Nvidia’s RTX 4080 Founder’s Version goals to offer players one other 4K possibility with out spending practically the premium of its sooner brother, the RTX 4090 Founder’s Version. Touted as being twice as quick as Nvidia’s RTX 3080 Ti Founder’s Version, delivering a stronger punch whereas sitting on the similar MSRP as its Ampere predecessor. However how does it stack up, and is the $1199 MSRP definitely worth the value?
Specs
- Graphics Processing Clusters: 7
- Texture Processing Clusters: 38
- Streaming Multiprocessors: 76
- CUDA Cores: 9728
- Tensor Cores (4th Gen): 304
- RT Cores (3rd Gen): 76
- Texture Items: 304
- ROPs: 112
- Increase Clock: 2505 MHz
- Reminiscence Clock: 11200 MHz
- Reminiscence Knowledge Charge: 22.4 Gbps
- L2 Cache Measurement: 65536 KB
- Complete Video Reminiscence: 16 GB GDDR6X
- Reminiscence Interface: 256-Bit
- Complete Reminiscence Bandwidth: 716.8 GB/s
- Texture Charge: 761.5 Gigatexels/sec
- Fabrication Course of: TSMC 4N Nvidia Customized Course of
- Transistor Rely: 45.9 billion
- I/O: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a; 1 x HDMI 2.1a
- Max Decision: 4K @ 240Hz or 8K @ 60 Hz with DSC
- Energy Connectors: 1 x 16-pin (Dongle to 3x 8-pins)
- Minimal Really helpful Energy Provide: 750 Watts
- Complete Graphics Energy: 320 Watts
- Max GPU Temperature: 90 Celcius
- PCIe Interface: Gen 4
- MSRP: $1199
Design
The Nvidia RTX 4080 Founder’s Version seems to be precisely just like the RTX 4090 Founder’s Version. Certainly, the 2 playing cards look equivalent from each angle except the 4080 badge emblazoned on the entrance. It appears as if Nvidia is taking the identical cooler from the 4090 and popping it onto the 4080, which isn’t essentially a foul factor when you’re anxious about retaining your card cool. If house in your case is an element although, it may be an issue.
I recognize the curves and the tender edges of the RTX 4080 FE, in addition to the muted RGB design on the cardboard. As an alternative of throwing full-on RGB, the cardboard merely lights up the GeForce RTX brand within the entrance, retaining it delicate, but hanging. I’ll admit, I usually love the sharp, angular gamer aesthetic on my graphics playing cards. It jogs my memory of after I was shopping for my first chips again within the early aughts. And for some motive, I felt just like the extra over-the-top the design, the sooner the cardboard was. Finally, as everyone knows, it isn’t true. However it’s one thing that has caught with me.
The look of the RTX 4080 and its brethren has grown on me, although, as I stated in our evaluate of the RTX 4090. The bronze-hued möbius strip wraps itself across the heavy-duty followers and heatsink designed to maintain the cardboard cool below stress. The minimalism is hanging, and it’s positively lovely to behold regardless of being enormous.
The RTX 4080 Founder’s Version additionally consists of the identical 16-pin energy adapter because the RTX 4090, although it solely requires three 8-pin PCIe energy cables to the 4090s 4. Issues have arisen within the weeks for the reason that 4090 launch of those adapters being defective, with studies of cables melting when bent improperly. Nvidia has acknowledged it’s persevering with to research these studies, however consumers ought to beware when trying on the 4080 Founder’s Version if this can be a concern of yours. In our testing throughout each the RTX 4080 and 4090, we’ve not had a single subject, however your mileage would possibly fluctuate, in fact.
We dive a bit deeper into the ADA Lovelace function set in our RTX 4090 Founder’s Version evaluate, and when you’re you may test that out right here. Suffice it to say, the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version takes benefit of all of the developments that Ada Lovelace has to supply, from leveraging DLSS 3’s Body Era to extend framerates in graphically intense video games at excessive resolutions, to the assorted encoder advantages comparable to utilizing the AV1 encoder for streaming.
