Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 vs. RTX 4080: Nvidia’s best GPUs, compared

At the top of Nvidia’s current generation of GPUs are two beastly graphics cards, the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080. While the RTX 4090 is a monster GPU, the 16GB version of the RTX 4080 still has a lot going for it. . On the other hand, both cards differ greatly in terms of price, performance and specifications.

Below we’ll explore how the RTX 4080 stacks up against Nvidia’s flagship and whether it’s a worthwhile option over the RTX 4090.

Prices and availability

RTX 4080 on a mobile test bench.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Nvidia isn’t known for making its GPUs cheap, so it should come as no surprise that both the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 are quite expensive. The RTX 4080 actually had a little brother, the 12GB RTX 4080, before Nvidia decided to “cancel” it, perhaps in part due to the fact that it was priced so low that many Nvidia enthusiasts were unhappy with the relationship. price/performance. card offers

Fortunately, the 16GB RTX 4080, which is the only RTX 4080 we know of at the moment, performs better, but it’s still quite an expensive card.

The RTX 4090 was the first, released on October 12, 2022, priced at $1,599. Of course, Nvidia’s Add-on Board (AIB) partners have created their own versions of the GPU, pushing specs and performance to the next level. Some of these cards are now available for sale for as little as , although cheaper cards can be found. The GPU was exhausted quickly and its availability is now quite low.

As for the RTX 4080, Nvidia has set a release date of November 16 with a starting price of $1,199. You can expect Nvidia’s AIBs to increase the price of the card in some cases, so you may need to budget an extra $200-$300 on top of that default price; however, it is not known how high the prices may be once the card is depleted.

Glasses

RTX 4080 logo on pink background.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Despite only being 25% cheaper than the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 has a pretty big cut in terms of specs, with 41% fewer CUDA cores. This is then reflected in their performance. On the other hand, the RTX 4090 is such a powerful GPU that many games still don’t need that much power, so this disparity doesn’t make the RTX 4080 a bad GPU at all.

Let’s see how the two cards compare on paper.

Nvidia RTX 4090 Nvidia RTX 4080
CUDA cores 16,384 9,728
Ray Tracing Cores 144 76
tensor nuclei 576 304
base clock speed 2.235MHz 2.205MHz
maximum clock speed 2520MHz 2.505MHz
memory size 24GB GDDR6X 16GB GDDR6X
memory speed 21Gb/s 21Gb/s
bus width 384 bit 256 bit
Total panel power (TBP) 450W 320W

Performance

RTX 4080 benchmarks at 4K geomean.

We extensively tested both the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 ahead of their release dates. After putting the cards through their paces, we got a bunch of benchmark results to help us determine their performance.

It should come as no surprise that the RTX 4090 blows away every other high-end GPU currently on the market, including the RTX 4080. The question is how much the RTX 4080 destroys, not whether it will win or not. because that’s a fact.

Despite not being quite as good as the RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 is still a graphics card designed to run 4K gaming, and it proved itself in our tests. It was able to run AAA titles while maintaining solid frames per second (fps). On average across our test suite, the RTX 4090 manages 108.3 fps in 4K gaming, while the 4080 manages 78.1. The 4080 outperforms all other graphics cards available today, but is still 29% slower than the flagship card.

Even in games as demanding as cyberpunk 2077, the RTX 4080 did a good job, barely breaking the 60fps mark at 4K on maximum settings. Turn the settings down a bit more and you’ll be gaming in smooth 4K. The RTX 4080 manages 78.6 fps at maximum settings, but it does what seemed impossible at the time cyberpunk launch.

The RTX 4080 far outperforms its next-gen big brother, the RTX 3080 Ti. The card is 42% faster than the 3080 Ti and even 22% faster than the 3090 Ti. Whether it will be a better value will depend on the price at launch, as prices may be inflated initially.

Geoaverage RTX 4080 performance at 1440p.

Getting an RTX 4090 for 1440p gaming seems like a waste of money, but the RTX 4080 is a more sensible option despite its 4K gaming capabilities. In our entire suite of game tests, except a brilliant memory and horizon zero dawn, the RTX 4090 maintained an average of 162.8 fps while the RTX 4080 managed 129.3. Once again, both cards far outperformed all previous generation GPUs.

Compared to the RTX 4090, the 4080 was roughly 21% slower at 1440p. However, we are still seeing good gains over the previous generation. Compared to the RTX 3080 Ti, the RTX 4080 won by 40%, and this isn’t even a Ti model. It also outperformed the previous flagship RTX 3090 Ti by 26%.

RTX 4080 ray tracing performance in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K.

Nvidia is the king of ray tracing, leaving AMD in the dust in most benchmarks. However, the RTX 4080 doesn’t significantly improve ray tracing (RT) in every benchmark we run.

Run cyberpunk 2077 Going to 4K with ray tracing on is a risky move, and while the RTX 4090 manages to pull it off with an average of 42.9 fps, the RTX 4080 falls short at just 29 fps. IN Metro Exodus Enhanced EditionFrame rate averages are much better, but still heavily in favor of the RTX 4090 – the flagship scores 108.5 while the RTX 4080 hits 78.4.

The RTX 4080 continues to show generational improvements over the previous generation. That’s about 15% ahead of the RTX 3090 Ti in cyberpunk 2077. On the other hand, the RTX 4090 is incredibly good at ray tracing by comparison, being almost 48% faster than the RTX 4080.

Finally, both the RTX 4090 and 4080 open the door to a whole new world of Nvidia’s DLSS, giving access to its third iteration (DLSS 3). The technology is capable of generating new frames instead of just pixels. It’s not without its flaws, but it can certainly make a difference in some games, and older generations don’t support it, so it gives the RTX 40 series an edge.

RTX 4080 is great, but…

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

If you’re still wondering whether your new rig needs an RTX 4090 or an RTX 4080, you’re probably not alone. This generation of graphics cards makes this type of choice more difficult than ever.

In the previous generation, price and performance used to push PC manufacturers one way or another. On this occasion, Nvidia has specified the RTX 4080 in such a way that this choice is no longer so clear. It also depends on when you plan to buy.

Right now, the RTX 4090 is insanely expensive, but if you can find it at or near MSRP, it offers a huge performance boost over the RTX 4080. Right off the bat, the RTX 4080 will be cheaper, but prices may go up. if the card runs out quickly. Simply put, the first few months after a graphics card is released are often turbulent and it will take a while for prices to settle; this applies to both GPUs.

Assuming you can find the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 in retail stores (in which case, please share your sources), you’ll be faced with a different dilemma. It’s a common problem for those building a new computer: “if you spend a little more, you can get a lot more performance.” In the case of the RTX 4080, it is only 25% cheaper, but also 30% slower.

Oddly enough, the $1,600 RTX 4090 is technically a better value, but most users don’t even need that kind of performance. The RTX 4080 is a fantastic card that can run AAA games at 4K and will save you money compared to the RTX 4090. It all comes down to what you need and how much you’re willing to spend.

If you’re not in a rush to buy, wait out the initial storm and get the RTX 4080 to save money or the RTX 4090 for better value, again, only if you’re close to MSRP. It will never be a good value if you pay $2500 for it.

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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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