Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is the latest enthusiast-grade graphics card offered by the tech giant. It features cutting-edge Blackwell architecture and numerous AI advancements like DLSS 4 and is a graphics card to be reckoned with. It promises stunning fidelity and performance in the most demanding games and creative applications, claiming to be the best possible card for enthusiasts seeking an upgrade.
Coming in at a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $999, it is an expensive pick, but does it have the performance to back it up?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 – What Was Promised vs. What Was Delivered
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 promised a vastly improved graphics card over the RTX 4080. With an improved architecture, faster GDDR7 memory, and DLSS 4 support, it looks like a significant upgrade over the RTX 4080. The GeForce RTX 5080 has 10752 CUDA cores, which is similar to the amount found in the RTX 4080, which has 9728 CUDA cores. It has the same amount of VRAM, albeit GDDR7 instead of GDDR6X. The RTX 5080 has a higher memory bandwidth, at 960 GB/sec, compared to the 717 GB/sec of the RTX 4080.
On paper, the RTX 5080 doesn’t appear to be all that more powerful compared to the RTX 4080. A slight increase in the CUDA core count, higher memory bandwidth and memory speed, and DLSS 4 support. However, how does it compare to actual applications?
Nvidia claims that the RTX 5080 can be 1.2x to 2.1x more powerful when compared to the RTX 4080. However, according to different review outlets, the RTX 5080 appears to be far less of a performer. Performance gains of the RTX 5080 appear to be around 16-20% in some applications. And it’s performance gains fall as low as 7-10% in some.
The RTX 5080 outperforms the RTX 4080 at all resolutions, but not by a lot. At 4K, the RTX 5080 outperforms the RTX 4080 by about 12%. At 1440p and 1080p, the advantage shrinks to about 7-9%.
Nvidia RTX 5000 series seems to push multi-frame generation, or MFG, very aggressively. It seems that Nvidia is trying to make up for the lackluster raw performance generational gain using software advancements. While what the software and AI can do is impressive, many consumers feel that gating software advancements behind lackluster hardware is a dirty move.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 – Final Thoughts
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is a lackluster upgrade to the RTX 4080. It is a very weak generational upgrade. Plagued with predatory marketing, and sparse applications for its AI advancements, it is a hard sell for most consumers. The GeForce RTX 5080 seems to be made specifically to sell AI advancements, and it’s not a good look for Nvidia.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the details of the RTX 5080, Gamers Nexus has an excellent video breaking it down. And if you’d like to learn about MFG and DLSS, Gamers Nexus has another excellent video explaining it.
