RTX 4080
Rated: 8.5/10
RX 7900 XT
Rated: 8/10
Pros And Cons
| Graphics Card | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 4080 | ✅ Higher Gaming Performance ✅ Lower Temperature | ❌ Higher Power Consumption |
| RX 7900 XT | ✅ Lower Power Consumption ✅ Lower Price | ❌ Lower Overall Gaming Performance |
- In our testing, the NVIDIA RTX 4080 gave an excellent performance advantage over the AMD RX 7900 XT in terms of overall gaming performance.
- The GeForce RTX 4080 is about 11.5% faster than AMD’s RX 7900 XT in 4K gaming.
- The GeForce RTX 4080 runs cooler than the RX 7900 XT in gaming but draws slightly more power.
- As of early March, the RX 7900 XT is around 29% cheaper than the Nvidia’s graphic card.
- We recommend buying the RTX 4080 if you don’t have any budget concentration and want higher performance and lower temperature. But if you are on a tight budget, go for the RX 7900 XT, which is cheaper and draws less power.
Comparison Table
| GPU | GeForce RTX 4080 | Radeon RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 3 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 76 | 84 |
| Die Size | 379 mm² | 520 mm² |
| Bus Width | 256 bit | 320 bit |
| Shaders | 9728 | 5376 |
| TDP | 320 Watts | 300 Watts |
| MSRP | $1199 | $899 |
| Launch Date | Nov 16th, 2022 | Dec 13th, 2022 |
| Best Variants | Best RTX 4080 Graphic Cards | Best RX 7900 XT Graphic Cards |
In the ongoing battle for graphics card supremacy, AMD and NVIDIA have recently launched their latest offerings, leaving PC gamers with a crucial choice: AMD or NVIDIA? To help you decide, let’s dive into a head-to-head benchmark of the Radeon RX 7900 XT Vs the GeForce RTX 4080.
Architectural Difference
- Clock Speeds: The base clock speed of the RTX 4080 is 2205 MHz, and the boost clock speed is 2505 MHz. On the other hand, the RX 7900 XT has lower speeds of 1500 MHz and 2394 MHz, respectively.
- VRAM: AMD’s RX 7900 XT has a bigger virtual memory of 20GB than Nvidia’s RTX 4080, which only has 16 GB of memory. The memory types of both cards are GDDR6 and GDDR6X in order.
- TDP: The RTX 4080 has a higher thermal design power of 320 Watts, while the RX 7900 XT only has the same power of 300 Watts.
- Supported Technologies: The RTX 4080 supports DLSS 3.0. Both cards offer hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, but the RTX 4080 might have a slight edge. The RX 7900 XT counters with DisplayPort 2.1 support for a future high refresh rate, a feature the RTX 4080 lacks.
Gaming Benchmarks – 4K
After reviewing the on-paper specification of the RTX 4080 Vs RX 7900 XT, let’s hop on the real-world gaming benchmarks at 4K resolution. We used the following testing rig to test both cards in eight games. This rig was explicitly chosen to avoid bottlenecks.
Testing Rig
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K
- Motherboard: MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX
- Memory: 2×16 GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 6600MHz CL34
- CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
- Storage: 1 TB Sabrent 20 Gbps Rocket M.2
- Power Supply: CORSAIR RMx SHIFT ATX 3.0
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Cyberpunk 2077
- In our tests, the GeForce RTX 4080 pulled ahead by a noticeable margin, delivering an average of 61 FPS. That’s 13% faster than the Radeon RX 7900 XT, which managed 54 FPS.
- We noticed that the gap widens further when handling frame rate dips. The RTX 4080 holds steady at 54 FPS minimum, whereas the RX 7900 XT dips lower to 47 FPS.
Forza Horizon 5
- In Forza Horizon 5, the GeForce RTX 4080 blew past the Radeon RX 7900 XT in Forza, achieving an impressive 21% lead. The RTX 4080 averaged 147 FPS, compared to the RX 7900 XT’s 121 FPS.
- Interestingly, both cards exhibit similar consistency in performance. The gap between their average frame rates and 1% low FPS is identical.
God of War
- The GeForce RTX 4080 pulled ahead, delivering an average of 96 FPS in our benchmarks. The Radeon RX 7900 XT wasn’t far behind, averaging 85 FPS, but that’s still a roughly 13% performance gap.
- The RX 7900 XT dipped to 72 FPS minimums, while the RTX 4080 maintained a lead at 82 FPS when we tested the 1% lows in the same title.
Hitman 3
- Our benchmarks showed that the Radeon 7900 XT came out slightly ahead of the GeForce RTX 4080 in Hitman 3. The 7900 XT delivered 151 FPS, while the 4080 produced 150 FPS.
- The Radeon RX 7900 XT snatches a victory here, achieving a smoother minimum of 121 FPS compared to the GeForce RTX 4080’s 115 FPS in Hitman 3.
Horizon Zero Dawn
- The RTX 4080 extends its winning streak! On average, this benchmark pumps out a smooth 118 FPS, leaving the RX 7900 XT in the dust at just 99 FPS. That’s a staggering 19% performance difference.
