NVIDIA’s RTX 5080 Founders Edition is slim, sleek, and powerful.
Price, availability, and specsDesignPerformance benchmarksGaming benchmarksCompetitionShould you buy?
Everything in this review was hand-built and benchmarked in my home with standard parts.
The top of the new RTX 5080 FE design features only heatsink fins.
The sale goes live at 9 AM EST in the US and 3 PM CET in the UK.
The RTX 5080 Founders Edition has a $999 MSRP, half as much as the RTX 5090.
Shoppers in the US can check outNVIDIAandBest Buyfor the Founders Edition cards.
RTX 5080 FE (top) and RTX 5090 FE (bottom) are almost visually identical.
Retailers likeNeweggandB&Halready have listings for third-party custom GPUs from partners to check out.
For those in the UK,NVIDIAlooks to be the best place to find a Founders Edition GPU.
For third-party cards, I’ve spotted listings atOverclockers UK,Scan, andEbuyer.
Here’s a look at how the raw specs of the three cards compare.
RTX 5080: Who is the target audience?
The RTX 5080’s $999 price tag seems much more reasonable.
RTX 5080 FE (top) width and color compared to RTX 5090 FE (bottom.)
If you need a new GPU, I can help you find the best for your build.
Why such an emphasis on Tensor cores in the new Blackwell GPUs?
Part of the magic comes fromDLSS 4’s new Multi-Frame Generation feature.
NVIDIA’s 12V2x6 adapter splits into three 8-pin PCIe connectors.
That’s still 90W less than the RTX 4090.
Personally, I useMSI’s 1300W MEG Ai1300P, but it’s over $300and a little overkill.
It might be realistic on launch day, but even then, you’d have to be lucky.
RTX 5080 FE (top) ports and color compared to the slightly darker RTX 5090 FE (bottom.)
After that, the crushingly disappointing reality of price gouging will likely ruin the comparison.
2, which has frame gen active.)
A tempting competitor would be a previously-owned RTX 4080 SUPER or RTX 4090 at anything below $1,000.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 4090 FE performance in 3DMark.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
Launch day is just around the corner, and its aftermath will influence competition.
RTX 5080: Should you buy it?
See at NeweggSee at B&HSee at AmazonSee at Best Buy
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 4090 FE performance in Blender 4.3.0.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 4090 FE performance in Geekbench 6.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 5090 FE performance in 3DMark.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 5090 FE performance in Blender 4.3.0.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 5090 FE performance in Geekbench 6.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
3DMark Speed Way running in ‘stress test’ mode with the RTX 5080 FE to compare metrics against an RTX 4090 FE and RTX 5090 FE.
RTX 5080 FE (left) hotspot at 55.4°C compared to RTX 5090 FE (right) hotspot at 66.4°C.
RTX 5080 FE (left) fan noise reaching 44.9 dBA compared to RTX 5090 FE (right) at 50.5 dBA.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 4090 FE performance in a selection of games.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE vs. RTX 5090 FE performance in a selection of games.
Silent Hill 2 (2024) performance testing with RTX 5080, RTX 4090, and RTX 5090.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 performance testing with RTX 5080, RTX 4090, and RTX 5090.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
Baldur’s Gate 3 performance testing with RTX 5080, RTX 4090, and RTX 5090.(Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson)
Cyberpunk 2077 with live benchmark charts monitoring DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen at 4x (left) and MFG off (right.)
RTX 5080 FE (front) compared to an RTX 5090 FE (rear.)
NVIDIA’s new “Dual Flow Through” fan setup on the RTX 5080 FE.