When evaluating on to the RTX 3080 Ti, the specs are quite attention-grabbing, with the final era card having extra CUDA cores (10240 to the 4080’s 9728), a bigger reminiscence interface (384-bit to the 4080’s 256-bit), extra reminiscence bandwidth (912 GB/s in comparison with 716.8 GB/s), and extra RT cores (80 to 76). But it must be famous that the RTX 4080 is leveraging TSMC’s 4nm course of, packing extra transistors and extra effectivity below the hood than its Ampere cousin. The RT Cores are additionally completely different, with the Ada Lovelace GPU geared up with 3rd Era cores versus the Ampere’s 2nd Era cores, and 4th Era Tensor Cores to assist drive AI duties comparable to DLSS in gaming. Maybe most significantly, the 40-series is constructed on a wholly completely different structure (Ada Lovelace vs Ampere) which makes one-to-one spec comparisons inadvisable.
Nvidia RTX 4080 Founder’s Version Synthetics, Benchmarks, and Thermal Efficiency
The RTX 4080 Founder’s Version goals to carry out higher than the 3080 Ti, fairly the feat contemplating how a lot of a beast that card was when it launched (and nonetheless is). We additionally needed to see how the RTX 4080 in contrast with the opposite 80-class card within the Ampere lineup, the RTX 3080, since that is successfully the gen-on-gen enchancment for that class of GPU.
As such, we put the RTX 4080 FE by its paces in a collection of gaming and artificial benchmarks, evaluating it to an array of 30-series GPUs in addition to AMD’s 6000-series playing cards. The RTX 4080 is being marketed as a 4K gaming card, so we’re particularly inquisitive about how effectively it performs at that decision goal, however we additionally included 1440p checks because it’s nonetheless a very talked-about decision for a lot of players on the market.
Check Bench:
- CPU: Intel i7-10700K @ 3.8GHz (Increase Clock as much as 4.8 GHz)
- Cooling: Corsair H100i 240mm Liquid Cooler
- Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Extremely
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32GB @ 3200MHz
- Storage: Intel 760p 2TB M.2 NVMe, ADATA Falcon 1TB M.2 NVMe
- PSU: Gigabyte P1200 80+ 1200 W Platinum PSU
- Case: Lian Li 011 Dynamic
Nvidia playing cards included:
AMD playing cards included:
We ran by a variety of titles from numerous video games displaying completely different engines at work in a mix of DX11 and DX12 checks. We additionally ran 3DMark’s Artificial benchmarks at their 4K defaults to indicate relative efficiency throughout DX11, DX12, and Ray Tracing purposes.
The place we might, we used in-game benchmarks in an effort to guarantee our passes have been as equivalent as potential. In video games that didn’t embody benchmarks, comparable to Management, A Plague Story: Requiem, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, we ran (or flew) a predefined path, replicating this every time to the very best of our means. It must also be famous that, when relevant, Nvidia’s Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling (DLSS) and AMD’s FidelityFX Tremendous Decision (FSR) have been enabled utilizing the Efficiency Preset (quarter inside render decision). Lastly, we’ve famous when utilizing DLSS 3 or DLSS 2 on the graphs.
Lastly, a fast notice on DLSS 2. With the introduction of DLSS 3 comes the “rebranding” of DLSS 2 as Tremendous Decision. In brief, DLSS 2 will merely be a subset of DLSS 3 and will probably be referred to as Tremendous Decision. All DLSS 3 video games will assist DLSS 2 (Tremendous Decision) when you don’t have a 40-series card.
RTX 4080 Founder’s Version Artificial Benchmarks
The RTX 4080 Founder’s Version sits comfortably between the RTX 3090 and the RTX 4090, simply beating out the Ampere playing cards by a large margin. In FireStrike, we see the RTX 4080 win over the RTX 3080 Ti with an total rating of 16646 to 12262, a 35% enhance for the Ada card. When in comparison with the RTX 3080, that gulf is even wider.
