The RTX 3080 and RTX 2080 Ti are two premium video card options from Nvidia. The products will be ideal for playing without problems in Full HD, besides allowing us to run games up to 4K. While the newly launched Ampere architecture promises 30% better performance, the Turing model is easier to find on the market.
Despite this, the first generation high-end version of the RTX appears for higher prices, leaving at least $1,199, while the RTX 3080 already appears in values starting at $699. Check below for more details about the GPUs and know which one is more worthwhile for you.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 vs. GeForce 2080 Ti
| Specifications | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 2080 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | September 2020 | August 2018 |
| Price | from $699 | from $1,199 |
| Cores | 8,704 CUDA cores | 4,352 CUDA cores |
| velocity | 1,440 to 1,710 MHz | 1,350 to 1,540 MHz |
| RAM | 10 GB GDDR6X | 11 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory speed | 19 Gb / s | 14 Gb / s |
| Memory interface | 320 bits | 352 bits |
| Bandwidth | 760 GB / s | 616 GB / s |
| TBP | 320 Watts | 250 Watts |
Specifications
The differences between the two boards start with the specifications. While the RTX 2080 Ti features 4,352 CUDA processing cores, the RTX 3080 has 8,704. Also, these thousands of cores are faster on the new board, which registers speeds of 1,440 to 1,710 MHz versus 1,350 to 1,540 MHz for RTX 2080 Ti.
RAM also represents a certain advantage of the newer board. With GDDR6X standard, the product should be more efficient when retrieving data when running graphics, even if it has a smaller amount compared to RTX 2080 Ti: it is 10 GB against 11 GB, on the Turing board, which still brings GDDR6. The recently launched model once again surpasses the RTX 2080 Ti in data exchange, with bandwidth reaching 760 GB/s, against the 616 GB/s of the Turing board.
Performance
Overall, the new Nvidia board has an average performance of 30% above RTX 2080 Ti. These are numbers observed in the first wave of comparisons on the Internet. Benchmarks produced by PC World, for example, show that the RTX 3080 runs Horizon: Zero Dawn at 78 fps at 4K resolution, while the RTX 2080 Ti goes at 58 frames per second – a difference of 34% in favor of the latest.
Another significant comparison was made by Guru3D with Battlefield 5, a game relevant because of the large amount of Ray Tracing effects in the PC version. Here, the RTX 3080 can run the shooting game at 4K at 110 fps with the feature turned off or at 55 fps with the technique triggered.
Already in raw performance comparisons of RTX 3080 and RTX 2080 Ti without Ray Tracing, the results continue to strengthen the position of the new Nvidia board. The Ampere board can play Battlefield 5 at 4K at 110 fps, a margin 39% higher than the 79 fps that the “rival” reaches in the same game under the same conditions.
Consumption
Reviews such as those mentioned above have reinforced the impression that the high performance of Nvidia’s new generation has a cost: the new GeForce RTX can consume a lot of energy. Measuring consumption, Guru3D has detected, for example, that the RTX 3080 can consume up to 338 Watts, a figure that even exceeds the official 320 Watts TBP (Total Board Energy).
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, on the other hand, needs less energy to function properly. According to Nvidia’s figures, the TBP of the board is estimated at 250 Watts.
It is worth noting that TBP numbers are different from TDP rates, which are more common in the market. The TDP estimates the amount of energy the board dissipates as heat, while the TBP reflects the total energy the manufacturer estimates is needed for the board to work properly. Because of this, the number is a more accurate indicator of electrical consumption.
Price and Availability
It is undeniable that the RTX 3080 is faster and a product technologically superior to the RTX 2080 Ti. Things get even better for Nvidia’s new generation board when you realize it’s even cheaper: offers are starting at $699.
Nevertheless, RTX 2080 Ti appears as the most immediate option, despite the higher price: the offers start at $1,199.
Versions
The RTX 3080 is still quite recent, but it appears in different options of Nvidia’s partner manufacturers. There are models of companies like Zotac, MSI, Gigabyte, and EVGA that already bring the prices off the board. In all cases, the boards of these brands offer some level of overclocking in the graphics processor for a little more performance.
As the RTX 2080 Ti is older, there is an even greater variety of models. At the moment, Colorful iGame RTX 2080 Ti Advanced is the most “accessible” version, with a price of $1,299. The value is repeated by the MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio, which promises a more elaborate ventilation system. EVGA’s RTX 2080 Ti Kingpin is one of the most expensive, with values reaching $1,999.
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