NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 SUPER vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER Comparison

The RTX 5080 SUPER and RTX 5070 SUPER are two Blackwell 2.0 GPUs aimed at different segments of the high-end market. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the decision between them hinges on whether you need the absolute top-tier throughput or a more balanced, lower-power alternative. The RTX 5080 SUPER delivers a 14.3% higher score in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, while the RTX 5070 SUPER counters with a smaller physical footprint and a substantially lower thermal design power.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a single decisive win for the RTX 5080 SUPER in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, scoring 3075 versus the RTX 5070 SUPER's 2690. That 14.3% delta is the primary differentiator in raw performance, making the 5080 SUPER the clear choice for any workload that scales with compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS versus 32.15 TFLOPS on the 5070 SUPER reinforces this, as does the texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s against 502.4 GTexel/s. For builders targeting high-refresh-rate 4K gaming or GPU-accelerated rendering, the 5080 SUPER's additional shading units (10752 vs 6400) and RT cores (84 vs 50) give it a substantial edge in both rasterization and ray tracing.

The RTX 5070 SUPER, however, wins in efficiency and physical design. Its 275 W TDP is significantly lower than the 5080 SUPER's 415 W, which makes it far easier to cool and integrate into smaller builds. The card is also physically smaller at 245 mm in length and 115 mm in height, versus 304 mm and 137 mm for the 5080 SUPER. This makes the 5070 SUPER a better fit for compact cases or systems where power delivery and thermal management are constrained. Its 18 GB of GDDR7 memory is still generous, and the 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for most 1440p and even 4K workloads, though it trails the 5080 SUPER's 1.02 TB/s.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same Blackwell 2.0 architecture and are fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process, but they use different chips. The RTX 5080 SUPER is built on the GB203 die, which contains 45,600 million transistors across a 378 mm² area, yielding a transistor density of 120.6M / mm². The RTX 5070 SUPER uses the smaller GB205 die, with 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² area, resulting in a slightly lower density of 118.3M / mm². This die size difference explains much of the performance gap, as the 5080 SUPER simply has more silicon to work with.

Core configuration differences are stark. The 5080 SUPER packs 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, while the 5070 SUPER has 6400 shading units, 200 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The RT core counts are 84 versus 50, and tensor cores are 336 versus 200, which means the 5080 SUPER has a significant advantage in AI-accelerated workloads and ray tracing. Clock speeds differ as well: the 5080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, while the 5070 SUPER runs at 2325 MHz base and 2512 MHz boost. The 5070 SUPER's higher base clock is notable, but the 5080 SUPER's higher boost clock and vastly larger core count dominate in practice.

Memory configurations also diverge. The 5080 SUPER uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, while the 5070 SUPER has 18 GB on a 192-bit bus. Effective memory speeds are 32 Gbps versus 28 Gbps, resulting in bandwidth of 1.02 TB/s and 672.0 GB/s respectively. Both cards use a single 16-pin power connector and are dual-slot designs, but the 5080 SUPER's higher TDP means it will require more robust cooling and a beefier power supply, though the fact pack does not specify a suggested PSU for either.

The Verdict

Choose the RTX 5080 SUPER if you need maximum performance and are building a system that can handle its 415 W power draw and 304 mm length. The data shows it is 14.3% faster than the 5070 SUPER in the only head-to-head benchmark, and its 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 throughput makes it the better option for compute-heavy tasks like 3D rendering, video encoding, or high-end gaming at maximum settings. Its 24 GB VRAM also provides more headroom for large textures or AI models.

Choose the RTX 5070 SUPER if you prioritize efficiency and physical compatibility. Its 275 W TDP is 140 W lower than the 5080 SUPER, making it far easier to cool in a small form factor case. At 245 mm long and 115 mm tall, it fits in many more chassis than the 5080 SUPER's 304 mm length. The 5070 SUPER still delivers strong performance with 32.15 TFLOPS and 18 GB of GDDR7, making it a capable choice for 1440p gaming or more modest 4K workloads. The performance gap is real, but not so large that the 5070 SUPER is a poor option — it is a question of whether the 14.3% uplift justifies the extra power and size.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER scores 3075, which is 14.3% higher than the RTX 5070 SUPER's 2690.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has 24 GB of GDDR7, while the RTX 5070 SUPER has 18 GB of GDDR7.

Q: How much power does each card draw?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has a TDP of 415 W, and the RTX 5070 SUPER has a TDP of 275 W.

Q: Are both cards the same length?

A: No, the RTX 5080 SUPER is 304 mm long, while the RTX 5070 SUPER is 245 mm long.

Q: What is the transistor count for each chip?

A: The GB203 chip in the RTX 5080 SUPER has 45,600 million transistors, and the GB205 chip in the RTX 5070 SUPER has 31,100 million transistors.

Q: Do they use the same power connector?

A: Yes, both cards use a single 16-pin power connector and are dual-slot designs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 5080 SUPER wins with a score of 3075 against the RTX 5070 SUPER's 2690. That is a delta of 14.3%, which is a meaningful margin in real-world terms — enough to push frame rates up by over a tenth in GPU-bound scenarios. The 5080 SUPER also dominates in theoretical throughput metrics: its 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 is 75% higher than the 5070 SUPER's 32.15 TFLOPS, and its 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate is 75% higher as well. Pixel rate shows a smaller gap, with 293.1 GPixel/s versus 201.0 GPixel/s, a 45.8% advantage.

Memory bandwidth tells a similar story. The 5080 SUPER's 1.02 TB/s is 51.8% higher than the 5070 SUPER's 672.0 GB/s, which matters for high-resolution textures and data-heavy workloads. The 5080 SUPER's 24 GB VRAM also gives it a 33.3% capacity advantage over the 5070 SUPER's 18 GB. In terms of rendering pipeline, the 5080 SUPER's 84 RT cores versus 50 on the 5070 SUPER means ray tracing performance should scale accordingly, and the 336 tensor cores versus 200 will benefit DLSS and other AI features.

The 5070 SUPER does have a higher base clock at 2325 MHz versus 2295 MHz, but its boost clock is lower at 2512 MHz versus 2617 MHz. This suggests the 5080 SUPER has better thermal headroom for sustained boost clocks, which is consistent with its higher TDP. In short, the 5080 SUPER wins every meaningful performance metric, while the 5070 SUPER's advantages are limited to power consumption and physical size.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 5080 SUPER | RTX 5070 SUPER |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GB203 | GB205 |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 31,100 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 263 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 120.6M / mm² | 118.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2295 MHz | 2325 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2617 MHz | 2512 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 2000 MHz (32 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 18 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.02 TB/s | 672.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10752 | 6400 |

| TMUs | 336 | 200 |

| ROPs | 112 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 84 | 50 |

| Tensor Cores | 336 | 200 |

| Pixel Rate | 293.1 GPixel/s | 201.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 879.3 GTexel/s | 502.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 56.28 TFLOPS | 32.15 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 56.28 TFLOPS (1:1) | 32.15 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 415 W | 275 W |

| Length | 304 mm | 245 mm |

| Height | 137 mm | 115 mm |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | null |

The specification table underscores the performance hierarchy. The 5080 SUPER is larger in every dimension except base clock, where the 5070 SUPER holds a 30 MHz advantage. The 5080 SUPER's launch MSRP is 999 USD, while the 5070 SUPER has no listed MSRP. Both cards share the same display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b), bus interface (PCIe 5.0 x16), and API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). They are both dual-slot, use a 16-pin connector, and have a 40 mm width. The core difference remains compute power versus efficiency, and the right pick depends entirely on your case, power budget, and performance needs.