NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 records an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 records 40,377. That places the RTX 4080 roughly 34% higher in the database’s aggregate scoring.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 6,567, which is 29.3% ahead of the RTX 5070’s 5,077. This is one of the largest single-test gaps between the two.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes. In the Passmark G2D test, the RTX 5070 scores 1,305 versus the RTX 4080’s 1,239, a 5.1% edge. This is the only test where the RTX 5070 leads.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, yielding 716.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 672.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 4080 has a TDP of 320 W and a suggested PSU of 700 W. The RTX 5070 has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Q: Which card has the higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile, while the RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile. Both are high-ranking cards, but the RTX 4080 is more elite in the database’s distribution.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 4080 wins 9 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with victory margins ranging from 13.3% to 47.4%. It is the stronger card for nearly every workload measured, particularly in compute-heavy and Vulkan scenarios. The RTX 5070’s single win in Passmark G2D (a 2D graphics test) does little to offset the overall pattern.

For users who prioritize raw performance, the RTX 4080 is the clear choice. Its average score of 54,247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER (only 0.1% away) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% lower). The RTX 5070, meanwhile, sits in the 82nd percentile with an average of 40,377, and its closest competitors are workstation and mobile parts like the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile.

However, the RTX 5070 is not without its advantages. It is a newer generation (Blackwell 2.0 versus Ada Lovelace), has a smaller die (263 mm² versus 379 mm²), lower TDP (250 W versus 320 W), dual-slot width versus triple-slot, and shorter length (245 mm versus 310 mm). It also uses PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16, and supports DisplayPort 2.1b versus 1.4a. For compact builds or systems with tighter power budgets, the RTX 5070 is the more practical fit.

The verdict: pick the RTX 4080 for maximum frame rates and compute throughput. Pick the RTX 5070 if the physical footprint, power draw, or interface generation matters more than raw benchmark scores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 4080 dominates the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 6,567 against 5,077, a 29.3% lead. This is a modern DirectX 12 workload, and the gap is substantial.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4080’s advantage grows to 47.4% (263,779 versus 178,923). This is the largest delta in the entire comparison, indicating a major difference in Vulkan compute and rendering throughput. The OpenCL test shows a similar, though smaller, gap: 214,739 versus 172,660, a 24.4% lead.

Passmark G3D, which is a broader gaming-oriented metric, gives the RTX 4080 an 18.3% edge (34,457 versus 29,137). Passmark GPU Compute shows a 30.9% lead (20,671 versus 15,787), confirming the RTX 4080’s strength in general-purpose compute workloads.

The legacy DirectX tests all favor the RTX 4080 as well. In DirectX 9, the scores are 370 versus 320 (15.6% lead). DirectX 10 shows 204 versus 180 (13.3% lead). DirectX 11 shows 314 versus 277 (13.4% lead). DirectX 12 shows 132 versus 108 (22.2% lead). The margin is consistent across all API generations, suggesting the RTX 4080’s advantage is not tied to any particular rendering path.

The only exception is Passmark G2D, where the RTX 5070 scores 1,305 versus 1,239, a 5.1% lead. This test measures 2D graphics operations, which are rarely a bottleneck in modern workloads, but it does show that the newer card is not universally slower.

In summary, the RTX 4080 wins by double-digit percentages in every 3D and compute test, with the single biggest win being Vulkan at 47.4%. The RTX 5070’s 2D win is real but isolated.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification. The RTX 4080 uses the AD103 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, while the RTX 5070 uses the GB205 chip on Blackwell 2.0. Both are built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts diverge sharply: the RTX 4080 has 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, while the RTX 5070 has 31,100 million on a 263 mm² die. Transistor density is similar (121.1M/mm² versus 118.3M/mm²), but the RTX 4080’s larger die gives it more hardware.

The RTX 4080 has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. The RTX 5070 has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 4080 leads in every count, which explains its higher pixel rate (280.6 GPixel/s versus 201.0 GPixel/s), texture rate (761.5 GTexel/s versus 482.3 GTexel/s), and FP32 throughput (48.74 TFLOPS versus 30.87 TFLOPS). FP16 is identical to FP32 on both cards (1:1 ratio).

Memory differs in size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s. The RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s. The RTX 4080 retains a bandwidth advantage, but the RTX 5070 uses newer memory technology.

Clock speeds are close. The RTX 4080 runs at 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost. The RTX 5070 runs at 2325 MHz base and 2512 MHz boost. The RTX 5070 has a slightly higher base clock, but the RTX 4080’s boost clock is nearly identical.

Power and physical dimensions favor the RTX 5070. It has a 250 W TDP versus 320 W, a 600 W suggested PSU versus 700 W, dual-slot width versus triple-slot, and measures 245 mm x 115 mm x 40 mm versus 310 mm x 140 mm x 61 mm. Both use a single 16-pin power connector.

Interface and display outputs also differ. The RTX 4080 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5070 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The RTX 4080 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 5070 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is generation-defining. The RTX 4080 is based on Ada Lovelace, NVIDIA’s previous-generation design, while the RTX 5070 is based on Blackwell 2.0, the current generation. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process, but the design philosophies differ.

The RTX 4080’s AD103 die is larger and denser in absolute terms, with 45,900 million transistors. The RTX 5070’s GB205 die has 31,100 million transistors. The transistor density is nearly identical (121.1M/mm² versus 118.3M/mm²), so the performance gap is primarily due to the RTX 4080 having more of everything: more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, more RT cores, and more tensor cores.

The RT core and tensor core counts are particularly telling. The RTX 4080 has 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, versus 48 and 192 on the RTX 5070. This explains the RTX 4080’s large lead in Vulkan (47.4%), which often exercises ray tracing and compute paths. The tensor core difference also matters for any AI or DLSS-related workload, though the database does not include a dedicated test for that.

The memory architecture is another key divergence. The RTX 4080 uses GDDR6X with a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 5070 uses GDDR7 with a 192-bit bus. The newer GDDR7 standard allows a higher effective clock (28 Gbps versus 22.4 Gbps), which partially compensates for the narrower bus. Still, the RTX 4080 ends up with more bandwidth (716.8 GB/s versus 672.0 GB/s).

The PCIe interface differs: PCIe 4.0 on the RTX 4080 versus PCIe 5.0 on the RTX 5070. This matters for data transfer to the CPU, though the benchmark scores do not isolate this effect. Similarly, the display outputs differ, with the RTX 5070 supporting DisplayPort 2.1b versus 1.4a, which allows higher refresh rates on next-generation monitors.

Finally, the production status and release timing are different. The RTX 4080 is end-of-life, released in September 2022, while the RTX 5070 is active, released in March 2025. The RTX 4080’s predecessor is GeForce 30 and its successor is GeForce 50. The RTX 5070’s predecessor is GeForce 40 and its successor is GeForce 60. The launch MSRP of the RTX 4080 is 1,199 USD, while the RTX 5070 is 549 USD.

The architecture differences explain the benchmark results: the RTX 4080’s larger, more feature-rich die delivers higher throughput across the board, while the RTX 5070’s newer memory and interface standards offer modern connectivity at a lower power footprint.