MSI Gaming Geforce RTX 2080 8GB Gaming X trio

MSI’s signature X Trio Fan setup
Super quiet TORX FAN 3.0
High performance levels
One of the most expensive cards on the list
Limited ray tracing games available
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CHECK PRICEToday we're seeing which AMD card closely resembles the RTX 2080
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The RTX 2080 was released back in 2018, so we’ve had a few years to allow some more GPU releases to flow through and take it on in terms of power and performance. There are a bunch of great graphics cards we’re going to take a look at today, so continue reading throughout the whole article if you want to evaluate all of your options.
There are a few modern GPUs which are equivalent to the RTX 2080, even though they are now considered a more mid-range entry in to their respective series. Anyway, let’s get straight into the RTX 2080 alternatives.
The GPU equivalent to RTX 2080 is the AMD Radeon VII. In many ways, the AMD Radeon VII is a true upgrade over the Vega 64. It was the first high-end graphics card AMD introduced since its Vega predecessor, and it is based on the second-generation 7nm Vega architecture. It is, without a doubt, more potent than that card, but how does it compare to its major rival? To find out, we compared the AMD Radeon VII and Nvidia RTX 2080 to see which one deserves a place in your gaming PC.
MSI’s signature X Trio Fan setup
Super quiet TORX FAN 3.0
High performance levels
One of the most expensive cards on the list
Limited ray tracing games available
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CHECK PRICEFantastic 1080p and 1440p ultra settings gameplay
Fairly good value for money
16GB HMB2 memory
Less powerful than the 1080Ti
Short on features
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CHECK PRICEWith AMD’s Radeon VII, the graphics underdog has (finally!) re-entered the enthusiast video card fray, putting its Vega-based David against the GeForce “Turing” industry behemoth. What about the wider picture? In our study of the Radeon VII, we conducted many gaming tests where the VII was able to maintain a rivalry with its most direct rival, the GTX 2080 Founders Edition.
Even though AMD’s Radeon VII is based on the Vega architecture, it has a very different design than its forerunner. The Radeon VII’s die shrinks from 495 mm² to 331 mm² thanks to the 7nm process, which also makes the GPU itself smaller.
The Turing architecture-based Nvidia RTX 2080 is combined with faster-performing GDDR6 memory than the 10-Series Pascal graphics cards. Turing cards perform better than their predecessors from the previous generation, thanks to an increase in CUDA core count and memory speed.
Clock Speeds
1515Mhz – 1890 MHz (OC Mode)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Memory Bus Width
256-bit
Clock speeds
1750 MHz
VRAM
16GB HBM2
Memory Bus Width
4096-bit HBM2
In terms of performance at 1080p or 1440p resolutions, AMD’s latest Radeon top graphics card, the Radeon VII, is generally slower than Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 but is still a good alternative for 4K gaming.
The GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition is an incredibly potent graphics card that excels at 4K or high refresh rates. The only things keeping it from being a grand slam straight out of the gate are its pricing and the dearth of games that enable ray tracing and DLSS.
If you’re looking for something more equivalent right now then there are some more modern options to pick from. As the 2080 might be harder to find these days, years after its production. So we look at what there is to offer.
The first option is an RX 6650 XT, the performance level is on par with the older card. As well as offering some additional features on top. As RDNA 2 is a great improvement generationally and lowers the cost of the performance level with these changes.
Whilst if you’re looking for an Nvidia pick, the RTX 3060 Ti is a good alternative. The Ampere choice is a good and powerful pick. With that architecture lowers the cost of significant framerates. So it can get a better choice.
Quality build
Good overclock
More expensive option
Excellent aesthetic design
Great cooling solution
High boost clock speed
On the higher end of the price spectrum
The direct comparison to the RTX 2080 is the Radeon VII. Although the newer options offer good alternatives as well, with a lower entry point to the performance. In that case, the RTX 3060 Ti and RX 6650 XT are good choices and equivalents.