NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

Name: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
Brand: Nvidia
Availability: InStock

FPS benchmarks across 139 games (reference CPU: r9-9950x3D2), live prices, popularity and community builds.

Nvidia

RTX 3080 12GB

Ampere · 12 GB GDDR6X

#18 / 69

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.61/100

Lowest price

$945

FPS / €

0.508

See the cheapest model See all 14 models

Nvidia

RTX 4090

Ada Lovelace · 24 GB GDDR6X

#38 / 69

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.97/100

Lowest price

$3,465

FPS / €

0.178

See the cheapest model See all 26 models

Our verdict

The RTX 4090 is on average 30% faster than the RTX 3080 12GB at 1440p across our reference games.
The RTX 3080 12GB is currently $2,520 cheaper ($945 vs $3,465).
With 0.508 FPS per euro, the RTX 3080 12GB offers the best price-to-performance ratio.
The RTX 4090 packs more video memory (24 GB vs 12 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Gaming performance

Benchmarks measured with a r9-9950x3D2 to avoid bottlenecking the graphics cards.

RTX 3080 12GB

RTX 4090

Counter-Strike 2

+21%

373 FPS

1% low 225

452 FPS

1% low 269

Apex Legends

+32%

253 FPS

1% low 175

334 FPS

1% low 218

Grand Theft Auto V

+71%

98 FPS

1% low 75

168 FPS

1% low 130

Red Dead Redemption 2

+49%

152 FPS

1% low 113

226 FPS

1% low 154

Cyberpunk 2077

+64%

84 FPS

1% low 62

138 FPS

1% low 105

Rocket League

+30%

782 FPS

1% low 344

1016 FPS

1% low 466

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

+48%

135 FPS

1% low 100

200 FPS

1% low 148

Crimson Desert

+48%

128 FPS

1% low 95

190 FPS

1% low 130

FPS / €

The higher the number, the better the performance you get for your money.

RTX 3080 12GB

0.508

RTX 4090

0.178

Want to see FPS in other games? Explore all our benchmarks

Specifications

	RTX 3080 12GB	RTX 4090
Architecture	Ampere	Ada Lovelace
Release date	2022-01	2022-10
Video memory	12 GB	24 GB
Memory type	GDDR6X	GDDR6X
Memory bus	384 bit	384 bit
Bandwidth	912 GB/s	1008 GB/s
Shading units	8960	16384
Boost clock	1710 MHz	2520 MHz
Power draw (TDP)	350 W	450 W
Recommended PSU	750 W	850 W
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Launch price	$799	$1599

Popularity on DropReference

RTX 3080 12GB

#18 / 69

Popularity score3.5/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.0%

Number of builds created with this GPU

Average build price

$3,723

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

MSI A750GL PCIE5 750W 80 Plus Gold Fully Modular Black

750 W · $99

Latest builds

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

RTX 4090

#38 / 69

Popularity score1.6/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.0.1%

Number of builds created with this GPU

Average build price

$8,606

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

Corsair RM1200e 1200W 80 Plus Platinum Fully Modular Black

1200 W · $200

Latest builds

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

All models

Real-time prices and stock in your region

RTX 3080 12GB

14 models tracked

See all models in stock

RTX 4090

26 models tracked

See all models in stock

Frequently asked questions

Which is the better graphics card, the RTX 3080 12GB or the RTX 4090?

The RTX 4090 is on average 30% faster than the RTX 3080 12GB at 1440p across our reference games. The RTX 3080 12GB is currently $2,520 cheaper ($945 vs $3,465). With 0.508 FPS per euro, the RTX 3080 12GB offers the best price-to-performance ratio. The RTX 4090 packs more video memory (24 GB vs 12 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Which card should you pick for 1440p gaming: RTX 3080 12GB or RTX 4090?

At 1440p, the RTX 3080 12GB averages 421 FPS versus 549 FPS for the RTX 4090 across our reference games.

What power supply do you need for the RTX 3080 12GB?

A power supply of around 750 W is recommended for the RTX 3080 12GB. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the MSI A750GL PCIE5 750W 80 Plus Gold Fully Modular Black.

What power supply do you need for the RTX 4090?

A power supply of around 850 W is recommended for the RTX 4090. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the Corsair RM1200e 1200W 80 Plus Platinum Fully Modular Black.

Which CPU should you pair with the RTX 3080 12GB?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RTX 3080 12GB is the r7-9800x3D (1 builds).

Which CPU should you pair with the RTX 4090?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RTX 4090 is the r7-9800x3D (8 builds).

How much does the RTX 3080 12GB cost right now?

The RTX 3080 12GB is available from $945. We track 14 models in real time.

How much does the RTX 4090 cost right now?

The RTX 4090 is available from $3,465. We track 26 models in real time.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, with Ampere architecture, offers high-end gaming performance with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory. The flagship card of the RTX 3000 series excels at 4K and supports ray tracing and DLSS for ultra-realistic graphics.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, with Ada Lovelace architecture, offers ultra high-end gaming performance with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. The absolute flagship card of the RTX 4000 series excels at 4K and competes with the best cards of its generation.