NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which wins nine of the ten head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. The most pronounced margin appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 260,075 against the RTX 5070's 178,923, a 45.4% lead. This is the single largest performance gap between the two cards across all recorded tests.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which is a modern gaming workload, also heavily favors the RTX 4080 SUPER. It delivers a score of 6,600 versus 5,077 for the RTX 5070, a 30% advantage. This suggests that in current DirectX 12 gaming scenarios, the older card's architecture provides a substantial performance cushion over the newer contender.

Compute-oriented workloads further reinforce the RTX 4080 SUPER's dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 219,065 compared to 172,660 for the RTX 5070, a 26.9% delta. The Passmark GPU Compute test shows a similar trend, with the RTX 4080 SUPER achieving 19,822 points over the RTX 5070's 15,787 points, a 25.6% advantage. These results indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER maintains a significant edge in general-purpose and compute-heavy tasks.

Legacy DirectX tests also favor the RTX 4080 SUPER, though by varying margins. In DirectX 9, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 381 versus 320, a 19.1% lead. The gap narrows in DirectX 11, where the RTX 4080 SUPER leads with 301 points over 277, an 8.7% delta. The DirectX 10 test shows the smallest margin among the gaming tests, with the RTX 4080 SUPER at 193 versus 180, a 7.2% lead. The DirectX 12 test, however, shows a wider spread: 134 for the RTX 4080 SUPER against 108 for the RTX 5070, a 24.1% difference.

The Passmark G3D test, which is a composite gaming score, gives the RTX 4080 SUPER a 17.5% win, with 34,245 points over 29,137 points. The only test where the RTX 5070 emerges victorious is Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test. Here the RTX 5070 scores 1,305 versus 1,270 for the RTX 4080 SUPER, a 2.7% margin. This is a narrow win and indicates that in pure 2D rasterization, the newer card holds a slight edge, but it is not a meaningful indicator for modern 3D gaming performance.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent different architectural generations from NVIDIA. The RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, specifically the AD103 chip, while the RTX 5070 utilizes the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB205 chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor budgets differ significantly. The RTX 4080 SUPER contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 121.1 million transistors per mm². The RTX 5070, by contrast, has 31,100 million transistors on a smaller 263 mm² die, with a slightly lower density of 118.3 million per mm².

The compute resource disparity is substantial. The RTX 4080 SUPER packs 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units. The RTX 5070 has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. This translates to a raw throughput advantage for the RTX 4080 SUPER: 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance versus 30.87 TFLOPS for the RTX 5070. Similarly, the texture fill rate is 816.0 GTexel/s for the RTX 4080 SUPER versus 482.3 GTexel/s for the RTX 5070, and the pixel rate is 285.6 GPixel/s versus 201.0 GPixel/s.

Ray tracing and tensor core counts also favor the RTX 4080 SUPER. It features 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, while the RTX 5070 has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. Clock speeds are relatively close, with the RTX 4080 SUPER having a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, while the RTX 5070 has a base of 2325 MHz and a boost of 2512 MHz. The difference in boost clocks is only 38 MHz in favor of the RTX 4080 SUPER, meaning the performance gap is largely driven by the higher core counts and memory bandwidth rather than clock speed.

Memory configuration is another major differentiator. The RTX 4080 SUPER uses 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The RTX 5070 uses 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Although GDDR7 is a newer memory type with a higher effective speed (28 Gbps versus 23 Gbps), the wider bus and larger capacity of the RTX 4080 SUPER still yield a 9.6% bandwidth advantage. The RTX 5070 also has a smaller memory capacity, which could matter in texture-heavy or high-resolution workloads.

The bus interface differs as well: the RTX 4080 SUPER uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5070 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The newer standard allows for higher transfer rates, but the benchmark data does not show this translating into a performance win for the RTX 5070 in the recorded tests. Power consumption also differs, with the RTX 4080 SUPER rated at 320 W TDP and the RTX 5070 at 250 W, which is a notable efficiency improvement for the newer card.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 across nearly every recorded metric. The average benchmark score for the RTX 4080 SUPER is 54,209, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5070 has an average score of 40,377, which falls in the 82nd percentile. The delta between the two is approximately 34% in favor of the RTX 4080 SUPER.

