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Abde Manaf

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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After the release of the concerningly expensive RTX 4080, consumers have been looking for cheaper alternatives to high-end cards from generations past. This guide will evaluate the performance RTX 4080 vs RTX 3080 Ti to help you make the correct purchasing decision.

Key Takeaways

• On average, the RTX 4080 had a 36% higher performance than the RTX 3080 Ti in our gaming tests.
• Power consumption was around 13% lower on the RTX 4080 during our tests as well, on average.
• The temperatures were around 3°C cooler on the newer card in our benchmarks.

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Core Clocks: Though the RTX 4080 has a significantly lower number of cores than its competition, it makes up for it with a frequency of anywhere from 2205MHz to 2505MHz. The RTX 3080 Ti, however, clocks in at a frequency of 1370MHz to 1667MHz.
2. Process Nodes: The RTX 3080 Ti uses a fairly modern 8nm manufacturing process, whereas the RTX 4080 one-ups it with its 4nm lithography, allowing for great efficiency. 
3. TDP: The RTX 3080 Ti has a rather high TDP of 350 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 improves on this with a slightly lower TDP of 320 watts. The actual power consumption of these cards can fluctuate quite a bit, which we will see in the power consumption section of this comparison.
4. Memory: The VRAM capacity on the RTX 3080 Ti is 12GB, while the RTX 4080 improves on this again with a capacity of 16GB. Both use GDDR6X memory, but the older GPU has a wider bus.
5. Other Features: Both cards are more or less matched in terms of features, except for one. The RTX 4080 can utilize AI to interpolate frames between traditionally generated frames to improve its framerate using Nvidia DLSS 3. Sadly, this feature does not make its way to the older card.

Gaming Benchmarks

To exemplify the difference in performance you may expect between these two graphics cards, we placed both cards into our trusty test bench, the specifications of which you can read below.

Test PC Specs

• CPU: Intel i9 13900K
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z690
• RAM: Gskill Z Trident DDR 5 – 6200 Mhz 32GB (2 x 16GB)
• SSD: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 2280 500 GB
• PSU: EVGA Supernova 1000 G5, 80 Plus Gold 1000W
• Cooler: AIO – Arctic Freezer 420mm
• Resolution: 4k

A Plague Tale: Requiem

• When we tested A Plague Tale Requiem on both cards, the RTX 4080 was ahead by a country mile. The average of this card was close to 74 FPS, while the RTX 3080 Ti came in at around 55 FPS on average.
• The 1% lows did not save the older card, as it dipped to around 45 FPS consistently, while the RTX 4080 only went down to around 61 FPS.

Diablo® II: Resurrected

• Diablo II did not perform any better on the older card, averaging a framerate of only 146 FPS, while our test of the RTX 4080 showed a much better average of around 183 FPS.
• The 1% lows were around 124 FPS on the 40 series card, while the RTX 3080 was much further behind with lows of around 80 FPS.

Fortnite

• Our test of Fortnite continued to show us discrepancies between these two GPUs, with average framerates of around 143 FPS, while the RTX 3080 Ti had averages close to 113 FPS.
• The difference in 1% lows was more bearable between the two cards in this game, around 99 FPS for the RTX 4080, and around 87 FPS for the RTX 3080 Ti.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• The differences amped up again in our test of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, where the RTX 4080 averaged a framerate of 124 FPS while cruising in the sky, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti only managed a framerate of 78 FPS.
• The 1% lows were no better, with the RTX 4080 hanging around 99 FPS while the RTX 3080 Ti was touching 60 FPS.

Minecraft

• With SIldur’s Extreme shaders, the RTX 4080 had an average framerate of around 92 FPS in our test of Minecraft, while the RTX 3080 Ti came in at an average framerate of around 66 FPS in our test.
• The 1% lows hung around 81 FPS for the newer card, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti gave a minimum performance of 50 FPS.

Spiderman

• For the last game of our tests, we witnessed an average framerate of 90 FPS while swinging through New York in Marvel’s Spiderman using the RTX 4080, while the RTX 3080 Ti had an average of only 61 FPS.
• The 1% lows were around 78 FPS on the newer card, while the RTX 3080 Ti managed to get lows of around 56 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance

We will talk about the overall gaming performance of the RTX 4080 vs RTX 3080 Ti in terms of frames per second and the time of each frame.

Framerate

After testing various games, the tally of the RTX 3080 Ti came to around 79 FPS on average in our evaluation, while the RTX 4080 managed an average of 108 FPS, around 36% higher than that of the older card.

The 1% lows had a drastic difference between the two cards as well, with the RTX 4080 hanging out around 69 FPS, while the RTX 3080 Ti had minimums closer to 50 FPS.

All in all, it was much more pleasant to use the RTX 4080 in games than its rival for this comparison.

Power Consumption

Despite giving a lot better performance, the RTX 4080 did not consume more power than the older card, averaging only 289 watts. In contrast, the RTX 3080 Ti had a power consumption of around 329 watts, around 13% greater than the RTX 4080.

Thermal Efficiency

The RTX 4080 showed no weakness in its thermal management either, averaging a peak temperature of around 76°C in our testing, while the RTX 3080 Ti averaged a peak of around 79°C.

Many factors can affect the thermal performance of your graphics cards, so you might experience totally different numbers than what we’re seeing here if you choose to purchase either.

Price and Availability

You can buy an RTX 4080 for around $1199 in most configurations, while the price might vary from variant to variant. The RTX 3080 Ti, however, comes in at around $1000 for new cards, according to PC part picker, though it can also very easily reach the price of the RTX 4080.

Both cards are very popular and should be accessible at any nearby computer parts store.

RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3080 Ti: What We Recommend

Now that we’ve seen the ins and outs of both cards, this part of the comparison will deal with the decision between the two graphics cards.

Despite what we expected, the RTX 4080 turned out to be a great upgrade to the last generation of high-end graphics cards, despite coming in at pricing expected from the tier above. Unless you are buying used, the performance uplift of the RTX 4080 justifies its cost, at least in the GPU market as of writing this comparison.

If you buy used, the RTX 3080 Ti can give you amazing bang for the buck, but the price of the card in unused condition has yet to come down to being reasonable enough to buy.

Pros And Cons

More From RTX 3080 Ti

• RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 3080 Ti
• RTX 4070 Vs RTX 3080 Ti
• RX 6800 XT Vs RTX 3080 Ti

More From RTX 4080

• RX 7900 GRE Vs RTX 4080
• RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 4080
• RTX 4070 Vs RTX 4080

Abde Manaf

[How-To Guides Expert]

Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

Get In Touch: Laiba@hidgt.com