Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review 2024: tested

The new Nvidia RTX 4080 is another fast graphics card, which it should be for $1,200. When DLSS 3 is taken into account, it’s almost twice as fast as the RTX 3080 Ti from the last generation, which also cost $1,200. Frame Generation is really like magic. But reviewing the RTX 4080 is more difficult than wrangling Jen-spatulas.

Hsun’s Though it’s much easier to understand now that there’s only a 16GB version and it doesn’t come with a 12GB half-breed. But right now, we feel like we have all the information we need to decide how good a GPU the new Ada Lovelace card is. However, we are very aware that this moment won’t last long. You could always say that the short-term nature of a GPU’s initial success (or failure) is a common problem with graphics card reviews.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition SPECIFICATIONS

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review: Design and features

The RTX 4080 doesn’t use the full AD103 configuration, though. That has 80 SMs and 10,240 CUDA cores, while the RTX 4080 design only has 76 SMs and 9,728 CUDA cores. But when you compare the new TSMC 4N AD103 to the best Samsung 8nm GA102 from the last generation, it’s still very impressive. That was a GPU with 628.4 mm2 and 28.3 billion transistors. This chip is 378.6 mm2 and contains 45.9 billion transistors.

When we look at the GPU specs of the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4090, we can see that there is still a lot of room for a later RTX 4080 Ti. This new GPU has 76 SMs, which add up to 9728 CUDA cores. The RTX 4090, on the other hand, has 128 SMs, which add up to 16384 CUDA cores. The RTX 4080 seems to have a weak point in its memory system, which has “just” 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus. You can buy this graphics cards from its official site.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review: Performance

The fact that the GeForce RTX 4080 doesn’t use the whole AD103 chip and that there aren’t any other GPUs that use the AD102 die right now leaves the door open for a future GeForce RTX 4080 Ti. I think this is likely in the long run because, as you will soon see, there is a big difference in performance between the two existing GeForce RTX 40-series cards. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 has the same features as the more powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. If you want to learn more about the Ada Lovelace architecture, check out our review article at the link. 

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review: 4K gaming performance

Even without upscaling, the GeForce RTX 4080 is a 4K video card. Without ray tracing, you can expect it to stay above 60 frames per second (fps) in the most demanding games available today and even go above 100 fps in games like Horizon Zero Dawn on high refresh rate monitors. It’s a powerful GPU, but based on how the RTX 4090 worked, I thought it would be even more powerful.

In all of my tests, the RTX 4080 is about 29% slower than the RTX 4090. I’ll talk more about value later, but the RTX 4080’s generational improvements are still very impressive. Compared to the $1,200 RTX 3080 Ti, it is a 42% improvement, and compared to the RTX 3090 Ti, it is a solid 22% improvement. 

Final Words

There’s no doubt that the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition offers great gaming performance at a lower price, but that alone doesn’t make it easy to recommend. The truth is that many gamers aren’t willing to spend more than $1,000 on a graphics card. Because of this, the RTX 4080, with its jaw-dropping price tag of $1,199, will only appeal to a small part of the buying public.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

FAQS

Is the RTX 4080 Founders Edition worth it?

The RTX 4080 is not good value for money, but in many ways it makes sense. The RTX 4080 is, without a doubt, one of the most expensive cards you can buy. But its performance is good enough to match its price. It’s based on the AD103 GPU, which is a slightly scaled-down version of the AD102 in the RTX 4090, which is the biggest card.

Does the 4080 overheat?

The problem seems to be caused by the 12VHPWR adapter that comes with the GPU. This adapter gives the card more power through a single cable. Users who have had problems with it say that it can melt the plastic parts of the 16-pin connector.

Is RTX 4080 future proof?

Still, the RTX 4080 is a big GPU that, depending on the board, may block motherboard sockets. It’s an expensive investment, but if your current graphics card is old or slow, it’s something to think about. When a high-end computer needs a full upgrade, it’s usually around five years.