It has been an eventful time for Nvidia, with the corporate lately rolling out its RTX 50 collection initially of 2025, simply over a yr after it launched the RTX 40 Collection Tremendous line. Meaning there are extra choices than ever for 80-class playing cards and stiff competitors vying on your cash.

It is not essentially minimize and dry in terms of the RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Tremendous. Whereas there are generational enhancements and sweeping architectural variations, you might not be routinely suited to the newer of the 2.

That is why we’re evaluating the RTX 5080 in opposition to the RTX 4080 Tremendous primarily based on their worth, specs, and efficiency that can assist you select between the 2 or, extra crucially, see whether or not it is price upgrading from 80-class Ada to Blackwell in 2025. They’re each among the many finest graphics playing cards available on the market, however which is true on your rig?

Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Tremendous: Value

One of many greatest deciding elements in selecting between the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 Tremendous is the value, and it is a nuanced challenge. Beginning with the Blackwell card, the RTX 5080 MSRP is $999 / £979 / AU$2,019 for the Founders Version (Nvidia-made) mannequin. That is in a really perfect world, nevertheless, as a result of RTX 5080 inventory has been close to inconceivable to seek out for its sticker worth, particularly for these making an attempt to trace down a coveted FE mannequin.

The RTX 4080 Tremendous worth is an identical within the US and Australia at $999 and $AU2,019. Nonetheless, it is barely cheaper than its successor within the UK at £949, possible because of Crew Inexperienced trying to transfer inventory. No matter whether or not you are after an Ada or Blackwell card, the MSRP is just half the story, because it’s extremely possible you are going to pay above Nvidia’s advisable retail worth and switch to certainly one of its companions for the GPU.

If the RTX 5080 was available to potential patrons proper now, we’d simply hand it the win on this class. However it is not, and monitoring down even an costly AIB mannequin is extremely difficult, almost three months after launch with no indicators of enchancment on the horizon. As such, contemplating you possibly can truly exit and purchase the RTX 4080 Tremendous, we’re giving the Ada refresh the sting right here, not less than for now.

• Winner: RTX 4080 Tremendous (for now)

Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Tremendous: Specs

In some ways, the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 Tremendous are remarkably comparable playing cards when analyzing their {hardware} specs, together with near-identical quantities of Compute Items, Shaders, Tensor Cores, RT Cores, and Texture Mapping Items. Nonetheless, it is the extra sweeping architectural variations in utilization between Blackwell and Ada that absolutely separate the 2 graphics playing cards.

Whereas each the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 Tremendous have a 16GB reminiscence pool on a 256-bit reminiscence bus, the previous makes use of sooner GDDR7 reminiscence in comparison with the latter’s slower GDDR6X reminiscence.

Consequently, there is a substantial distinction in bandwidth, because the Blackwell card achieves 960 GB/s in comparison with the Ada’s card’s 736GB/s (making the RTX 5080 30.4% sooner general). The development in bandwidth is feasible via the brand new PCIe 5.0 x16 port (permitting for double the entire bandwidth of the PCIe 4.0 x16 port of the older Ada GPU).

We additionally see this within the pace of VRAM, because the RTX 5080 achieves staggering charges of 30 Gbps, main numbers, in opposition to the 23 Gbps efficient reminiscence pace of the RTX 4080 Tremendous.

Make no mistake, the Ada refresh is under no circumstances gradual, however the Blackwell card runs rings round it when instantly in contrast (not less than on paper). With every little thing thought-about, the RTX 5080 is the higher GPU throughout the board when taking a look at its technical specs.

• Winner: RTX 5080

Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Tremendous: Efficiency

Whereas the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 are comparable by way of worth and technical specs, we are able to decide which is the higher GPU primarily based on their respective efficiency capabilities. Make no mistake: Each fashions are among the many finest 4K graphics playing cards (being primarily marketed on their gaming and productiveness prowess), however there is a clear lead right here in all sides of testing.

Beginning with artificial exams, the RTX 5080 impresses with scores of 238,042 and 63,850 in 3DMark’s Night time Raid and Hearth Strike. In distinction, the RTX 4080 Tremendous achieved 208,592 and 54,779 in each exams, making the Blackwell GPU sooner by 14.1% and 16.5%, respectively.

It is a comparable story with PassMark 3D Graphics (Whole) and GeekBench 6 Compute (OpenGL); the RTX 5080 leads with 41,625 and 285,993 in comparison with the RTX 4080 Tremendous’s scores of 34,749 and 270,683 (variations of 19.7% and 5.6%).

It is a comparable story when analyzing the 4K gaming efficiency. The RTX 5080 leads the cost with a 75fps common in Black Fantasy: Wukong (Cinematic with 50% upscaling), however the outcomes are extra spectacular in well-optimized video games.

Cyberpunk 2077 (Extremely) was no sweat for the RTX 5080 with a 68ps common, and we additionally see spectacular figures from Dying Gentle 2 (Excessive High quality) at 185fps. The cardboard additionally chews via Returnal (Epic) at 150fps common.

Curiously, the RTX 4080 Tremendous performs barely higher in Black Fantasy: Wukong, with a mean of 77fps, however that is about so far as the lead goes. It may’t fairly hit 4K60 natively in Cyberpunk 2077, falling simply quick with a 58fps common.

Nonetheless, issues are comparable with Dying Gentle 2 at 174fps and 93fps common in Returnal. That makes the RTX 5080 sooner by between 6.3% and 17.2%, barring the exception of Black Fantasy: Wukong, the place it leads by 2.6%.

Lastly, we are able to take a look at how the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 deal with artistic workloads, which could be extremely comparable. That is true within the case of PugetBench for Adobe Premiere, with respective scores of 15,206 and 15,715 in favor of the Ada refresh.

The Handbrake 1.6 4K to 1080p H.264 encode was near-identical with solely a body separating the 2 GPUs at 215fps and 216fps because the Blackwell card comes out on high. The RTX 5080 leads in Blender 4.30’s benchmarks, Monster, Junkshop, and Classroom, by between 1 and eight%, exhibiting a slight enchancment.

Relying on the duty and the sport in query, the RTX 5080 generally is a a lot sooner card, however the lead appears situational; the leap from GDDR6X to GDDR7 (and PCIe 5.0 from PCIe 4.0) could make a distinction, it isn’t at all times assured to be an enchancment. We see this in some video games as properly, being a minor bump generally, however a much bigger leap in others.

• Winner: RTX 5080

Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Tremendous: Verdict

Total, the RTX 5080 is a superior graphics card to the RTX 4080 Tremendous for what (ought to be) the identical worth. If you will discover the RTX 5080 for MSRP then it is price contemplating on your new machine, however that worth proposition drops considerably if you happen to’re paying over the percentages.

Equally, our advice comes with an asterisk if you happen to’re pondering of upgrading from an RTX 4080 Tremendous to an RTX 5080. The Blackwell card could be sooner and more proficient for gaming and productiveness, nevertheless, it appears situational as to when it may possibly pull forward; whether or not a slight lead is price an additional $999 / £949 / AU$2,019 in a yr will come all the way down to how essential GDDR7 and PCIe 5.0 bandwidths are.

• Winner: RTX 5080