RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 4080: Should You Upgrade In 2023?

A little while ago, the RTX 3090 Ti used to be the biggest, best GPU that money could buy, but that isn’t the case anymore. The RTX 4090 dethroned the RTX 3090 Ti from its title when the RTX 40 series of cards were released. This article comparing RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 4080 will ascertain whether the RTX 3090 Ti can still holds its ground against the newer next tier down.

Key Takeaways

• The RTX 4080 was about 20% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti in the gaming tests we performed at 4k.
• Power consumption on the RTX 4080 was about 30% lower than that on the RTX 3090 Ti.
• The RTX 3090 Ti can be had for $350 less than the RTX 4080 on the used market.

RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 4080

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Lithography: The RTX 4080 along with the rest of the 40 series of graphics cards, utilize the cutting edge 5nm manufacturing nodes from TSMC, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti uses an older 8nm process.
2. Clock Speeds: The RTX 4080 clocks anywhere from 2205MHz at the base with a boost of up to 2505MHz, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti can clock from 1560MHz to 1860MHz.
3. VRAM: The RTX 4080 comes with a sizeable VRAM buffer of 16GB, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti comes with the highest VRAM amount possible on a consumer gaming GPU; 24GB.
4. TDP: The RTX 4080 is rated to reach a TDP of 320 watts, which is significantly lower than the RTX 3090 Ti’s 450-watt TDP.
5. Bus Width: The RTX 4080 has a pretty sizeable 256-bit, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti takes this up to a 384-bit bus, allowing for more bandwidth between the GPU and the VRAM.
6. Other Features: The RTX 4080 brings improved ray-tracing over the RTX 3090 Ti and a new type of upscaling dubbed DLSS 3 that adds interpolated frames between the generated frames in your games, drastically boosting FPS.

Also Read: RTX 4080 Vs RX 6950 XT

Benchmarks

There are many differences between the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 4080 in terms of architecture. Still, the specifications of this hardware do not determine the difference in performance between the two graphics cards.

To elaborate on what you’d see in the real-world performance of these cards, we have tested several modern games at the 4k resolution using a testbench, the specs of which you can see below:

• OS – Windows 10 Pro
• CPU – Core i9-13900K
• MOBO – ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming
• RAM – G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5 6000MHz CL38
• CPU Cooler – be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
• GPU – GeForce RTX 4080 16Gb
• GPU – GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB
• SSD – 2xSAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 2280 1TB
• Power Supply – CORSAIR RM850i 850W 

Because modern games require high resolution and hardware demands, we perform these tests using quality DLSS wherever it is supported.

Cyberpunk 2077

• In the first game of our testing, the RTX 4080 showed that it does, in fact, outperform the older graphics card. The RTX 3090 Ti got an average framerate of 52 FPS in Cyberpunk with high settings and DLSS and RT on, whereas the 4080 maintained an average of 62 FPS.
• The 1% lows were also noticeably better on the 4080 at 46 FPS compared to the rather stuttery 38 FPS on the RTX 3090 Ti. This makes a significant difference in the playability of the game.
• Though the 3090 Ti performed not as well as the 4080, it certainly drew much more power at 433 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 was rather power-efficient with its consumption of 282 watts.
• Our founder’s editions had a significant difference in the coolers between the two cards, with the one on the RTX 3090 Ti being significantly larger, leading to a cooler peak temperature of 54°C compared to the 59°C on the 4080.

Similar Comparison: RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3080 – Is Upgrading Worth It?

God Of War

• moving on to a less demanding game, the difference in performance between these two graphics cards grew. The RTX 4080 had an average of 128 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti got an average of 106 FPS.
• 1% lows also had a similar disparity, with the RTX 4080 maintaining a minimum of 92 FPS, whereas the RTX 4080 hovered around 109 FPS.
• As we saw in the last game, the power difference between these two graphics cards is way larger than the performance difference. The RTX 3090 Ti had a power consumption of 434 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 only drew around 298 watts.
• Temperatures were once again significantly cooler on the 3090 Ti, maxing out at 54°C compared to the RTX 4080’s 60°C.

Also Check: Nvidia RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3080 Ti

A Plague Tale Requiem

• At this point of our testing, the trend of the 4080 outperforming the 3090 Ti was well established. The RTX 4080 managed to get an average framerate of 75 FPS in A Plague Tale Requiem, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti managed a respectable 66 FPS average.
• The trend in the 1% lows was also established, with the RTX 4080 getting 63 FPS at minimum, whereas the RTX 3090 TI got 1% lows of 55 FPS.
• The RTX 3090 TI drew a large amount of power at 432 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 drew more power than we’ve seen previously at 321 watts.
• Temperatures were again higher on the RTX 4080 at 60°C, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had a peak temperature of 53°C.

Similar Comparison: RTX 4080 Vs RX 6900 XT

Red Dead Redemption 2

• This modern masterpiece by Rockstar Games also ran significantly better on the RTX 4080 with an average framerate of 102 FPS. In contrast, the performance was disappointing, with the RTX 3090 Ti running the game at 85 FPS.
• The dips in performance were more jarring on the RTX 4080 because of its higher base performance, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti ran at a lower yet more stable framerate. The 4080 maintained lows of 83 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had a minimum framerate of around 71 FPS.
• Power consumption remained higher on the RTX 3090 Ti, which sat at around 435 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 had a power consumption of around 297 watts.
• The RTX 3090 Ti hovered at its peak temperature of around 56°C. In contrast, the 4080 was significantly warmer at a temperature of 60°C.

