RTX vs GTX: The crucial differences you need to know.

Graphics cards released by Nvidia usually start with either RTX or GTX. But what are the differences? What does it mean? which is better of the two?

Differences between RTX and GTX? 

Lets start with the differences. RTX stands for Ray Tracing eXtreme, and GTX simply means Graphics technology, with x indicating that the card is part of a higher performance series with “GT” as part of their lower performance series. 

Ray Tracing

RTX 

The RTX series is specifically designed to handle real-time ray tracing, a rendering technique used to simulate how light interacts with objects in a scene to product more realistic shadows, reflections and light effects, which is usually required for the most high-definition scenes when playing games. 

GTX 

GTX cards lack RT cores (Ray Tracing), thus being unable to perform real time ray tracing as efficiently. These cards can still in fact use ray tracing, but nowhere near as optimized as any RTX card. 

                                                        Ray Tracing Off vs On

DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) 

RTX(DLSS) 

DLSS is an AI-based upscaling technology that uses Tensor cores to generate high quality images from lower-res input whilst maintaining image quality as well as improving performance. This is especially useful in graphically demanding games 

GTX(No DLSS) 

GTX cards don’t support DLSS as a result of having no Tensor cores. This means you will have to rely on traditional scaling methods such as FSR or native resolution for performance improvement, which doesn’t match the performance boost or quality boost of DLSS 

Tensor Cores 

RTX: 

Tensor cores in RTX cards are designed for AI-based tasks, enabling features like DLSS, AI-enhanced content creation, and deep learning. These cores are used for AI computation, benefiting gaming, professional, and scientific applications. 

GTX: 

As mention previously, GTX cards lack Tensor cores, which means they don’t have the ability to perform AI-specific tasks (like DLSS or advanced machine learning workloads). 

Performance and Architecture 

RTX 

The RTX series typically comes with better performance thanks to newer architectures and specialized hardware (like RT cores, Tensor cores, and CUDA cores). These cards are often designed for high-end gaming, content creation, and AI tasks. 

GTX 

GTX cards are generally older, less expensive, and target mainstream users who don’t need the latest ray tracing or AI features. The performance can still be excellent for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but you won’t get the same features and power efficiency as RTX. 

Summary Comparison: