Price When Reviewed

$799

Nvidia certain has been fixing the most important issues in its high-end GeForce RTX 40-series graphics card lineup with the newly introduced “Super” sequence of refreshes. First, the RTX 4070 Super added 15 to twenty p.c extra efficiency to raised struggle AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT rival. Then, the RTX 4070 Ti Super upgraded the unique’s reminiscence system to raised run video games at 4K. Better but, these playing cards nonetheless price the identical as their non-Super predecessors.

The greatest downside with the original RTX 4080? Its worth. There was no denying its efficiency, however the 4080 debuted at $1,200, a staggering $500 extra than final technology’s RTX 3080 — a 71 p.c worth enhance for a mere 30 p.c efficiency enhance. Ick.

While the brand new GeForce RTX 4080 Super certainly presents some small pace will increase, Nvidia as soon as once more aimed to plug the unique’s weak spot. The RTX 4080 Super prices $999, a $200 enchancment over the vanilla model (which is being discontinued).

Is it sufficient to make GeForce RTX 4080 Super aggressive with AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX, our present choose for the best 4K gaming GPU? Let’s take Nvidia’s personal Founders Edition mannequin for a spin and discover out.

Further studying: The best graphics cards for PC gaming

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super specs and options

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

The GeForce RTX 4080 Super nonetheless makes use of the identical AD103 graphics die that powered the unique 4080, however the full-fat model.

• Graphics processing clusters: 7
• Texture processing clusters: 40
• Streaming multiprocessors: 80
• CUDA cores: 10,240
• Tensor cores: 320 (4th technology)
• RT cores: 80 (third technology)
• Texture models: 320
• ROP models: 112
• Base clock: 2,295 MHz
• Boost clock: 2,550 MHz
• Memory clock: 11,500 MHz
• Memory knowledge fee: 23 Gbps
• L1 knowledge cache/shared reminiscence: 10,240 Okay
• L2 cache dimension: 65,536 Okay
• Total video reminiscence: 16GB GDDR6X
• Memory interface: 256-bit
• Connectors: 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
• Form issue: Triple slot
• Power connectors: 3x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in field) OR 450W or larger PCIe Gen 5 cable
• Required system energy provide: 750 Watts
• Video engines: 2xNVENC (eighth Gen) with AV1, 1xNVDEC (fifth Gen)
• Power: 15W Idle, 22W AV1 Video Playback, 246W Average Gaming Power (AGP), 320W Total Graphics Power (TGP)
• Max GPU temperature: 90° C

The vanilla 4080 disabled two “streaming multiprocessors” stuffed with graphics, ray tracing, and tensor cores; the Super restores these, bringing the CUDA rely complete from 9,728 within the 4080 to 10,240 within the Super, a modest 5 p.c enhance. Nvidia additionally elevated the Boost Clock pace from 2.51GHz to 2.55GHz, and nudged the reminiscence clock pace upwards as nicely.

All informed, Nvidia says the Super needs to be roughly 2 to three p.c sooner than the vanilla 4080 on common, and our personal benchmark testing backs that up. The actual draw right here is the worth reduce — although contemplating the unique RTX 4080 was a beastly performer for play and work alike, that’s not essentially a nasty factor.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

With 16GB of ultra-fast GDDR6X reminiscence throughout a 256-bit bus, the RTX 4080 Super has no downside blowing by means of video games at excessive element settings even at 4K decision (as you’d hope in a $1,000 graphics card). Impressively, Nvidia managed to eke out the additional efficiency with out growing the GPU’s energy necessities.

The GeForce RTX 4080 Super helps all the trendy Nvidia options that may push efficiency even larger, resembling DLSS 3.5, Frame Generation, the latency-reducing Nvidia Reflex, G-Sync screens, and extra. Creative varieties will admire the twin AV1 encoders, non-compulsory Studio driver help, and (in case you’re a streamer) wonderful Nvidia Broadcast instruments.

Nvidia’s Founders Edition design largely mirrors that of the unique, from the (girthy) dimensions to the 16-pin 12VHPWR cable to the output setup: one HDMI 2.1, three DisplayPort 1.4a connections. The most notable change right here is the colour scheme, because the Super variants embrace a beautiful blacked-out aesthetic with robust Darth Vader vibes. Nvidia’s {custom} cooler at all times impressed — visually, and virtually — and it’s no totally different this time round.

But how does it deal with? Let’s get to the benchmarks.

Our check system

Adam Patrick Murray, the smiling face of PCWorld on YouTube, carried out all the next benchmarks on a custom-built system, utilizing the newest publicly obtainable drivers for all GPUs besides the RTX 4080 Super itself, which used early 551.22 drivers provided to the press.

