NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clean sweep: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 wins all ten head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the RTX 4070 Ti. The most decisive margin appears in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RTX 5080 scores 8637 against 5024, a 71.9% advantage. This is not a marginal generational step; it is a substantial leap in raw rasterization performance under modern DirectX 12 workloads.

Geekbench OpenCL tells a similar story, with the RTX 5080 reaching 235901 versus 176953, a 33.3% lead. This suggests the newer card's compute throughput is significantly higher in heterogeneous workloads. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows somewhat but remains clear: 255450 versus 213808, a 19.5% delta. The RTX 5080 remains ahead, but the RTX 4070 Ti is comparatively closer in Vulkan, indicating that API-level optimizations may narrow the architectural gap.

PassMark results are uniformly in favor of the RTX 5080, though the margins vary by test. The DirectX 12 benchmark shows a 30.2% lead (151 versus 116), which aligns with the large Steel Nomad delta. DirectX 11 shows a 12.5% advantage (324 versus 288), while DirectX 10 sits at 11.2% (208 versus 187). DirectX 9, the oldest API tested, shows the smallest relative gap at 10.5% (389 versus 352). This pattern suggests the RTX 5080 pulls ahead most strongly in newer, more parallel-friendly APIs, while legacy DX9 workloads still benefit from the older card's decent throughput.

The PassMark G3D score, a broad gaming-oriented metric, gives the RTX 5080 a 15.6% lead (36565 versus 31624). Compute performance via PassMark GPU Compute shows an 18.4% advantage (21789 versus 18396), reinforcing that the RTX 5080 is not just a gaming card but also a stronger compute workhorse. The 2D benchmark (G2D) shows a 17.9% delta (1415 versus 1200), an area often overlooked but relevant for desktop and productivity tasks.

No benchmark in the database has the RTX 4070 Ti winning. The closest margin is the 10.5% DirectX 9 result, and the widest is the 71.9% Steel Nomad result. The data does not support any scenario where the older card outperforms the newer one. The question is not whether the RTX 5080 wins, but how the size of each win should influence purchasing decisions.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the RTX 5080 outperforms the RTX 4070 Ti in every recorded test. The average benchmark score for the RTX 5080 is 56083, while the RTX 4070 Ti averages 44795, a difference of roughly 25%. The RTX 5080 also sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs in the database, versus the 84th percentile for the RTX 4070 Ti.

For users who prioritize modern DirectX 12 gaming, the RTX 5080 is the clear choice. The 71.9% Steel Nomad lead and the 30.2% PassMark DX12 lead indicate that the newer architecture extracts far more performance from current-generation APIs. The RTX 4070 Ti remains functional, but its performance in DX12 is significantly behind, and that gap will likely widen as more titles adopt DX12-only rendering paths.

For compute-oriented workloads, the RTX 5080 also wins decisively. OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 33.3% and 19.5% higher respectively, and PassMark GPU Compute is 18.4% higher. The RTX 4070 Ti is not a weak compute card, but the RTX 5080 offers a measurable step up in raw throughput.

The RTX 4070 Ti does have one advantage: it is a smaller, lighter card. The dimensions are 285 mm length, 112 mm height, and 42 mm width, versus 304 mm length, 137 mm height, and 40 mm width for the RTX 5080. The older card is also rated for a 285 W TDP versus 360 W for the newer one, and the suggested PSU is 600 W versus 750 W. If physical size or power supply headroom is a hard constraint, the RTX 4070 Ti is the only option that fits. Otherwise, the data points squarely to the RTX 5080.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 4070 Ti uses the AD104 chip on Ada Lovelace. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ notably: the GB203 contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, while the AD104 contains 35,800 million on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical (120.6M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm²), meaning the RTX 5080's advantage comes from a larger die and more transistors, not a denser process.

The memory subsystem is a major differentiator. The RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s. That is nearly double the bandwidth for the newer card, which directly contributes to its large lead in memory-sensitive benchmarks like Steel Nomad.

