RTX 5090 Vs RTX 4080 Super: What We Think

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Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

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Pros And Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Difference

1. Clock Speed: The RTX 5090 has a base clock frequency of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. In contrast, the RTX 4080 Super has a clock speed ranging from 2295 MHz to 2550 MHz. 
2. VRAM: The RTX 5090 comes with 32 GB of memory, using the newer GDDR7, all of which is connected to a 512-bit bus width. On the other hand, the RTX 4080 Super comes with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus width. 
3. TDP: Nvidia’s RTX 5090 has a substantially heavier TDP rating of 575W, which makes the RTX 4080 Super consume less power since it has a 320W TDP.
4. Process Node: Despite the fact that the RTX 5090 is a newer card, both the RTX 5090 and the RTX 4080 Super share the same process node of 5nm. 
5. Other Technologies: RTX 5090’s PCIe 5.0 allows for higher data transfers compared to RTX 4080 Super’s PCIe 4. Also, RTX 5090 comes with DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation, a big upgrade from RTX 4080 Super’s DLSS 3.5.

The RTX 5000 series has flooded the internet as new flagships from Nvidia’s RTX series always have hype around them. So, in this RTX 5090 vs RTX 4080 Super comparison, you’ll see how well the RTX 4080 Super competes with the RTX 5090 and whether it keeps up with its newer technology.

Gaming Benchmark – 4K

We decided to give you the gaming benchmarks for the game played on 4K since both of these cards fall on the higher-end side. We’ve also put two games with Ray Tracing enabled so you can judge the ray-tracing performance of these cards. 

Recommended Test Bench

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Mobo – MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi 
• RAM – G. Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6400 CL30
• CPU Cooler – Xigmatek Aurora 360mm Cooler
• Storage – XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe SSD
• Power Supply – MSI MAG A1000GL ATX 3.1 80+ Gold
• Operating System – Windows 11

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

• On Stalker 2, the RTX 5090 performed better when compared to the RTX 4080 Super by precisely 47%. This is because both the graphic cards averaged 71 FPS and 44 FPS, respectively. 
• As for the 1% lows, the RTX 5090 displayed 36.4% better results than the RTX 4080 Super, as it averaged 36 FPS over the RTX 4080 Super’s 52 FPS.

God Of War Ragnarok

• Here, we saw the RTX 5090 reached 195 FPS while the RTX 4080 Super peaked at 108 FPS, on average. This equates to a 57.4% difference in performance between the two GPUs.
• For the 1% lows, the RTX 5090 showcased 54.4% better minimum framerates when compared to the RTX 4080 Super, as they both performed with 166 FPS and 95 FPS, respectively. 

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2

• For this game, we observed the RTX 5090 outperform the RTX 4080 Super with a 56.4% lead as it averaged 125 FPS over the RTX 4080 Super, which averaged 70 FPS.
• In terms of the 1% lows, the RTX 5090 gave a 50.6% smoother gaming experience as it obtained an average of 99 FPS over the RTX 4080 Super’s 59 FPS. 

A Plague Tale Requiem

• The RTX 5090 peaked with the highest average framerates of 128 FPS on A Plague Tale Requiem. On the other hand, the RTX 4080 Super performed with 68 FPS, resulting in a whopping 61.2% margin. 
• Here, the RTX 5090 was 48.6% better than the RTX 4080 Super with regards to the 1% lows, as it averaged 92 FPS. In contrast, the RTX 4080 Super showed a minimum of 56 FPS. 

Star Wars Outlaws

• This time, we observed that the RTX 5090 achieved an average of 68 FPS, which was higher than the RTX 4080 Super’s 40 FPS. This results in a 51.9% performance difference, where the RTX 5090 was the victor. 
• Speaking of the 1% lows, the RTX 5090 performed with a 55.8% lead because it acquired an average of 55 FPS. On the flip side, the RTX 4080 Super displayed a minimum of 31 FPS. 

Starfield

• On Starfield, the RTX 5090 obtained an average of 89 FPS, whereas the RTX 4080 Super wasn’t too far off, as it averaged 60 FPS. This closed the gap and the margin was brought down to 38.9%. 
• The RTX 5090 pushes with an average of 78 FPS, which was higher than the RTX 4080 Super’s 51 FPS. This makes for a 41.9% difference in terms of the 1% lows.