In Time Spy, the DX12 benchmark, we see related outcomes, with the RTX 4080 effectively forward of the Ampere and RDNA 2 playing cards on provide. The RTX 4080 continues to be behind the RTX 4090, but it surely’s positively beating out its gen-on-gen brethren.
However synthetics solely inform a part of the story, how does the cardboard stack up in gaming purposes?
RTX 4080 Founder’s Version Rasterized Gaming Benchmarks
When trying on the RTX 4080 FE’s raster numbers, it’s simple to get enamored by the excessive framerates, particularly at 4K. Certainly, the RTX 4080 solidifies itself as a real 4K gaming GPU, with nearly each title we examined averaging above 60fps solidly with most settings. Video games like Cyberpunk 2077 see a 23% enhance in efficiency in comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti, whereas Guerilla Video games’ Horizon: Zero Daybreak sits at a extra modest (although nonetheless spectacular) 13% enhance at 4K.
In comparison with the Gigabyte RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10GB GPU, the outcomes are extra spectacular, with the RTX 4080 seeing a 46% enhance in Murderer’s Creed Valhalla, whereas Management sees a 40% enhance in efficiency in comparison with the RTX 3080.
When taking a look at AMD’s playing cards, the Rx 6800 XT sits nearer to the RTX 3080 than the RTX 4080, with the Lovelace card beating out the RDNA 2 GPU just about each time. Titles like Watch Canine Legion see nearer numbers at 1440p. However whenever you have a look at the identical recreation at 4K, the RTX 4080 outstrips it to the tune of 80 fps to 54 fps in favor of the Nvidia GPU, a distinction of 48%. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 are related, with the RDNA 2 card struggling to maintain up at 37 fps at 4K versus the RTX 4080’s 57 fps, a noticeable 54% distinction.
Curiously, very like the RTX 4090 earlier than it, the RTX 4080 appears to be hitting a CPU bottleneck when taking part in at 1440p in a number of titles, with the RTX 3080 Ti hanging in there and barely edging out the Lovelace card. Horizon: Zero Daybreak sees the RTX 3080 Ti take a slight lead over the 4080, although effectively inside the margin of error, although it’s the one case in raster efficiency the place we see this.
RTX 4080 Founder’s Version Ray Tracing Benchmarks
The RTX 4080 Founder’s Version takes benefit of its 3rd era RT cores, in addition to its use of Shader Execution Reordering to make ray tracing computations extra environment friendly than the final gen playing cards. Within the Port Royal artificial check by 3D Mark, we see a 38% enhance over the RTX 3080 Ti, with a wider hole between it on the RTX 3080 to the tune of a 50% enhance.
As with our RTX 4090 FE evaluate, we’re nonetheless noticing the identical CPU bottleneck in our testing right here, and in consequence at 1440p, utilizing DLSS, we see nearly equivalent outcomes throughout the board for the RTX 4080, 3080 Ti and 3080. The lone distinction is the next rating on the 3080 Ti, eking out a slim victory, however right here there actually is a CPU limitation. At 4K, these outcomes are equivalent at a pleasant 69fps for the three playing cards.
The place it will get attention-grabbing is in our Management benchmark check we see the RTX 4080 FE present its energy when DLSS is turned off, seeing a mean framerate of 41fps at 4K in comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti’s 33fps (a 24% enhance). This stays fairly constant whenever you flip DLSS on, seeing the 4080 keep a 21% edge in efficiency over the 3080 Ti.
Cyberpunk 2077, essentially the most graphically demanding title available on the market proper now, sees the RTX 4080 FE inch nearer to that 30fps minimal with none form of reconstruction, although it’s a lot better than the 3080 Ti’s unplayable 19fps. While you flip DLSS 2 on, that is the place the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version actually shines, seeing even with out body era enabled it beating out the 3080 Ti fairly handily (69fps versus 52fps).
