NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER vs NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two NVIDIA cards into very different use cases. The GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER carries a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3075, placing it in the 19th percentile among all GPUs in the database. That low percentile reflects a narrow benchmark sample rather than weakness; the nearest rivals around that score include the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 at 3163 (2.8% ahead) and the Intel Arc Pro B60 at 3182 (3.4% ahead), while the 5080 SUPER leads the GeForce 820A by 3.1% and the GTX 860M by 3.6%. Those deltas are tight, suggesting the 5080 SUPER's single recorded test may underrepresent its actual standing.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation, by contrast, has a much richer benchmark profile. It posts an 85th percentile rank across all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45972. Its nearest rivals cluster closely: the RTX A2000 averages 46043 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Arc A730M averages 45592 (0.8% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT sits 1.3% behind, while the Radeon RX 5600M leads by 1.4%. The 5880 Ada's individual tests span a wide range of workloads: Geekbench OpenCL scores 326898, Passmark G3D scores 25096, GPU compute scores 14208, and DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests return 335, 167, 228, and 70 respectively, with a G2D score of 777.

The data suggests the RTX 5080 SUPER wins where modern DX12 gaming is the priority, as its only benchmark is a demanding DX12 steel nomad test. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins across broader professional and compute workloads, evidenced by its large OpenCL score and multiple DirectX API tests. For gaming-specific DX12 performance, the 5080 SUPER's architecture appears tuned for that load. For mixed workloads, particularly OpenCL compute, the 5880 Ada dominates with a score over 100x higher than the 5080 SUPER's sole test result.

Architecture Differences

The two cards diverge at the silicon level. The RTX 5080 SUPER uses the GB203 chip on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 120.6M per mm². The RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip on Ada Lovelace architecture, also 5 nm at TSMC, but with 76,300 million transistors across a 609 mm² die, for a density of 125.3M per mm². The Ada chip carries 67% more transistors and a 61% larger die.

Clock behavior differs sharply. The 5080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, while the 5880 Ada runs a 975 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost. The 5080 SUPER's base clock is more than 2.3x higher, but the Ada card's boost clock comes within 6% of the Blackwell card's boost. Memory architectures also diverge: the 5080 SUPER uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, while the 5880 Ada uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Ada card holds twice the capacity but 15% less bandwidth.

Core counts favor the Ada card across the board. The 5880 Ada has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The 5080 SUPER has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. That is 31% more shading units, 31% more TMUs, 57% more ROPs, 31% more RT cores, and 31% more tensor cores for the Ada card. The Ada card also leads in raw throughput: 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 versus 56.28 TFLOPS for the 5080 SUPER, with pixel rates of 433.0 GPixel/s versus 293.1 GPixel/s, and texture rates of 1,082.4 GTexel/s versus 879.3 GTexel/s.

Power and connectivity differ as well. The 5080 SUPER draws 415 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and one 16-pin connector, while the 5880 Ada draws 285 W TDP, also dual-slot with one 16-pin connector, and carries a suggested PSU of 600 W. The 5080 SUPER uses PCIe 5.0 x16; the 5880 Ada uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs favor the 5080 SUPER with HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b connectors, versus four DisplayPort 1.4a on the Ada card. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark entries between these two cards, so the comparison relies on their respective benchmark suites and nearest rival deltas. The 5080 SUPER's single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3075 indicates a capable modern gaming card, but its nearest rivals are low-end or mobile parts, which suggests the database has limited sampling for this model. The 5880 Ada, with an average score of 45972, sits in a completely different performance class, as its nearest rivals are professional and midrange mobile GPUs.

The biggest numerical gap appears in compute throughput. The 5880 Ada's Geekbench OpenCL score of 326898 dwarfs any single result from the 5080 SUPER. Even the Ada card's Passmark G3D score of 25096 exceeds the 5080 SUPER's Steel Nomad result by a factor of 8. The Ada card's Passmark GPU compute score of 14208 further underscores its compute orientation. Meanwhile, the 5080 SUPER's 3DMark result, while not directly comparable to Passmark scores, likely reflects a different workload emphasis: modern DX12 gaming with ray tracing features.

