What Does Ti mean in a GPU

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CG Director Author Alex Glawionby Alex Glawion   /  Updated 

Graphics Cards have complicated naming schemes and it can get confusing very fast, especially with the rate at which new GPUs are released.

What does Ti mean in a GPU?

The abbreviation “Ti” means “Titanium” when seen in an NVIDIA GPU Name. Some examples include the 3080 Ti, 2080 Ti, 1080 Ti.

It doesn’t mean, however, that there is any Titanium used in the manufacturing of the GPU. At least not more than in any non-Ti cards.

Now, how does this translate to performance? Let’s take a look at some of the more recent generations of NVIDIA Cards:

  • GTX 780: CUDA-Cores: 2304, VRAM: 3GB, Octane-Bench: 82
    GTX 780Ti: CUDA-Cores: 2880, VRAM: 3GB, Octane-Bench: 103
  • GTX 980: CUDA-Cores: 2048, VRAM: 4GB, Octane-Bench: 91
    GTX 980Ti: CUDA-Cores: 2816, VRAM: 6GB, Octane-Bench: 137
  • GTX 1080: CUDA-Cores 2560, VRAM: 8GB, Octane-Bench: 130
    GTX 1080Ti: CUDA-Cores: 3584, VRAM 11GB, Octane-Bench: 191
  • RTX 2080: CUDA-Cores 2944, VRAM: 8GB, Octane-Bench: 255
    RTX 2080Ti: CUDA-Cores: 4352, VRAM: 11GB, Octane-Bench: 348
  • RTX 3080: CUDA-Cores 8704, VRAM: 10GB, Octane-Bench: 549
    RTX 3080Ti: CUDA-Cores: 10240, VRAM: 12GB, Octane-Bench: 650

As we can see, the Ti Versions have a lot more Shader (CUDA) Cores, more VRAM and tend to designate both higher value and higher performance GPUs in the NVIDIA GPU Generation line-up compared to non-Ti GPUs of the same tier.

“Ti”-Version of GPUs are often released at a later date than their non-Ti counterparts. They usually are a means to stay competitive against products AMD releases. In addition, they are often launched to lower prices of certain performance tiers without actually lowering the prices of existing GPUs.

The Ti Version also clearly outranks the non-Ti GPU in Octane-Bench.

Relative Performance

Some say the Ti Version usually is a non-cut down Version of a GPU Core. Though this is not always true. Sometimes the Ti Version uses a different core than the non-Ti Versions, though sometimes the non-Ti Versions have the Same GPU Core as the Ti Version with some parts being deactivated.

Check the performance / Dollar Table here to see if you should reach for the Ti Version of NVIDIA GPUs.

Is Ti or SUPER better?

The Ti variant of a GPU tier is superior to the SUPER variant – in performance. A 2080 Super for example is marginally slower than a 2080 Ti while also having just 8GB of VRAM vs the 2080 Tis 11GB of VRAM.

There are a couple of GPUs on the market with all 3 variants available. The GTX 1660, GTX 1660 SUPER, and the GTX 1660 Ti. The Ti-Variant is the fastest of the three, followed by the SUPER which – although slower- is often superior value.

The RTX 2080, RTX 2080 SUPER, and RTX 2080 Ti too, follow the same performance structure. 2080 < 2080 SUPER < 2080 Ti.

FAQ

What does GPU stand for?

GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit.

What does Nvidia mean?

Nvidia is a technology company that is well known for developing and manufacturing Graphics Cards (GPUs) and other compute hardware.

Over to you

What GPU are you thinking of buying? Let us know in the comments or ask us anything in our expert forum!

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Alex Glawion

Hi, I’m Alex, a Freelance 3D Generalist, Motion Designer and Compositor.

I’ve built a multitude of Computers, Workstations and Renderfarms and love to optimize them as much as possible.

Feel free to comment and ask for suggestions on your PC-Build or 3D-related Problem, I’ll do my best to help out!

12 Comments

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  • Monica

    Hello, i have a Macbook Pro 16” 2019 with AMD Radeon Pro 5500m 8G
    Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB. I use sketchup and enscape for 3d modelling. Im thinking to get a eGPU beakaway box (sonnetech), which graphic card do you recommend me?

    • Petar Vukobrat

      Hi Monica! That would have to be an AMD graphics card because of NVIDIA ones no longer being supported. Seeing how you already have the RX 5500M, you could upgrade to, say, the RX 6700 XT with 12GB of VRAM. That would be a very sensible upgrade.

  • Dovah

    Love how to the point this article is. Outstanding work! Wish more would write like you, Alex!

  • Mike

    There was also a RTX 2080, 2080 Super and 2080 Ti… so not just the 1660. Although it may not have been the case at the time of this article, I am not sure of that.

    • Alex Glawion

      Thanks Mike, spot on! Updated the article 🙂

      Cheers,
      Alex

      • IVXXIVMMXVII

        Hello I just bought a 3070ti with a pre build gaming PC. When I was picking parts the upgrade from a 3070 to a 3070ti FTW3 was free. But I have been seeing reviews online that the 3070ti isn’t that much different for some reason. I was wondering if it would have been better to get the 3070 since it has more water block options and AIO options? Also the reason I didnt go for a 3080 is because since the upgrade from 3070 to 3070ti would have normally put me much closer to 3080 price wise since the upgrade was free it was almost a 450 dollar difference. I just feel like maybe I made a bad choice or do you think it will just take some time for companies to come out for water cooling features for the 3070ti FTW3? Please give some opinions. I know the case I picked was a mistake but I am hoping I did at least an okay job on the wrest.

        • Alex Glawion

          The 3070Ti is a perfectly viable choice. It comes with more cuda cores, clock speeds, etc. and will perform better in pretty much any workload than the 3070.

          A faster GPU of course can also get somewhat hotter, but the coolers of the FTW3 should be powerful enough to take care of it. I’d say your choice was sound, if you got that upgrade for free.

          Cheers,
          Alex

    • AndawaaaaayIgo

      Thanks for the concise explanation. The comparisons of the non-ti GPUs to their ti counterparts gave me the information I needed in an instant. Keep up the good work

  • Eric

    not quite on topic but seems as appropriate of a place as any to ask. Im planning on a Dual 2080 Ti setup. Im really intrigued by the Gigabyte AORUS Waterforce, but a bit perplexed in how id arrange two of those massive fan blocks for the cards.

    This is my first build, may be a non issue and why i cant find any info about it. Just hesitant to order 2 of them based on that. Im coming from a perfectly clean slate, so if its merely down to ensuring a big enough case then i have the opportunity to accommodate. Thanks!!

    • Alex from CGDirector

      Hey Eric,
      Yes this is exactly it. All you need is a case with room for 2x 240mm radiators. The Case Walls should also be close enough, because the water hoses aren’t all too long. There are lots of cases that support this and they usually say so in their description!

      Cheers,
      Alex

  • Dani

    Just to make it clear the GTX 1080 has the highest Clock Speed and a higher one than its ti adequant. Of course you can reduce this gap by overclocking but that’s another topic. I think in general the post is missing something about the changes in Clock Speed especially with the huge jump from Maxwell to Pascal.

    The GTX 1080 has a boost clock speed of 1733 which is often surpassed without oc. It has the highest base Clock Speed + Turbo.

    I don’t want to criticize you it is just what I would have liked to read 😉

    • Alex from CGDirector

      Hey Dani,
      Thank you for your comment! You are right this should be made clear. I’ll update it shortly. 🙂

      Cheers,
      Alex