells for roughly $130-$180, and the A770 16GB for roughly $180-$240.

Using midpoints of $155 and $210 with equal performance, the GTX 1080 Ti costs about 26% less per frame. That discount is offset by the lack of ray tracing, DLSS-class upscaling and ongoing driver optimization, plus the age of any used Pascal card: cards from 2017 often need fresh thermal paste and pads, and fans may be near the end of their life.

Which Card Fits

For buyers who can spend a bit more, Intel’s current Arc B580 and AMD’s RX 9060 XT are both faster than either card and are still sold new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Arc A770 faster than the GTX 1080 Ti?

On average they are very close. The GTX 1080 Ti often leads slightly in older DirectX 11 games at 1080p, while the A770 tends to lead in newer DirectX 12 titles and at 1440p. The A770 also runs games that require hardware ray tracing, which the GTX 1080 Ti cannot.

Can the GTX 1080 Ti run ray tracing?

It has no RT cores, so hardware ray tracing is not supported in the way modern games expect. Some newer titles require ray tracing hardware to launch at all. Those games will not run on a GTX 1080 Ti.

Does the GTX 1080 Ti still get driver updates?

Nvidia has ended regular Game Ready optimizations for Pascal cards after the 580 driver branch. Security updates continue for a limited period. New games will not receive specific optimizations for the GTX 1080 Ti.

What power supply do these cards need?

A quality 600 W unit suits either card with a typical midrange CPU. Both use a 6-pin plus 8-pin connector layout on the reference design. Older power supplies should be checked for health, as many GTX 1080 Ti systems are now several years old.

Can the GTX 1080 Ti use DLSS?

No. DLSS requires Tensor cores, which only RTX cards have. The GTX 1080 Ti can use FSR 3.1 and the DP4a version of XeSS instead.