The RTX 5080 arrived with a bit of a thump . As you’re able to read in myRTX 5080 reexamination , the card plausibly wo n’t be making among thebest graphics cardsany time presently . It descend short of Nvidia ’s last - gen flagship , and in the vast absolute majority of games , it does n’t even crack a 20 % lead over the RTX 4080 Super .
It ’s not the only GPU in town , though . Although AMD is sitting out the flagship battle this generation , there are still some excellent last - gen options to keep in mind . Here are three alternatives to the RTX 5080 and why you should weigh pick them up over Nvidia ’s latest .
Nvidia RTX 4090 (used)
Perhaps the great loss for the RTX 5080 is Nvidia ’s last - genRTX 4090 . With each newfangled generation , Nvidia can deliver the performance of one stride up in its chain of mountains , essentially lower the price . The RTX 4080 , for example , is fast than the RTX 3090 Ti , and the RTX 3080 is faster than the RTX 2080 Ti . This generation , Nvidia is kick downstairs with tradition . Based on my testing , the RTX 5080 is around 9%slowerthan the RTX 4090 .
That stimulate the RTX 4090 a compelling alternative , wear you could find one at a reasonable price . Nvidia has cautiously controlled the stock of its RTX 40 - serial publication GPUs , particularly at the high end , so you ’ll have a knotty time finding an RTX 4090 in stock at all , rent alone for anywhere near list cost . There are plenty of secondhand models available , though .
cost on the used market are all over the place , particularly powerful now when Nvidia ’s later GPUs are just stray out . I ’ve learn models sell for up to $ 2,200 and down to $ 1,100 , so you ’ll have to be diligent to find a slew . If you’re able to find one , however , you ’re in for a treat . The RTX 4090 cleanly beats the RTX 5080 , so if you could hit one for around $ 1,200 , it ’s utterly deserving the Leontyne Price .
It ’s still an undefendable head if the RTX 4090 is worth it over the RTX 5080 , and the answer hangs on the used market . Keep a close eye on how terms shift over the next couple of weeks . They ’re rising now in reply to the RTX 5080 , but I distrust they ’ll knock off in short .
AMD RX 7900 XTX
AMD ’s RX 7900 XTXis a clear step below the RTX 5080 ; I do n’t want to mince words here . On mediocre , the RTX 5080 is around 47 % faster than the RX 7900 XTX at 4K. However , that average factors in game that include ray trace , and it ignores how much less you ’ll pass on AMD ’s last - gen flagship compare to the RTX 5080 .
Short ofCall of Duty Modern Warfare 2,there are n’t any game I test where the RX 7900 XTX win over the RTX 5080 . In a lot of titles , however , it ’s a stone ’s cast out . InHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered , for example , the RTX 5080 is just 12 % faster . The same is lawful inAssassin ’s Creed Mirage . And inRed Dead Redemption 2,the RTX 5080 claims a pencil lead of only 8 % . That should put into context how much free weight titles with ray trace are draw in the average .
Pricing is what really matter here , though . you could pick up a new RX 7900 XTX for around $ 900 right now , and if you pasture on the secondhand marketplace , you could find one for as low as $ 720 . The RTX 5080 istechnically$1,000 , but I have a hard clip trust it will trade for that price . The RTX 4080 Super was priced at $ 1,000 , as well , and I rarely saw it drop below $ 1,200 during its inadequate life-time .
The economic value of the RX 7900 XTX come down to what prices for the RTX 5080 look like a few weeks down the route . Still , it ’s already available for hundreds of dollars less in some fount , so I distrust AMD will come out ahead on value . The RX 7900 XTX is n’t as powerful , but you ’ll be kick yourself if you ignore it when become to elevate your GPU .
Nvidia RTX 4080 Super
The RTX 5080 is 18 % faster than theRTX 4080 Superon norm at 4 K , so if you could score the last - gen card for 20 % less — $ 800 , compare to the list price of the RTX 5080 — you ’re getting better bang for your buck . It ’s a pretty simple reckoning that you could apply disregarding of where price end up . If the RTX 5080 is at $ 1,200 , you ’d need to discover an RTX 4080 Super at $ 960 . And if it ’s at $ 1,500 , you ’d need to observe the last - gen model at $ 1,200 .
We normally see generational improvement north of 30 % , especially at the high last . At that level , it ’s usually not worth it to seek out a last - gen graphic card . You might be capable to make a peck , but you ’re leaving a lot of performance on the table . That ’s not on the dot the case with the RTX 5080 and RTX 4080 Super . Yes , the new menu is 18 % faster , but that does n’t equate to a meaningful difference in your experience in a mess of games .
InRed Dead Redemption 2,for instance , I clocked the RTX 5080 12 % ahead of the RTX 4080 Super . Looking at the actual frame rates , however , there ’s not a Brobdingnagian difference in the experience of playing . You ’re either getting just shy of 100 fps with the RTX 4080 Super or just over 100 fps with the RTX 5080 . You ’d have a voiceless time telling the deviation between the two frame of reference rates without constantly eyeing a frame rate counter .
Just like the RTX 4090 , the RTX 4080 Super does n’t have accession to DLSS Multi - Frame Generation , so it ca n’t easily saturate a 4 KB display lead at 240Hz as the RTX 5080 can . Lossless Scaling can help make up the departure , and depending on the games you play , you might not even need to fall back to frame generation .
Although the RTX 5080 is 18 % faster overall , the carrying into action increase is low in demanding ray tracing biz likeBlack Myth : Wukong . In these game , where you ’d desire to resort to tools like Multi - Frame Generation , the RTX 4080 Super is much confining in raw public presentation , and therefore , it ’s easier to make up the performance shortfall with third - political party tools .