RTX 4080 Founder’s Version DLSS 2 vs DLSS 3 Checks
Nvidia’s advertising has made an enormous deal concerning the 2x efficiency enhance in comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti, and far of the heavy lifting in that declare is finished by its development in its Deep Studying Tremendous Sampling know-how. Due to DLSS 3 leveraging body era, this pushes out the margins of efficiency for the 40-series playing cards, that are the one Nvidia GPUs using the brand new tech at the moment.
We see that very same 32% enhance in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K pushed even wider, with DLSS 3 enhancing the RTX 4080’s common framerate from 69 to 103fps. In comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti, this can be a 98% enhance in efficiency. In F1 2022, we see a 114% enhance at 1440p, although the 4K outcomes in comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti Is extra modest, only a 45% enhance when utilizing body era.
We’re additionally seeing large beneficial properties in A Plague Story: Requiem, the brand new stealth journey recreation from Asobo. When utilizing the 4080’s DLSS 3 in comparison with DLSS 2 on the 3080 Ti, we see a 75% enhance in efficiency over the last-gen card, going from 76 to 133fps. At 1440p we see a near a 100% enhance, going from 106fps on the 3080 Ti to 211 on the 4080.
Microsoft Flight Simulator additionally exhibits nearly a doubling of efficiency, with body era capturing the RTX 4080 as much as a mean of 97fps within the Sydney Touchdown Problem run we examined. And the outrageously bold Justice MMO path tracing demo (severely, deliver this MMO to the West please), we see the RTX 4080 truly in a position to run it at a steady framerate when DLSS is enabled (although we couldn’t get the demo to run with out DLSS on the 4080, in contrast to the 4090). Going from the RTX 3080 Ti’s meager 12fps to the RTX 4080’s 57fps is a 375% enhance when DLSS 3 is turned on.
We additionally examined Tower of Fantasy’s ray tracing and DLSS 3 demo, and I’m actually hoping to see this quickly in-game because it actually, actually shines in our demo go. We ran the identical demo because the RTX reveal video confirmed a couple of weeks again, and the reflective surfaces regarded superb whereas the subtle lighting from indicators and the neon lights of the town actually popped. It made me really feel like I used to be working by an anime Cyberpunk 2077 to a level, simply with out the Edgerunners themselves.
RTX 4080 Thermal and Energy Efficiency
Bear in mind after I stated the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version regarded just about equivalent to the RTX 4090 Founder’s Version? That big cooler on the highest of the GPU helps tremendously. The RTX 4080 is without doubt one of the coolest performing playing cards I’ve ever examined.
In my testing, the RTX 4080 by no means got here near even 70 levels Celsius, its big followers and cooler doing actual work retaining it cool below stress. That is extremely shocking contemplating our 4080 persistently pushed effectively past its rated increase clock of two.5 Ghz, topping out at 2781 Mhz in our testing.
From an influence perspective, a lot concern was had over the ability draw of the 40 collection earlier than it launched. Whereas the RTX 4080 is rated for a complete draw of 320 Watts, we solely noticed the GPU come near that after in our testing, maxing out at a draw of 309 Watts. On common, the ability draw was way more cheap sitting nearer to the 260-270 watts vary.
RTX 4080 Founder’s Version Last Ideas
So what does this all imply? Does the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version ship on its promise of performing 2x sooner than the 3080 Ti, all for a similar MSRP? Sure and no. Technically, sure, in our testing we noticed a doubling of efficiency when utilizing DLSS 3’s body era to eke out these further frames. They usually do make a distinction, particularly in quick paced video games like F1 2022 or driving by Night time Metropolis in Cyberpunk. The RTX 4080 is, on common, a sooner card than the RTX 3080 Ti., particularly with DLSS 3 enabled.
