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Let us take a deep-dive into the comparison between RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 in terms of performance and prices.
At CES 2025, Nvidia Founder and CEO Jensen Huang took the stage to announce the much-awaited RTX 50 Series GPU lineup officially. During this announcement, the company confirmed the four graphics cards that will hit the market this year. These include the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070.
Since they announced these cards, several people have been curious about how these latest cards fare against previous models, especially against cards from the RTX 40 Series. Let’s rest some of that curiosity by comparing the RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 in this post. For this comparison, we will take a look at the specifications and prices of both GPUs. Without further ado, let us get into it.
Brief Overview of RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080
The comparison between the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 is fascinating since the 5080 is the next-gen successor of the 4080. However, we lack any information on real-world benchmarks for the RTX 5080. It may not be a stretch to assume that it will take at least a couple more weeks due to Nvidia’s strict rules. Outlets will only get their hands on the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 post-January. Only after that can they start benchmark testing on the new cards.
For now, we can look at the available data provided by Nvidia on the RTX 5080 and make comparisons based on that. Let us get started with a comparison between their specifications.
RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Specs Compared
After looking at the specs table, certain things become clear in regards to 5080 and 4080. The 5080 boasts a higher number of cores than the 4080, along with higher clock speeds as well as increased memory bandwidth. One piece of information that is a surprise is that the 5080 and 4080 have the same amount of VRAM capacities. Let’s explore this information for a bit.
VRAM
Even though both GPUs have 16 GB of VRAM available for the user, the difference between the two lies in the memory type. The 5080 sports a more advanced memory type, the latest GDDR7 memory. Meanwhile, you will find that the 4080 uses GDDR6X memory type. It is obvious that GDDR7 will be an improvement on the GDDR6X memory.
Unfortunately, besides the VRAM-type upgrade, there is not much to look forward to here. In fact, ever since rumors about the RTX 50 Series emerged, several fans have been hoping for an upgrade to the VRAM capacity in the new cards, especially in the RTX 5080. Nvidia’s competitors, like AMD, are introducing their mid-range GPUs with 16 GB of VRAM. With games getting more and more demanding as the years go by, 20 GB of VRAM on the 5080 would have certainly made a lot of fans much happier. It would have also made the card more future-proof.
CUDA Cores and Clock Speeds
CUDA cores are a key component of a GPU and play a significant role in the GPU’s performance. They are responsible for executing and managing multiple tasks simultaneously. Naturally, if a GPU has more CUDA cores present, it will perform better. There are 10,752 CUDA cores present on the RTX 5080, while the RTX 4080 has 9,728 CUDA cores. While the difference between them isn’t as big as between the 5090 and 4090, there is still a difference of 1,025 cores. This translates to better performance by the RTX 5080, especially with the combined use of a superior memory type and the latest Blackwell architecture.
Clock speeds indicate how many instructions a GPU can process per second. Comparing the clock speeds of 5080 and 4080 is vital for that reason. The RTX 5080 has base and boost clock speeds of 2.30 GHz and 2.62 GHz respectively. On the other hand, the RTX 4080 features a base clock speed of 2.21 GHz and a boost clock speed of 2.51 GHz. It is clear that the 5080 comes out ahead in this area as well.
| Specification | RTX 5080 | RTX 4080 |
| Architecture | Blackwell | Ada Lovelace |
| Core Count | 10752 | 9728 |
| Tensor Cores (AI) | 5th Generation, 1801 AI TOPS | 4th Generation, 780 AI TOPS |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 4th Generation, 171 TFLOPS | 3rd Generation, 113 TFLOPS |
| VRAM | 16 GB GDDR7 | 16 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Interface Width | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Base Clock Speed | 2.30 GHz | 2.21 GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.62 GHz | 2.51 GHz |
| PCIE Generation | PCI Express Gen 5 | PCI Express Gen 4 |
| Deep Learning Super Sampling | DLSS 4 | DLSS 3 |
| NVIDIA Reflex | Reflex 2 | Reflex |
| TGP (W) | 360 Watts | 320 Watts |
RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Performance Comparison
This section will be updated as soon as information on the RTX 5080 performance and benchmark data is available. Make sure to revisit this post for details on that.
RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Price Compared
According to Nvidia, tech enthusiasts can get their hands on the Founders Edition of the RTX 5080 at $999. Based on this data, we expect third-party variants to cost around $999-$1300. Conversely, the RTX 4080 made its debut at $1,199. At this date, you can get one between a range of $1,200-1,500, depending on the model.
Pros and Cons of RTX 5080 and RTX 4080
Pros and Cons of RTX 5080
| Pros | Cons |
| Latest Blackwell architecture | VRAM Capacity could’ve been higher |
| GDDR7 memory type | Higher TGP than 4080 |
| Multi-Frame Gen |
Pros and Cons of RTX 4080
| Pros | Cons |
| Lower TGP than 5080 | Not future proof against the 5080 |
| Performance well across all titles reliably | Lacks Multi-Frame Gen |
| Costlier than the 5080 |
Final Verdict: Which Is the Best Between RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 for You?
After looking at the comparison between the pricing and specifications of both RTX 5080 and RTX 4080, we can give you a definite answer on which GPU is more worthy of your hard-earned money. The RTX 5080 comes out ahead of the RTX 4080 in terms of specifications and speculated performance while having a lower cost. This makes the 5080 absolutely better than the 4080.
FAQs about RTX 5080 and RTX 4080
Is RTX 4080 still worth it, or should I wait for 5080?
Based on the available data, the 5080 is better than the 4080 in every way. With only a couple of weeks left before the 5080 hits the market, we recommend waiting for it.
What is the AMD competitor of 4080?
The AMD competitor of RTX 4080 is the Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
How much slower is the 4080 than the 4090?
In a 1440p (2K) setting, across most titles, the 4090 outperforms the 4080 by roughly 20%.
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