NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 AD103 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 AD103 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The RTX 5080 holds a commanding lead across every available benchmark metric, with the RTX 4070 AD103 registering zero wins in the comparison. The RTX 5080's average benchmark score stands at 56,083, while the RTX 4070 AD103 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database.

The RTX 5080's compute performance is particularly striking. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 5080 scores 255,450, and in Geekbench OpenCL, it reaches 235,901. These scores place the card in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, indicating strong top-tier positioning. The RTX 5080 also delivers a Passmark G3D score of 36,565 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 21,789, both of which demonstrate substantial processing capability.

The RTX 5080's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its standing. It leads the AMD Radeon 8060S by 0.6%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 0.7%, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 2.3%. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE sits 2.2% ahead of the RTX 5080. These narrow margins against competitors contrast sharply with the wide gap between the RTX 5080 and the RTX 4070 AD103, which lacks any recorded benchmark scores to compare directly.

The RTX 5080's DirectX performance metrics show varied results across API versions. Passmark DirectX 11 yields a score of 324, DirectX 9 reaches 389, DirectX 10 drops to 208, and DirectX 12 comes in at 151. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test produces a score of 8,637. These figures suggest the card handles legacy APIs competently, with the older DirectX 9 path delivering the highest Passmark score. The Passmark G2D score of 1,415 indicates solid 2D graphics throughput as well.

FAQ

Q: What is the core clock difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The RTX 5080 operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. The RTX 5080 runs 375 MHz higher at base and 142 MHz higher at boost.

Q: How do memory specifications compare?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 uses 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 uses 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 has 4 GB more memory, a 64-bit wider bus, and nearly double the bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size for each card?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The RTX 5080 contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. The transistor counts and die sizes are nearly identical, with the RTX 4070 AD103 holding a negligible 300 million transistor and 1 mm² advantage.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance of each card?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 delivers 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The RTX 5080 delivers 56.28 TFLOPS. The RTX 5080 provides 27.13 TFLOPS more compute throughput, representing a 93% increase over the RTX 4070 AD103.

Q: How do the power requirements differ?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RTX 5080 has a TDP of 360 W and a suggested PSU of 750 W. The RTX 5080 demands 160 W more power and requires a PSU rated 200 W higher.

Q: Which card uses faster memory clock speeds?

A: The RTX 4070 AD103 runs memory at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed. The RTX 5080 runs memory at 1875 MHz with 30 Gbps effective speed. The RTX 5080's memory clock is 562 MHz higher at base and 9 Gbps faster effective.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 wins across all measured dimensions. Its shading units number 10,752 versus 5,888 for the RTX 4070 AD103, giving the newer card 4,864 additional shaders. Texture mapping units stand at 336 versus 184, and render output units at 112 versus 64. The RTX 5080 also doubles the RT core count with 84 versus 46, and tensor cores reach 336 versus 184.

The pixel rate for the RTX 5080 is 293.1 GPixel/s, while the RTX 4070 AD103 achieves 158.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 879.3 GTexel/s versus 455.4 GTexel/s. The FP16 performance mirrors FP32 at a 1:1 ratio for both cards, with the RTX 5080 reaching 56.28 TFLOPS versus 29.15 TFLOPS.

The RTX 4070 AD103 holds no advantage in any recorded benchmark category. Its only comparative edges are marginal hardware specifications: a slightly higher transistor count by 300 million and a 1 mm² larger die. These differences do not translate into any measurable performance benefit. The RTX 5080's production status is active, while the RTX 4070 AD103 is end-of-life, confirming the newer card as the current-generation offering.

For workloads requiring maximum compute throughput, the RTX 5080 is the clear selection. Its 93% higher FP32 performance and 94% higher texture rate make it suitable for compute-heavy tasks. The doubled RT core count and tensor core count also position it for ray tracing and AI workloads. The RTX 4070 AD103, with its lower power draw of 200 W versus 360 W, fits scenarios where power constraints are paramount, though the database records no performance metrics for it.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses the AD103 chip from the Ada Lovelace architecture, while the RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip from the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the RTX 4070 AD103 belongs to the GeForce 40 generation and the RTX 5080 to the GeForce 50 generation.

Memory specifications diverge significantly. The RTX 4070 AD103 offers 12 GB of GDDR6X with a 192-bit bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 offers 16 GB of GDDR7 with a 256-bit bus and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. Memory clock speeds also differ: 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective for the RTX 4070 AD103 versus 1875 MHz with 30 Gbps effective for the RTX 5080.

Core counts show substantial differences. The RTX 4070 AD103 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. The RTX 5080 has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. Clock speeds favor the RTX 5080 with a base of 2295 MHz and boost of 2617 MHz, compared to 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The RTX 4070 AD103 has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the RTX 5080 has a TDP of 360 W and a suggested PSU of 750 W. Both are dual-slot cards with a single 16-pin power connector. The RTX 4070 AD103 measures 240 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The RTX 5080 measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, making it 64 mm longer and 27 mm taller.

Bus interface and display outputs also differ. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The RTX 4070 AD103 provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 5080 provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The API support is identical for both cards: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 4070 AD103 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, representing the GeForce 40 series. The RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, representing the GeForce 50 series. This generational shift from Ada Lovelace to Blackwell 2.0 accounts for the substantial performance and feature differences recorded in the data.

The process node remains 5 nm at TSMC for both cards, with foundry TSMC for each. Transistor counts are nearly identical: 45,900 million for the RTX 4070 AD103 and 45,600 million for the RTX 5080. Die sizes are also similar at 379 mm² versus 378 mm². Transistor density measures 121.1M per mm² for the RTX 4070 AD103 and 120.6M per mm² for the RTX 5080. These nearly identical manufacturing parameters suggest that the performance gap stems from architectural efficiency and core configuration rather than process improvements.

The Blackwell 2.0 architecture in the RTX 5080 enables a significantly larger execution footprint. The RTX 5080's 10,752 shading units represent an 83% increase over the RTX 4070 AD103's 5,888. The RT core count doubles from 46 to 84, and tensor cores nearly double from 184 to 336. These expanded resources directly drive the higher pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput recorded in the benchmarks.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally between the two generations. The RTX 4070 AD103 uses GDDR6X memory, while the RTX 5080 uses GDDR7. The newer GDDR7 standard operates at a higher effective speed of 30 Gbps versus 21 Gbps, contributing to the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 504.2 GB/s. The 256-bit bus on the RTX 5080 also provides a wider data path than the 192-bit bus on the RTX 4070 AD103.

The PCIe interface advances from 4.0 x16 on the RTX 4070 AD103 to 5.0 x16 on the RTX 5080, doubling the theoretical bandwidth available for data transfer. Display outputs also move to newer standards: HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1b on the RTX 5080 versus HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a on the RTX 4070 AD103. The RTX 5080's production status is active, while the RTX 4070 AD103 is end-of-life, with the RTX 5080 succeeding the GeForce 40 series and preceding the GeForce 60 series.