However throughout the size and breadth of our testing, the outcomes have been nearer than the declare. Sure, in DLSS 3 purposes you may obtain that stage of efficiency over the 3080 Ti, however not each recreation helps the function but. And whereas extra titles are popping out with seemingly each driver replace, it’ll be some time earlier than that declare is extra unfold out throughout the gamut of video games we are able to check.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t imply that the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version is a foul card when in comparison with the RTX 3080 Ti – removed from it. On common we noticed a 22% enhance at 4K in comparison with its last-gen cousin. And once we have a look at the RTX 3080, that gulf is even wider at a 33% enhance gen-on-gen. It’s spectacular whenever you additionally think about that driver assist and extra iterations by builders studying the brand new structure will solely drive that gulf additional over time.
Throughout common gameplay in titles like Battlefield 1 and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version fortunately hummed alongside at something I threw its approach. Slogging by the trenches in BF1 on my Acer Predator 43” 120hz monitor at full 4K, rendering the sport at 120% of its inside rendering decision, and never seeing framerate plummet beneath 120fps was a dream.
PUBG, a title infamous for working poorly on my machine, regardless of how a lot energy I throw at it, noticed some extremely clean gameplay on the 4080, with me bravely serving to my pals in the direction of a number of high 10 finishes (a win for our group).
As GPU costs have began to stage out once more too, it’s tougher to seek out the RTX 3080 Ti on sale prefer it was only a few months prior (particularly when it regarded like EVGA was clearing home). On the similar MSRP, you’re getting a gen-on-gen enchancment throughout the board, enchancment with ray tracing, and with the ability to leverage next-gen options like DLSS 3’s body era. On high of that, streamers and content material creators get pleasure from twin AV1 encoders to make streams and movies crisper and clearer for his or her audiences, in addition to the advantages of Nvidia’s Broadcast software program. There’s a lot on provide.
Nevertheless, it’s made extra attention-grabbing with the announcement of AMD’s RDNA 3 playing cards which might be being focused squarely on the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version. At a decrease MSRP of $999 for its flagship, it is going to be extremely attention-grabbing to see how issues line up as soon as reviewers are in a position to do a little bit of unbiased testing on AMD’s upcoming providing. Whereas raster efficiency may be aggressive, it’ll be extra attention-grabbing to match Nvidia’s 3rd era ray tracing means to the RDNA 3’s second era whack at it. It’s that battlefield the place many will determine whether or not to spring for the additional value of the 4080, particularly with DLSS 3 and body era obtainable out of the field on a couple of ray tracing titles with extra to come back, or hunker down with Group Crimson.
It must also be talked about that this can be a large soar in MSRP from the earlier 80-class card in Nvidia’s Ampere line-up, the RTX 3080. That card entered the market with an MSRP of $699, and we’re seeing successfully a 71% soar in value and not using a full equal soar in common efficiency. Certain, as soon as DLSS 3 is turned on its off to the races, however in common rasterized titles the gulf isn’t as broad. Whereas a 33% elevated efficiency uplift is spectacular for certain, it’s effectively wanting the soar in asking value.
Nvidia additionally obscured issues a smidge with its determination to drag again on the 12GB variant of the RTX 4080, as a substitute opting to vary its title amid criticism that it was merely a rebranded 70-series. How this 4080 stacks up in comparison with its cheaper cousin, particularly when you think about they have been imagined to initially launch in the identical class of GPU, will probably be attention-grabbing to look at.
Because it stands proper now, the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version is a good card. For those who’re in search of a top quality 4K gaming card however don’t precisely need to attain out and seize the RTX 4090 at $400 extra (although, it must be stated that $400 buys you numerous card), the RTX 4080 Founder’s Version may be for you. DLSS 3 is playable right this moment, with the launch of the 4080, making the worth add to the acquisition that rather more compelling. $1199 is some huge cash, however the Nvidia RTX 4080 Founder’s Version feels price the price.