Each benchmark run was performed a minimal of thrice, with the common worth taken. We’re evaluating the brand new $999 RTX 4080 Super in opposition to the unique $1,200 RTX 4080 Super, the $999 Radeon RX 7900 XTX, and Nvidia’s step-down RTX 4070 Ti. Ideally, we’d have RTX 4070 Ti Super benchmarks right here, however we’re nonetheless within the technique of testing that card. It needs to be about 10 p.c sooner than the vanilla 4070 Ti outcomes proven beneath.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super efficiency benchmarks

Let’s begin at 4K decision, as that’s probably the most demanding widespread state of affairs for these ultra-high-end graphics playing cards, then look individually at 1440p efficiency.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

The RTX 4080 Super and Radeon RX 7900 XTX commerce blows at each resolutions; Nvidia wins huge in some titles, AMD wins huge in some others, they usually’re neck-and-neck in the remainder. In basic, Nvidia’s structure runs a bit higher at 4K decision, whereas the Radeon has a slight edge at 1440p.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

To gauge the effectivity of the ray tracing cores, we additionally examined Cyberpunk 2077 on the RT medium setting, with each AMD and Nvidia GPUs utilizing AMD’s open FSR 2.0 upscaling characteristic within the recreation. In addition, we flipped ray tracing on in Returnal.

AMD has made large strides in ray tracing, but it surely stays a bastion for Nvidia GPUs. The RTX 4080 Super tromps the Radeon RX 7900 XTX at Medium RT, and as you ramp up the rays, Nvidia GPUs solely widen the hole. You’ll want a high-end Nvidia graphics card just like the RTX 4080 Super to run Cyberpunk’s superb, totally path-traced Overdrive mode at something above slide-show body charges, and you may solely try this by leveraging Nvidia’s full characteristic arsenal of DLSS 3.5, Frame Gen, and Reflex.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

We additionally examined the ability draw and most GPU temperature of those graphics playing cards. Adam examined these by operating a loop of F1 22’s Miami monitor at 1440p/Ultra High preset, with no ray tracing or upscaling enabled, and noting the utmost outcome for every check.

Hot rattling does the Radeon RX 7900 XTX suck down some juice. Impressively, Nvidia made the RTX 4080 Super much more energy environment friendly than its namesake, regardless of delivering a smidge extra efficiency.

Should you purchase the GeForce RTX 4080 Super?

While I couldn’t suggest the unique RTX 4080 over the Radeon RX 7900 XTX at its chest-clutching $1,200 worth, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super’s $999 price ticket makes it rather more aggressive. In truth, I’d go for Nvidia’s refreshed penultimate GPU over AMD’s champion now.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

The efficiency upgrades within the 4080 Super are perfunctory and negligible; it’s the worth drop that issues. The Super and the 7900 XTX each ship screaming-fast body charges in conventional video games, buying and selling blows left and proper. That’s what made the Radeon so interesting versus the unique 4080, particularly with Nvidia’s card having such an exorbitant markup. But by matching the 7900 XTX’s $1,000 MSRP, Nvidia’s extras assist the 4080 Super declare dominance.

The GeForce RTX 4080 attracts massively much less energy than its AMD rival to ship related body charges in conventional video games. Flip on ray tracing and Nvidia holds a gargantuan lead, with stellar AI-powered options like DLSS, Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction pushing each pace and efficiency benefits to 11. Features like Nvidia Broadcast and Reflex maintain deep sensible attraction; RTX Video Super Resolution makes use of AI to make ugly movies lovely. And Nvidia maintains a robust lead in most inventive and machine studying/AI workloads in case you prefer to put your GPU to work whenever you’re not taking part in — witness the twin AV1 encoders within the 4080 Super.

AMD has alternate options to a few of these options (FSR, Radeon Anti-Lag+) and a few key software program wins of its personal, like Smart Access Memory and the driver-level AMD Fluid Motion Frames. In basic, nevertheless, Nvidia’s software program options are extra polished and performant. When you’re spending borderline 4 figures on a graphics card, the extras matter.

Taken as a complete bundle — efficiency, ray tracing, energy effectivity, options, even prosumer duties — Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080 Super is the clear selection in its worth vary. This is the graphics card you need for 4K gaming with out going over $1,000. You can usually discover the Radeon 7900 XTX on sale for $950 or so, however I’d nonetheless choose up the 4080 Super with out hesitation provided that possibility. At the high-end, the place every little thing issues, I wouldn’t think about the AMD possibility until it was on sale for $900 or (ideally) much less, regardless of it being a superb 4K GPU in its personal proper.

Adam Patrick Murray / IDG

That stated, whereas the RTX 4080 Super’s $200 worth drop helps this ferocious graphics card lastly compete in opposition to its rival, I’d nonetheless prefer to see each of these playing cards dip much more. Remember that the RTX 3080 launched at $699; the 4080 Super could be spectacular if it price $800, and far simpler to suggest at $900. A thousand bucks is a complete heap of money.

If you need 4K gaming, wonderful ray tracing, and Nvidia options at a barely lesser worth, the $799 GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super can also be price contemplating now that it has 16GB of reminiscence and a wider reminiscence bus. It isn’t as quick because the 4080, clearly, however ought to nonetheless get the job completed. Or if you would like the final word gaming expertise, there’s at all times the GeForce RTX 4090, although it’s priced at $1,600 and going for nearer to $2,000 on the road.

Unless you’ve super-deep pockets or can justify a 4090 buy by utilizing it for work, too, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super is probably the most highly effective Nvidia GPU obtainable right this moment. While we’d prefer it to fall in price fairly a bit extra in an excellent world, with a $200 decrease beginning worth, it’s lastly time to really think about the RTX 4080 household for the primary time this technology.