RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4080: We Tested Both

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Ali

As Tech4Gamers’ Comparisons Expert, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the forefront. Specializing in graphics cards and processors, I delve deep into the intricacies of computer technology, regularly sharing insights and in-depth comparisons with the community.

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Pros And Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Clock Speeds: The RTX 4080 Super brings a modest bump in clock speeds over the RTX 4080. It has a base clock of 2295MHz instead of the 2205MHz of the RTX 4080 and a boost clock of 2550MHz instead of the 2505MHz.
2. VRAM: Nvidia made no improvements to the VRAM with this upgrade, with both cards supporting a 16GB memory buffer with GDDR6X RAM carried over a 256-bit bus.
3. Process Node: The processing cores were rolled back with the RTX 4080 Super, perhaps to bring higher yields so the card could be sold more cheaply. It uses 5nm processing nodes instead of the 4nm ones on the RTX 4080 Super.
4. TDP: Both cards have the same TDP of 320 watts, which speaks favourably for their power efficiency. 

The RTX 4080 has given users a great gaming experience on high resolutions for a while now, though it has come at a hefty cost. Nvidia has tried to rectify this with the release of the RTX 4080 Super, but does it bring a recommendable value proposition to the average consumer? Keep scrolling to find out!

Gaming Benchmarks

To test the performance of these two titans, we have created a special test bench designed to leave only the graphics cards as the potential bottleneck. Take a look at the specifications of this build below:

Test Bench

• CPU: Core i9 13900K
• Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus 
• RAM:  G.Skill Ripjaws S5 6000MHz DDR5
• SSD – XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe
• PSU – ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W
• GPU: MSI RTX 4090 Suprim X
• CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 – AIO Water Cooler

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

• In a demanding game with Ultra settings, path tracing, and DLSS 3 enabled, the RTX 4080 Super exhibited a marginal 3% advantage, achieving a slightly faster average framerate of 61 FPS compared to the RTX 4080’s 59 FPS.
• The 1% lows on these cards were also very close, with the RTX 4080 Super at 45 FPS and the RTX 4080 trailing by just one frame, hitting a minimum of 44 FPS.

Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora

• In Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora, with Ultra settings and DLSS set to quality, the RTX 4080 Super maintained a frame rate of 77 FPS, edging out the RTX 4080 by a slight 2.6% difference, which had a frame rate of 75 FPS.
• The 1% lows were also only a frame apart, with the RTX 4080 Super having a framerate of 53 FPS, while the vanilla RTX 4080 had a framerate of 52 FPS. Both the games tested so far have brought forth an indistinguishable difference.

Remnant 2

• With the Ultra settings enabled and no DLSS, there was absolutely no difference between the performance of these cards, with both of them achieving a framerate of 50 FPS.
• The 1% lows were again only a frame apart, with the RTX 4080 being in the lead this time. It had a framerate of 44 FPS, while the RTX 4080 Super had 1% lows of 43 FPS. 

Alan Wake 2

• In this setup with Ultra settings, RT path tracing, and DLSS 3 frame generation enabled, both the RTX 4080 Super hit an average frame rate of 54 FPS, closely followed by the RTX 4080 with 53 FPS.
• The RTX 4080 had 1% lows of 45 FPS, while the RTX 4080 did not budge from its record of being one frame behind with lows of 44 FPS.

The Last Of Us Part 1

• In The Last Of Us Part 1, at ultra settings, the RTX 4080 Super achieved an average frame rate of 74 FPS, outperforming the RTX 4080 by approximately 4.2% at 71 FPS.
• The 1% lows also differed a bit between the two cards, with the RTX 4080 Super shooting down to 63 FPS in hard-to-render scenes, while the RTX 4080 has lows of 59 FPS, leading to a difference of around 7%.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• Both cards returned to giving an unchanging performance, with the RTX 4080 Super getting a framerate of 106 FPS, while the RTX 4080 was a tad bit behind with a performance of 104 FPS, accumulating a difference of around 2%.
• The 1% lows were actually higher on the RTX 4080 once again at 84 FPS instead of the 83 FPS of the RTX 4080 Super.