Cyberpunk 2077 (RT + Q Upscaling)

• For our first ray-tracing game, the RTX 5090 exceeded the 60 FPS mark with ease, with an average of 80 FPS. This was 52% higher than the RTX 4080 Super, which scored 47 FPS. 
• As far as the 1% lows are concerned, the RTX 5090 didn’t go below the 60 FPS mark and was 46.2% smoother because it averaged 64 FPS compared to the gameplay with the RTX 4080 Super, as it averaged 40 FPS. 

Black Myth Wukong (RT + Q Upscaling)

• On Black Myth Wukong, the results were in favor of the RTX 5090, which achieved 62 FPS on average. This was 55.7% better than the RTX 4080 Super’s average of 35 FPS when ray-tracing was enabled.
• We obtained the highest recorded 1% lows from this list as the RTX 5090 pushed with 50 FPS while the RTX 4080 Super performed poorly with 28 FPS. This makes for a staggering 56.4% difference.

Productivity Benchmarks

Despite the gaming benchmarks, productivity benchmarks are just as crucial for most people. This is why we’ll be comparing how effective these GPUs when it comes to one of the most popular productivity software.

Adobe Premiere Pro 

• On Adobe Premiere Pro, we found that the RTX 5090 surpassed the RTX 4080 Super by scoring 14,888 points. In contrast, the RTX 4080 Super was 10.9% behind, with a score of 13,350.

Blender (Barbershop)

• For the barbershop Blender render, the RTX 5090 took only 26 seconds to completely finish the render. On the other hand, the RTX 4080 Super took 49.3% more time, as it took 43 seconds to complete the task. 

UL Procyon (AI Image Generation)

• While generating AI images using the GPU, the RTX 5090 scored 35.1% higher points as it led with 6,074 points over the 4080 Super, which obtained a score of 4,259. 

Overall Performance

Average Framerate

In terms of the average framerates, the RTX 5090 really came out on top because it showcased a performance that is more than double that of the RTX 4080 Super. Specifically, the RTX 5090 performed 53.6% better than the RTX 4080 Super on average of the eight games played at 4K.

1% Lows:

Similarly, for the 1% low average, we see the same story. Here, the RTX 5090 displayed 49.4% better framerates than the RTX 4080 Super. Overall, the RTX 5090 provided a much smoother experience, with the minimum framerates not dropping below 50 FPS. 

Productivity:

With regards to productivity as well, the RTX 5090 secured the victory because it was 17.3% faster and more efficient than the RTX 4080 Super. This confirms that the RTX 5090 is an absolute overkill of a flagship. This doesn’t mean that the RTX 4080 Super is bad, it also showed decent performance in general.

Average Power Consumption

As for the power consumption, we have a clear winner. We observed that the RTX 5090 consumed almost twice the power when compared to the RTX 4080 Super in normal games and with ray-tracing enabled. Therefore, the RTX 4080 Super proves to be a more power-efficient card.  

Pricing And Availability

The newer RTX 5090 is still being sold for its MSRP. Currently, the RTX 4080 Super is $131 cheaper than the RTX 5090. However, it won’t be like this for long as the price of the RTX 5090 will increase rapidly, as it always happens with newly released cards, especially flagship models.  

Final Verdict—What We Recommend?

RTX 4080 Super: The RTX 4080 Super is a great card that offers great performance when it comes to games. However, it shines more at 1440p instead of 4K. The thing is, it is kept at an insanely high price point, which makes it an unfavorable card for most people. 

RTX 5090: On the other hand, the RTX 5090 has almost double the performance of its rival in 4K gaming and is more efficient in productivity. The only downside is its upcoming price. Since it’s a new card with an MSRP, its price is bound to increase from here. So, we’ll assume it will be way higher than that of RTX 4080 Super. 

To compare the two cards, we recommend you go for the RTX 4080 Super if you’re looking for an excellent 1440p card for both gaming and productivity. However, going for the RTX 5090 would be the best option to consider if you have an extremely high budget and want to build a setup with an overkill of a GPU. 

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Shehryar Khan

[Comparisons Expert]

Shehryar Khan, a seasoned PC hardware expert, brings over three years of extensive experience and a deep passion for the world of technology. With a love for building PCs and a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the latest advancements in components, his expertise shines through his work and dedication towards this field. Currently, Shehryar is rocking a custom loop setup for his built.

Get In Touch: shehryar@tech4gamers.com