RTX 4080 Super vs 3080 Ti & 3080 – Nvidia generations compared

How much does the 4080 Super improve over the previous generation's offerings in terms of performance and price?

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If you’re wondering what the differences are between the RTX 4080 Super vs 3080 Ti & 3080 then you’ve come to the right place. This will provide you with a comparison of what exactly has changed between the generations and with the upgrade in the 40 series cards as they come toward the end of their line-up, and help you decide which one is right for you.

The first of this lot is the RTX 3080 which was released at the start of the Ampere generation back in September of 2020 providing a great new generation of GPUs. That was further expanded by the 3080 Ti in June 2021 bringing a higher performance to the range. As for the RTX 4080 Super release date, which comes towards the end of the Ada generation in January of 2024 after the CES announcement. In those years between them, how much has changed and improved?

MSI RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X

Pros

Performance on par to the 3090

Sleek and colorful design

Cons

More expensive option

More than most gamers need

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Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING OC 10G

Pros

Improved build quality

Efficient cooling solution

High out-the-box clock boost

Greater expected lifespan

Cons

Very large design

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RTX 4080 Super vs 3080 Ti vs 3080 specs

	RTX 4080 Super	RTX 3080 Ti	RTX 3080
GPU	AD103-400	GA102-225	GA102-200
CUDA cores	10,240	10,240	8,704
Base clock speed	2,295MHz	1,365MHz	1,440MHz
Boost clock speed	2,550MHz	1,665MHz	1,710MHz
VRAM	16GB GDDR6X	12GB GDDR6X	10GB GDDR6X
Memory bandwidth	736GB/s	912.4GB/s	760.3GB/s
Memory bus	256-bit	384-bit	320-bit
Memory clock	23Gbps	19Gbps	19Gbps
TGP	320W	350W	320W

Looking for the changes made, we can first see how the 4080 Super specs compared to the 3080 Ti & 3080. To start with they differ in the GPU process and processors available in them. Between the generations the process upgrades to a more compact architecture able to fit more transistors in. As such the 4080 Super comes with an AD103 option compared to the 3080s GA102 which is the biggest and powerful option in these cards.

Even still, with a smaller die, the 4080 Super manages to keep up with its CUDA core count. The fundamentals of how graphics calculations function, it boasts 10,240, the same as the 3080 Ti which is higher than the base 3080. These are also running at a higher clock rate on the Super card, with the base running over 2GHz compared to the boost of even the 3080 reaching just 1.7GHz.

As for the memory capacity, the 4080 family boasts a greater capacity, even if the bandwidth is held behind for it. With 16GB of GDDR6X across the three options, the 4080 Super limits the bandwidth to 736GB/s from the lower memory bus it has implemented even with the 4Gbps faster clock. But for that the power consumption is lowest of the 4080 and 3080, meaning a much better value on power for the newer gen option.

How much better is the 4080 Super vs 3080 Ti & 3080?

Since the RTX 4080 Super is yet to be released for independent reviews and benchmarking, we rely on Nvidia’s own benchmarks provided in the announcement. There we see that the 4080 Super improves upon the 3080 Ti by over double in games utilizing frame generation, but in pure rasterization that improvement can be somewhere between 30-50%. However, waiting for independent reviews we can see the full extent of what will be the case.

*Update* – there has been some more leaked information which may shed further light on the performance of the new card. Have a read of the following pieces to get the scoop: early Blender scores shows that the RTX 4080 Super is barely an improvement and these leaked RTX 4080 Super benchmarks could ruin launch day for you.

How much more expensive is the 4080 Super than 3080 Ti & 3080?

In general graphics cards have been getting expensive across the board. In particular, the top end has skyrocketed and that can be seen when looking at the 4080 Super vs 3080 Ti vs 3080 prices. The lowest of the lot is the 3080 which came out with a price of $699, then the 3080 Ti jumped that to $1,199. That is where the 4080 also started, however, the 4080 Super decreases down to a $999 MSRP. That means the 4080 Super is $300 more than the 3080, but $200 less than the 3080 Ti.

What is the difference between the 3080, 3080 Ti, and 4080 Super?

Starting at the basics, the difference between the 4080 Super vs 3080 and 3080 Ti comes from the processor and its makeup. With an improved process that increases density with more transistors. So the 4080 has a smaller die but keeps the CUDA count the same as the 3080 Ti and higher than the 3080. It also increases the memory capacity although does reduce the bandwidth overall of it.

The 4080 Super also brings additional features such as the ability to use frame generation with DLSS 3. With general improvements as well it has a lower price point than the 3080 Ti but still more expensive than the 3080. The 4080 also comes with a power rating the same as the 3080 which is lower than the 3080 Ti.

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Trinity 12GB

Pros

One of the cheapest RTX 3080 Ti AIBs you will find

Improved cooling solution compared to the Founder’s Edition

Good build quality

Cons

The RTX 3080 Ti is a prohibitively expensive GPU

Not the quietest on offer

Less powerful than other RTX 3080 Ti AIBs

Large size vs Founder’s Edition

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GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC

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Is the RTX 4080 Super worth it compared to the RTX 3080 or 3080 Ti?

The RTX 4080 Super brings a greater value to it than the two options. It certainly is worth it over the 3080 Ti, with a lower price and yet an improved performance and feature list, if Nvidia’s own benchmarks are to be believed. However, compared to the 3080 it might not be as easy, as that comes at a much lower price, even though it lacks certain features, it still has a great performance. So if that is enough for your use case, it is better to go for the older card for a more valued option.

If you’re interested in the 4080 Super and have more questions, we have the answers. You can see how it compares vs 4070 Ti Super, vs 3090 Ti & 3090 GPUs, and RTX 4080 Super vs 4090, then you might consider where to buy the 4080 Super if you decide you do want one. Just make sure you have the best PC case for RTX 4080 Super to fit the best RTX 4080 Super in, or avoid problems with the best RTX 4080 Super gaming PC.