Core counts also scale substantially. The RTX 5080 has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, versus 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs for the RTX 4070 Ti. Ray tracing cores increase from 60 to 84, and tensor cores from 240 to 336. The FP32 throughput is 56.28 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080 versus 40.09 TFLOPS for the RTX 4070 Ti, a 40% increase in raw shader performance.

Clock speeds are surprisingly close. The RTX 5080 boosts to 2617 MHz, while the RTX 4070 Ti boosts to 2610 MHz. The base clocks are 2295 MHz and 2310 MHz respectively, meaning the older card actually has a slightly higher base clock. The performance gap therefore comes almost entirely from the larger core count and memory bandwidth, not from clock speed.

The PCIe interface differs: the RTX 5080 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4070 Ti uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs also differ, with the RTX 5080 offering 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the older card. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5080 has 960.0 GB/s from 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 4070 Ti has 504.2 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 faster in every benchmark?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080 wins all ten head-to-head tests. The smallest margin is 10.5% in PassMark DirectX 9, and the largest is 71.9% in 3DMark Steel Nomad.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The RTX 5080 averages 56083, while the RTX 4070 Ti averages 44795, a difference of approximately 25%.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Ti have any size advantage?

A: Yes, it is shorter (285 mm versus 304 mm) and shorter in height (112 mm versus 137 mm), though it is slightly thicker (42 mm versus 40 mm).

Q: Which card requires a larger power supply?

A: The RTX 5080 suggests a 750 W PSU and has a 360 W TDP. The RTX 4070 Ti suggests a 600 W PSU and has a 285 W TDP.

Q: Are both cards on the same manufacturing node?

A: Yes, both use a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 5080 has 45,600 million transistors on 378 mm², while the RTX 4070 Ti has 35,800 million on 294 mm².

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5080 wins every recorded benchmark, so the practical question is which workloads benefit most from its margin. For modern DirectX 12 gaming, the RTX 5080 is overwhelmingly superior. The 71.9% Steel Nomad lead and the 30.2% PassMark DX12 lead mean that users playing the latest AAA titles will see a massive frame rate improvement. This is the strongest use case for the RTX 5080.

For compute-heavy tasks like OpenCL and Vulkan, the RTX 5080 also dominates. The 33.3% OpenCL lead and 19.5% Vulkan lead indicate strong performance in GPGPU applications, rendering, and machine learning workloads. The PassMark GPU Compute result (18.4% lead) confirms this is not a fluke of a single test.

The RTX 4070 Ti, while losing every comparison, still has a role for users with strict physical or power constraints. It is 19 mm shorter and 25 mm shorter in height, making it easier to fit in compact cases. Its 285 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU mean it can run on a less powerful supply. In legacy DirectX 9 games, the 10.5% gap is small enough that the older card remains perfectly playable, though it is still slower.

The RTX 5080 is the choice for anyone chasing maximum performance in current and future workloads. The RTX 4070 Ti is the fallback for constrained builds, but the data does not show any scenario where it is the faster card.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The RTX 5080 uses the GB203 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 4070 Ti uses AD104 with Ada Lovelace. Transistor counts are 45,600 million versus 35,800 million, with die sizes of 378 mm² versus 294 mm².

Memory is a major split: 16 GB GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 12 GB GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s. Shading units are 10,752 versus 7,680, TMUs are 336 versus 240, and ROPs are 112 versus 80. Ray tracing cores number 84 versus 60, and tensor cores number 336 versus 240.

Pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s versus 208.8 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 879.3 GTexel/s versus 626.4 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 throughput are both 56.28 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080 versus 40.09 TFLOPS for the RTX 4070 Ti. The TDP is 360 W versus 285 W, and the suggested PSU is 750 W versus 600 W.

The bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Dimensions differ: 304 mm x 137 mm x 40 mm versus 285 mm x 112 mm x 42 mm. The RTX 5080 was released in 2025 and is active, while the RTX 4070 Ti was released in 2023 and is end-of-life. Both cards use a dual-slot design and a single 16-pin power connector.