- Regarding minimum FPS when Horizon Zero Dawn tested, the GeForce RTX 4080 maintained a lead of 89 FPS, while the Radeon RX 7900 XT sits at 80 FPS.
Need For Speed Unbound
- Our testing continues with another win for the GeForce RTX 4080. It dominates with an average of 125 FPS. The Radeon RX 7900 XT puts up at 113 FPS but falls short by a noticeable 11% margin.
- The RX 7900 XT achieves 82 FPS, but the RTX 4080 stretches further ahead with 91 FPS. This deficit suggests the RTX 4080 might offer a stutter-free experience.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GeForce RTX 4080 pulled ahead, delivering a smooth 100 FPS on average. The RX 7900 XT wasn’t far behind, though, averaging 91 FPS – a 10% difference.
- While the RTX 4080 holds strong at 80 FPS, the RX 7900 XT dips lower to 69 FPS. This is a 16% difference regarding 1% low FPS.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The RTX 4080 claims the crown in our showdown with a 93 FPS average frame rate. The RX 7900 XT trails behind at 85 FPS, resulting in a performance gap of roughly 8.6%.
- While the RTX 4080 leads in most benchmarks, the gap tightens here. The RX 7900 XT manages a minimum of 73 FPS, while the RTX 4080 edges it out with 80 FPS.
Overall Gaming Performance
| Feature | RTX 4080 | RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 📈 111.3 | 📈 99.8 |
| 1% Lows | 📉 89.8 | 📉 80.7 |
| Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 | ||
The Nvidia RTX 4080 edges out the AMD RX 7900 XT in overall gaming performance. It delivers a higher average FPS and maintains a 1% low FPS lead. However, the difference may not be a significant dealbreaker, especially if you’re targeting 1080p.
Power Consumption
| Game | RTX 4080 (W) | RX 7900 XT (W) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 282.7 | 283 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 261.4 | 276.6 |
| God of War | 301.9 | 287.1 |
| Hitman 3 | 301.6 | 281.8 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 268.8 | 284.8 |
| Need for Speed Unbound | 275.8 | 276.5 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 298.7 | 284.9 |
| Spider-Man: Miles Morales | 303 | 286.4 |
| Average Power Consumption | ⚡286.7 | ⚡282.6 |
| Winner: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT | ||
Regarding power efficiency, the Radeon RX 7900 XT sips power compared to the RTX 4080. The RX 7900 XT consumes less power across tested games, while the RTX 4080 gulps 1.43% more. This might be a deciding factor if you prioritize lower energy bills or have limitations on your power supply.
Thermal Performance
| Game | RTX 4080 (Celsius) | RX 7900 XT (Celsius) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 57 | 61 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 59 | 59 |
| God of War | 57 | 65 |
| Hitman 3 | 59 | 66 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 56 | 62 |
| Need for Speed Unbound | 57 | 64 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 58 | 61 |
| Spider-Man: Miles Morales | 58 | 62 |
| Average Temperature | 🌡️57.6 | 🌡️62.5 |
| Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 | ||
The 4080 runs cooler on average than the RX 7900 XT. The average temperature for the RTX 4080 is 8.51% less than the RX 7900 XT. This might be a consideration if you want to minimize heat generation inside your case, especially in smaller form-factor builds.
Pricing And Availability
| Graphics Card | Launch MSRP | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 4080 | 💲1199 | 💲989 |
| RX 7900 XT | 💲899 | 💲699 |
| Difference | 25% | 29.3% |
While the Nvidia RTX 4080 boasts slightly better performance, the RX 7900 XT is significantly cheaper. Also, it is readily available, unlike the stock issues of the RTX 4080, and delivers strong performance that might be negligible at lower resolutions.
RTX 4080 Vs RX 7900 XT: What We Recommend?
RTX 4080: The GeForce RTX 4080 provides better gaming performance in 4K resolution. Also, it runs significantly cooler than the AMD RX 7900 XT.
RX 7900 XT: The 7900 XT draws slightly less power than the RTX 4080. It also has a significant price-to-performance advantage, which means it delivers performance for a much more economical price.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on your budget and whether you crave peak performance or the most bang for your buck.
Frequently Asked Questions
The significant difference between the two cards is in their core design. The GeForce RTX 4080 has a monolithic die, while the Radeon RX 7900 XT features two dies: A Graphics Compute Die and a Memory Cache Die.
According to our tests, both cards run relatively quietly, but the RTX 4080 might produce slightly more noise due to its higher power consumption.
New hardware can sometimes have bugs or driver issues. Both Nvidia and AMD are constantly releasing updates, but there’s always a chance you might encounter compatibility issues shortly after purchase.
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[Comparisons Expert]
Ali Tauseef is an experienced writer and computer enthusiast with a passion for graphics cards and processors. With a wealth of knowledge in the field of computer technology, he regularly publishes blogs and in-depth comparisons on Tech4Gamers.
Get In Touch: ali@tech4gamers.com
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