Forza Horizon 5

• There was little to no difference in this game as well, with both cards running under the Extreme settings. The RTX 4080 Super had a framerate of 146 FPS, while the RTX 4080 was 2% slower with an average framerate of 143 FPS.
• The RTX 4080 Super had 1% lows of 122 FPS, while the RTX 4080 was indistinguishably different, with a performance of 121 FPS.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• In this game at Ultra settings, the RTX 4080 Super and RTX 4080 performed similarly, with the former having an average frame rate of 76 FPS and the latter slightly behind at 75 FPS.
• The case was flipped in the 1% lows. The RTX 4080 had 1% lows at 63 FPS, while the RTX 4080 Super had a framerate of 62 FPS for graphically intensive scenes.

Starfield

• Our assumptions stayed true in Starfield, too, with the Ultra settings enabled. The RTX 4080 Super had an average framerate of 59 FPS, while the RTX 4080 was behind by 3.5%, with an average framerate of 57 FPS.
• The performance in 1% lows was also consistent, with the RTX 4080 Super getting a minimum framerate of 49 FPS, while the RTX 4080 had a framerate of 48 FPS.

Hogwarts Legacy

• With RT enabled, both cards had a pretty mediocre performance in this game, with the RTX 4080 getting an average framerate of 41 FPS while the RTX 4080 had an average framerate closer to 40 FPS.
• The 1% lows were identical on both graphics cards, with both cards getting lows of 30 FPS.

The Witcher 3: Next-Gen

• In The Witcher 3 remaster with RT on and DLSS set to quality, both cards performed similarly, with the RTX 4080 Super averaging 59 FPS and the RTX 4080 slightly behind at 58 FPS.
• The 1% lows flipped for once last time, with the RTX 4080 getting lows of 46 FPS, while the RTX 4080 Super had 1% lows of 45 FPS.

Editor`s Note

The performance of the RTX 4080 Super was higher in the FP32 benchmark, which is a synthetic test. It performed around 7% better than the RTX 4080, which, unfortunately, does not translate to real-world gaming performance.

– Ali

Overall Gaming Performance

The RTX 4080 Super shows a marginal 2.8% improvement in average framerate over its predecessor, though this difference is nearly invisible in real-world performance. Similarly, the 1% lows reveal a mere 1% advantage for the RTX 4080 Super, with some games favoring the RTX 4080. 

Take a look at our recorded gameplay while we were benchmarking these GPUs:

Power Consumption

There was only a 1% difference between the power consumption of these two cards, with the RTX 4080 Super being slightly more power-hungry. This difference is so small that it would shift depending on the cooler your card has and even the amount of RGB. All in all, the power difference between these cards is insignificant.

Price And Value

The best change that the RTX 4080 Super has brought is a price reduction. It cuts the cost for Nvidia’s current xx80 card from $1199 to $999, and it cuts the cost of the RTX 4080 by a further $50. This marks a very significant 20% reduction in price from the original card, and it is a breath of fresh air as GPU prices have gone nowhere but up in the past few years.

Our Verdict

RTX 4080 Super: This card doesn’t offer significant improvements over its predecessor, aside from a lower price. The performance difference is minimal, power efficiency remains unchanged, and there are no new features. Nevertheless, the RTX 4080 Super stands as the most powerful GPU in this midcycle refresh.

RTX 4080: The RTX 4080 delivers top-tier performance, previously hindered by its high price. If deciding between the two cards, opt for the RTX 4080, if available at a discounted price, as it offers virtually identical performance to its super variant.

Comparing the RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4080 is an apples-to-apples comparison in the truest sense, as there is no discernable difference between the two cards, at least in terms of real-world performance.

More From RTX 4080

• RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3090
• RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3080 Ti
• RTX 4070 Vs RTX 4080

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Ali

[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