However, context matters. The RTX 4080 SUPER is an end-of-life product with a launch MSRP of 999 USD, while the RTX 5070 is an active product with a launch MSRP of 549 USD. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER delivers substantially higher performance, but it also comes from a higher tier of the product stack. The RTX 5070 is positioned as a more mainstream offering, and its performance is still respectable, sitting just above the 80th percentile.

For users who prioritize raw frame rates, compute throughput, and higher memory capacity, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear choice based on the measurements. For those who need a dual-slot card with lower power draw and a smaller physical footprint, the RTX 5070 has appeal, but it comes with a significant performance penalty. The RTX 5070's only recorded win is in the 2D Passmark test, which is not indicative of modern gaming workloads. The verdict from the data is straightforward: the RTX 4080 SUPER is the stronger performer, while the RTX 5070 offers a more efficient and compact alternative.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER wins with a score of 6,600 against 5,077 for the RTX 5070, a 30% advantage.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest gap is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 4080 SUPER leads by 45.4%, scoring 260,075 versus 178,923.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the RTX 5070 wins the Passmark G2D 2D test with a score of 1,305 versus 1,270 for the RTX 4080 SUPER, a 2.7% margin.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s with 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus. The RTX 5070 has 672.0 GB/s with 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each card?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54,209, and the RTX 5070 has an average score of 40,377.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has a boost clock of 2550 MHz, while the RTX 5070 has a boost clock of 2512 MHz.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 SUPER wins decisively in gaming and compute workloads. It is ahead by 30% in DX12 gaming (3DMark Steel Nomad), 24.1% in DirectX 12, and 17.5% in the composite Passmark G3D test. For users running modern AAA titles at high resolutions, the data indicates the RTX 4080 SUPER will provide a smoother experience. Its 16 GB memory capacity and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth also make it better suited for texture-heavy scenarios and potential future titles that demand more video memory.

The RTX 5070 wins only in the 2D Passmark G2D test, a 2.7% margin that is unlikely to be perceptible in real-world use. Its primary advantages are not reflected in the benchmark scores: it is a dual-slot card with a 250 W TDP, whereas the RTX 4080 SUPER is a triple-slot card with a 320 W TDP. The RTX 5070 also uses PCIe 5.0, which offers a higher interface bandwidth, though the recorded data does not show this yielding a performance win. The RTX 5070's smaller physical dimensions (245 mm length versus 310 mm) make it easier to fit in compact cases.

For compute-heavy tasks such as OpenCL or Vulkan compute, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear winner by 26.9% and 45.4% respectively. The Passmark GPU Compute test also shows a 25.6% lead for the RTX 4080 SUPER. Users who rely on GPU acceleration for rendering, simulation, or machine learning workloads should favor the RTX 4080 SUPER based on the data.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category, aside from the manufacturing process (both 5 nm at TSMC) and API support (both support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4). The key differences are as follows:

• Architecture and chip: RTX 4080 SUPER uses Ada Lovelace (AD103), RTX 5070 uses Blackwell 2.0 (GB205).
• Transistors and die size: RTX 4080 SUPER has 45,900 million transistors on 379 mm²; RTX 5070 has 31,100 million on 263 mm².
• Core configuration: RTX 4080 SUPER has 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. RTX 5070 has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores.
• Clocks: RTX 4080 SUPER base 2295 MHz, boost 2550 MHz; RTX 5070 base 2325 MHz, boost 2512 MHz.
• Memory: RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth; RTX 5070 has 12 GB GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth.
• Performance rates: RTX 4080 SUPER has 52.22 TFLOPS FP32, 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate, and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate; RTX 5070 has 30.87 TFLOPS, 482.3 GTexel/s, and 201.0 GPixel/s.
• Power and size: RTX 4080 SUPER is 320 W TDP, triple-slot, 310 mm length, 140 mm height, 61 mm width; RTX 5070 is 250 W TDP, dual-slot, 245 mm length, 115 mm height, 40 mm width.
• Bus interface: RTX 4080 SUPER uses PCIe 4.0 x16; RTX 5070 uses PCIe 5.0 x16.
• Display outputs: RTX 4080 SUPER has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a; RTX 5070 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.
• Production status: RTX 4080 SUPER is end-of-life; RTX 5070 is active.
• Launch MSRP: RTX 4080 SUPER at 999 USD; RTX 5070 at 549 USD.