GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER and the NVIDIA GeForce 820A represent two extremes of the GPU spectrum, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The benchmark data shows a surprisingly close raw score comparison, but the underlying specifications and performance characteristics tell a story of two completely different devices. The RTX 5080 SUPER scores 3075 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the GeForce 820A scores 2983 in Geekbench OpenCL, a delta of just 3.1% in favor of the newer card. However, this narrow gap in aggregate scores masks the fundamental differences in their design goals, target platforms, and technical capabilities that become apparent when examining the full picture.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark data comes from each card's primary test, and the results are remarkably close. The RTX 5080 SUPER achieves 3075 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the GeForce 820A manages 2983 points in Geekbench OpenCL. This represents a 3.1% advantage for the RTX 5080 SUPER, a margin that falls within the range of typical run-to-run variance for many GPUs. The data suggests that in these specific synthetic workloads, the two cards are nearly equivalent, but this is where the comparison becomes misleading.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The RTX 5080 SUPER sits 2.8% behind the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 (3163) and 3.4% behind the Intel Arc Pro B60 (3182), while leading the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M (2967) by 3.6%. The GeForce 820A, meanwhile, leads the GTX 860M by just 0.5% (2967), the GTX 750 Ti by 1% (2953), and the Quadro P600 by 2.1% (2923), while trailing the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB by 2.4% (2913). This places both cards in the same performance tier according to the aggregate scores, but the RTX 5080 SUPER's single benchmark result of 3075 represents its entire average score, while the GeForce 820A's 2983 comes from a different test entirely.

The percentile rankings show both cards at the 19th percentile among all GPUs, meaning they outperform roughly 19% of the database entries. This is a striking statistical coincidence given the massive specification differences. The RTX 5080 SUPER delivers 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance compared to the GeForce 820A's 240.0 GFLOPS, a difference of over 234 times in raw compute throughput. The pixel rate difference is similarly dramatic: 293.1 GPixel/s versus 2.500 GPixel/s. Yet the benchmark scores suggest these workloads are not stress-testing either card's primary strengths.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER scores 3075 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the GeForce 820A scores 2983 in Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX 5080 SUPER leads by 3.1%, a difference of 92 points.

Q: Are these cards comparable in raw performance?

A: No. The RTX 5080 SUPER produces 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 240.0 GFLOPS for the GeForce 820A, a 234x difference. The texture rate comparison is 879.3 GTexel/s versus 10.00 GTexel/s, and pixel rates are 293.1 GPixel/s versus 2.500 GPixel/s respectively.

Q: What memory configurations do these cards use?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The GeForce 820A has 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s bandwidth, a memory bandwidth gap of approximately 64 times.

Q: Do both cards support the same modern APIs?

A: No. The RTX 5080 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GeForce 820A supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has a TDP of 415 W and requires a 16-pin power connector. The GeForce 820A has a TDP of 15 W and uses no power connector, making it suitable for integrated graphics platforms.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. The RTX 5080 SUPER is listed as Active production, while the GeForce 820A is End-of-life. The GeForce 820A succeeded the GeForce 700A and was itself succeeded by the GeForce 900A.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 SUPER wins decisively in every raw compute category. Its FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS dwarfs the GeForce 820A's 240.0 GFLOPS, making it suitable for demanding computational workloads like ray tracing, AI inference, and high-resolution rendering. The 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores on the RTX 5080 SUPER enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS features that the GeForce 820A cannot physically support due to its lack of these dedicated units. The 24 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth allows for massive texture datasets and high-resolution frame buffers that would immediately exhaust the 1024 MB DDR3 pool on the older card.

The GeForce 820A wins in power efficiency and platform flexibility. Its 15 W TDP means it requires no external power connector and can operate in integrated graphics scenarios, as indicated by its IGP slot width designation. The RTX 5080 SUPER, by contrast, demands a 415 W power budget and a 16-pin connector. The GeForce 820A's PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is compatible with older motherboards, while the RTX 5080 SUPER requires PCIe 5.0 x16 for full bandwidth. The portable device dependent display outputs on the GeForce 820A suggest it was designed for mobile or embedded applications where the RTX 5080 SUPER's dual-slot 304 mm length would be impossible to accommodate.

Specification Differences

The memory subsystem represents the most dramatic specification gap. The RTX 5080 SUPER offers 24 GB of GDDR7 across a 256-bit bus, delivering 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce 820A provides 1024 MB of DDR3 across a 64-bit bus, yielding 16.02 GB/s. This 64x bandwidth difference directly impacts texture streaming, resolution scaling, and multi-tasking capabilities. The RTX 5080 SUPER's memory clock runs at 2000 MHz with 32 Gbps effective speed, while the GeForce 820A's memory operates at 1001 MHz with 2 Gbps effective speed.

The compute core counts differ by orders of magnitude. The RTX 5080 SUPER contains 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, compared to 96 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs on the GeForce 820A. The RTX 5080 SUPER's 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores have no equivalent on the GeForce 820A, which lists null values for both. The process node difference is also significant: the RTX 5080 SUPER uses a 5 nm process from TSMC with 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, while the GeForce 820A uses a 28 nm process with 585 million transistors on a 116 mm² die. Transistor density reflects this: 120.6M per mm² for the RTX 5080 SUPER versus 5.0M per mm² for the GeForce 820A.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 5080 SUPER is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using the GB203 chip, while the GeForce 820A uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF117 chip. This represents two completely different architectural philosophies separated by multiple generations. Blackwell 2.0 introduces dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and tensor cores for AI acceleration, features entirely absent from Fermi 2.0. The GeForce 820A's lack of Vulkan support in its API list further highlights its architectural age, as it predates the widespread adoption of that API.

The production timeline reinforces the architectural gap. The RTX 5080 SUPER's release date is listed as 2025-12-31, while the GeForce 820A was released on 2014-03-16. This eleven-year gap explains the technological divergence. The GeForce 820A belongs to the GeForce 800A generation, succeeding the GeForce 700A and preceding the GeForce 900A. The RTX 5080 SUPER is part of the GeForce 50-series generation, representing NVIDIA's latest desktop architecture. The memory types alone tell the story: GDDR7 on the RTX 5080 SUPER versus DDR3 on the GeForce 820A, a generational leap in memory technology that directly impacts achievable bandwidth and capacity.

The Verdict

The benchmark data shows a 3.1% score advantage for the RTX 5080 SUPER, but this comparison is fundamentally misleading. The GeForce 820A's 2983 Geekbench OpenCL score comes from a workload that likely favors its simple architecture, while the RTX 5080 SUPER's 3075 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 represents a modern, feature-rich test. Users should choose based on their platform and workload requirements, not these aggregate scores. The RTX 5080 SUPER is the clear choice for anyone building a modern desktop system requiring high-resolution gaming, ray tracing, or AI workloads, backed by its 56.28 TFLOPS compute, 24 GB GDDR7 memory, and active production status. The GeForce 820A serves a completely different purpose as a 15 W integrated-class solution for legacy or portable systems, with its 1024 MB DDR3 and PCIe 2.0 interface making it unsuitable for any modern demanding application. The RTX 5080 SUPER's launch MSRP is 999 USD. The data indicates these cards exist in different performance universes despite their similar percentile rankings, and the choice between them should be driven entirely by system requirements and workload demands.