The percentile gap is stark. The 5080 SUPER sits at the 19th percentile among all GPUs, while the 5880 Ada sits at the 85th percentile. That difference does not necessarily mean the 5080 SUPER is a weak card; rather, the database's benchmark coverage for the 5080 SUPER is minimal, and its nearest rivals are all low-score parts. The 5880 Ada's nearest rivals, however, are all within 1.4% of its average score, indicating a stable, well-characterized performance level. The 5080 SUPER's nearest rivals show deltas between -3.4% and +3.6%, a wider spread that suggests more variance in its benchmark environment.

In terms of raw specs, the 5880 Ada leads in every compute metric: FP32 at 69.27 TFLOPS versus 56.28 TFLOPS, pixel rate at 433.0 GPixel/s versus 293.1 GPixel/s, and texture rate at 1,082.4 GTexel/s versus 879.3 GTexel/s. The 5080 SUPER only leads in memory bandwidth at 1.02 TB/s versus 864.0 GB/s, and in boost clock at 2617 MHz versus 2460 MHz. These differences point to the Ada card favoring parallel throughput, while the Blackwell card favors per-clock efficiency and memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory capacity?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, exactly double the 24 GB of GDDR7 on the RTX 5080 SUPER.

Q: How do the architectures differ?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER uses Blackwell 2.0 architecture on the GB203 chip, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses Ada Lovelace architecture on the AD102 chip. Both are built on TSMC's 5 nm process.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation delivers 69.27 TFLOPS FP32, compared to 56.28 TFLOPS for the RTX 5080 SUPER, a lead of roughly 23%.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth comparison?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER provides 1.02 TB/s over a 256-bit GDDR7 interface, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation provides 864.0 GB/s over a 384-bit GDDR6 interface. The 5080 SUPER has about 18% more bandwidth.

Q: How do the TDP figures compare?

A: The RTX 5080 SUPER has a 415 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and one 16-pin connector. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation has a 285 W TDP, also dual-slot with one 16-pin connector, and a suggested PSU of 600 W.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile rank in the database?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation ranks in the 85th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 5080 SUPER ranks in the 19th percentile. The Ada card's average benchmark score is 45972, versus a single recorded score of 3075 for the 5080 SUPER.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SUPER | NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation |

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

| Chip | GB203 | AD102 |

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | GeForce 50 | Workstation Ada (x000A) |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 76,300 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 609 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 120.6M / mm² | 125.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2295 MHz | 975 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2617 MHz | 2460 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 48 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.02 TB/s | 864.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz 32 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz 18 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 10752 | 14080 |

| TMUs | 336 | 440 |

| ROPs | 112 | 176 |

| RT Cores | 84 | 110 |

| Tensor Cores | 336 | 440 |

| Pixel Rate | 293.1 GPixel/s | 433.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 879.3 GTexel/s | 1,082.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 56.28 TFLOPS | 69.27 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 56.28 TFLOPS (1:1) | 69.27 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 415 W | 285 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 304 mm (12 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Height | 137 mm (5.4 inches) | 112 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Width | 40 mm (1.6 inches) | null |

| Release Date | 2025-12-31 | 2024-01-04 |

| Predecessor | null | Workstation Ampere |

| Successor | null | Blackwell PRO W |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | null |

The Verdict

The recorded data supports distinct choices based on workload. The RTX 5080 SUPER, with its 24 GB GDDR7 memory, 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, and 2617 MHz boost clock, targets modern DX12 gaming scenarios. Its single 3DMark Steel Nomad result, while limited, positions it among low-end GPUs in the database, but that likely reflects sparse sampling. The 999 USD launch MSRP and newer release date (2025-12-31) indicate a current-generation product aimed at gaming enthusiasts.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation, meanwhile, is a workstation-class card with 48 GB GDDR6 memory, 14,080 shading units, and 69.27 TFLOPS FP32. Its 85th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 45972, supported by a broad suite of Passmark and Geekbench tests, confirm strong professional compute performance. The 285 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU make it more power-efficient than the 5080 SUPER's 415 W TDP, and its 267 mm length fits shorter chassis.

Users prioritizing compute density, memory capacity, and multi-API professional workloads should choose the RTX 5880 Ada Generation. Users prioritizing memory bandwidth, higher clocks, and the newest display outputs (HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b) should choose the RTX 5080 SUPER. The Ada card wins on raw throughput and power efficiency; the Blackwell card wins on bandwidth and connectivity. Neither card's benchmark data overlaps directly, so the choice hinges on whether the workload resembles the Ada card's extensive compute profile or the 5080 SUPER's focused DX12 gaming test.