🔹 Introduction
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, part of the Blackwell architecture lineup, positions itself as a high-end card under the RTX 5090. With DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation support, it's promoted as a value-focused alternative. But how does real-world and synthetic performance stack up versus the RTX 4090 or RTX 4080 Super?
Let's examine FPS benchmarks, render scores, power efficiency, and where the 5080 really shines.
🎮 Gaming FPS Benchmarks
🔸 Dragon’s Dogma 2 @ 4K & 1440p
RTX 5080 Dragon’s Dogma 2 benchmark chart 4K & 1440p
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4K Ultra: ~57% slower than 5090, ~20–25% behind 4090
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1440p: ~134 FPS on 5080 – around 10% faster than RX 7900 XTX and 4080, but trailing the 4090 by ~20 FPS
🔸 Starfield @ 1080p
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~132 FPS average, ~17% slower than RTX 4090, ~24% slower than RTX 5090
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Matches RTX 4080 Super around error margins
🔸 Dying Light 2 @ 4K
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~81 FPS → ~13% behind RTX 4090, ~56% behind RTX 5090
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Still ~12% lead over RX 7900 XTX and 21% over RTX 4080 Supe
🔸 Marvel Rivals @ 1440p
RTX 5080 Marvel Rivals fps benchmark
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~108 FPS average → ~8% faster than RX 7900 XTX, ~14% faster than RTX 4080 Super
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Around 9% slower than RTX 4090
🔬 Synthetic & Content Creation Benchmarks
🔹 Blender, V-Ray, Maya Viewport Rendering
RTX 5080 content creation viewport and render performance
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RTX 5080 delivers viewport rendering clock speeds comparable to RTX 5090, up to ~40% faster than RTX 4080 Super in complex scenes
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Final render times show notable speed-ups, especially with AI-powered workloads
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AI benchmarks (Procyon, Geekbench) claim y~55–188% faster than 3080 Ti, ~10–20% ahead of 4080 Super
⚙️ DLSS 4 & Multi Frame Gen
🔹 F1 24 @ 4K DLSS 4 + Frame Gen
RTX 5080 F1 24 DLSS 4 benchmark chart 4K
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~119 FPS native vs ~219 FPS with DLSS 4 + Frame Gen
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Efficiency and image quality make RTX 5080 stand out versus RX 7900 XTX and even RTX 5090 in this mode
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Some reported performance quirks in early driver versions
⚡ Power Consumption & Efficiency
🔹 Final Fantasy XIV @ 4K Efficiency
RTX 5080 power efficiency chart FFXIV 4K
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~298 W power draw, delivers high FPS → better efficiency than RTX 4080 Super and 5090 (approx. 0.75 FPS/W vs 0.34 for RTX 5090)
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Idle GPU power is very low (~12.75 W) compared to RTX 4080 (~15–16 W) and RTX 5090 (~46 W)
🔹 Overall Efficiency Summary
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Strongest in 4K raster or upscaled workloads
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Less power draw with same or better performance versus RX 7900 XTX
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Ideal for efficiency-oriented builds with high FPS
📊 Summary Table
| Test / Task | RTX 5080 Performance | Relative Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon’s Dogma 2 @ 4K | Moderate (~57% slower than 5090) | ~20–25% behind RTX 4090, ahead of RX 7900 |
| Starfield @ 1080p | ~132 FPS | ~17% slower than 4090 |
| Dying Light 2 @ 4K | ~81 FPS | ~13% behind 4090 |
| Marvel Rivals @ 1440p | ~108 FPS | ~14% ahead vs 4080 Super |
| Blender / Render Workloads | +10–20% over 4080 Super | Massive lead over Ampere |
| F1 24 DLSS 4 + Frame Gen @ 4K | ~219 FPS | Outperforms 5090 in FPS; better QoL |
| Efficiency (FFXIV 4K) | ~0.75 FPS/W | Best in class, beats 4080 & 5090 |
✅ Verdict: Is RTX 5080 Worth It?
✔️ Strong Points
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Excellent AI-powered rendering and lower-latency upscaling with DLSS 4 and Frame Gen
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Efficiency leader in power-sensitive high-resolution PCs
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Better price-performance than RTX 4080 Super for 4K raster, and competes well vs RTX 4090 in many game scenarios
⚠️ Limitations
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Gaming gains are often single‑digit to mid‑teens compared to RTX 4080 Super and RX 7900 XTX
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Native ray-tracing trails RTX 4090 by up to 14% in some titles
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Some early driver maturity issues, especially at 1080p bottlenecks and corner-cases