Also Read: RTX 4080 vs RTX 4090

Hitman 3

• Hitman 3 ran at 112 FPS on average on the 3090 Ti, whereas the RTX 4080 ran the game better at a framerate of 141 FPS. 
• 1% lows were much smoother on the RTX 4080 at 122 FPS, whereas the 97 FPS lows on the RTX 3090 Ti were not bad either.
• The RTX 3090 Ti had a power consumption of 433 watts in Hitman 3, whereas the power consumption rose to 311 watts on the newer card.
• The temperature difference also grew between these cards in this test, with the RTX 3090 Ti reaching a peak temperature of 53°C, whereas the RTX 4080 ran quite a bit hotter with a temperature of 62°C.

Similar Read: RX 7900 XT vs RTX 4080

Horizon Zero Dawn

• The PC port of Horizon Zero Dawn ran great on both graphics cards, with the RTX 4080 getting an average framerate of 143 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti lagged behind with an average of 129 FPS.
• The difference between the 1% lows of these cards was also small enough to be unnoticeable by most people, with the RTX 3090 Ti boasting lows of 105 FPS, whereas the RTX 4080 maintained a framerate of 114 FPS.
• The 4080 had a power consumption of 312 watts, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti drew well over a hundred watts more with a power consumption of 434 watts.
• The temperature difference between the two cards grew to 10 degrees, with the RTX 3090 Ti having a peak temperature of 52°C, whereas the RTX 4080 ran hotter with a temperature of 62°C.

Also Read: RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3090

Forza Horizon 5

• Forza was also a game that ran adequately on both cards, though the difference between the performance was quite substantial. The RTX 3090 Ti performed 115 FPS, whereas the RTX 4080 ran the game at an average of 154 FPS.
• 1% lows had a similar deviation between the two. The RTX 4080 had lows of 134 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had 1% lows of 101 FPS.
• The power consumption was timid in this test on the 3090 Ti, rounding out to about 352 watts, whereas the RTX 4080 was not miles off with a power consumption of 292 watts.
• The temperature difference between the cards was 10 degrees once again in this test, with the RTX 3090 Ti reaching a temperature of 51°C, whereas the RTX 4080 had a temperature of 61°C.

Similar Comparison: RTX 4070 Vs RTX 4080

Microsoft Flight Sim 2020

• We decided to end this section of the comparison on one of the most demanding games on the market: MS Flight Sim 2020. The RTX 3090 Ti managed a framerate of 53 FPS in this game, whereas the RTX 4080 had a framerate of around 67 FPS.
• The RTX 4080 maintained a minimum framerate of 58 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti was noticeably choppy with a framerate of 46 FPS.
• The trend of greater power consumption and lower performance went on until the end for the RTX 3090 Ti, consuming 431 watts of power. In contrast, the RTX 4080 consumed around 292 watts.
• The temperatures got closer on the two cards in this test, with the RTX 3090 Ti running at a peak of 57°C, whereas the RTX 4080 had a peak temperature of 61°C.

Also Read: RTX 4090 Vs RTX 3090 Ti

Overall Gaming Performance

Now that we’ve measured the game-to-game performance of both cards, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 4080 comparison will focus on the average performance you can see from the pair of these cards.

Framerate

• The RTX 3090 Ti had an average performance of 90 FPS, with the 1% lows reaching an average of 76 FPS.
• The RTX 4080 got an average framerate of 108 FPS, whereas the 1% lows hovered around 91 FPS.
• On average, the RTX 4080 had 20% more performance than its older cousin.
• In this test, we did not use the frame generation technology introduced in the RTX 40 series of cards, but you can expect this technology to increase the framerate by 50-100%.

Power

• The RTX 3090 TI had an average power consumption of 423 watts over the 8 games tested at 4k.
• The RTX 4080 was considerably more power efficient than the RTX 3090 Ti, consuming around 300 watts of power on average, 29% lower than the older card. 
• As for performance per watt, the RTX 3090 Ti produced 0.21 frames/dollar, whereas the RTX 4080 managed to get around 0.36 frames/dollar, making it a whopping 68% more efficient with the power it is supplied.

Temperature

• The peak temperature of the RTX 3090 Ti hovered around 54°C on average, whereas the RTX 4080 on average peaked around 60°C in our testing.
• Both the cards were well within safe temperature limits, though the thermal performance of the RTX 3090 Ti was more impressive.
• The temperature on both of these cards underload will vary from OEM to OEM, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.

Also Check: RTX 2080 Ti vs RTX 3090 Ti

Price And Availability

• The RTX 4080 has an MSRP of $1199, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had a launch MSRP of $1999.
• The age of the RTX 3090 Ti has given it massive discounts on the used market, where it regularly goes for around $850.
• These cards should be available online or in any brick-and-mortar of your choice.

RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3090 Ti: Which One Should You Go For?

Now that we’ve outlined all the aspects of these cards, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 4080 comparison will guide you on which card is best suited for your gaming needs.

• The RTX 4080 had an overall 20% higher performance than our RTX 3090 Ti in our gaming test, making it the more powerful option.
• There was a 29% lower power draw on the RTX 4080 whilst it performed higher, making it easier on your power bills.
• The RTX 3090 Ti is a considerably bigger and more power-hungry graphics card than the RTX 4080, so make sure to consider your existing case and power supply before splurging on this card.
• The RTX 3090 Ti has a $350 lower price than the RTX 4080. All things considered, this graphics card is very capable, so if your budget doesn’t allow you to go for the newer offering, this card will satisfy all your gaming needs for a few years to come.
• On the other hand, if you can find the RTX 4080 for a lower price, which it regularly goes for after the public outcry about the prices of the RTX 40-series of cards, it is a no-brainer.