Nvidia
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB)
A solid generational step over the 4080 at $999, still capped at 16GB of VRAM.
- Memory
- 16GB GDDR7
- Cuda Cores
- 10,752
- Memory Bus
- 256-bit
- Architecture
- Blackwell
The decision
Where it wins
- Solid generational gain over the 4080
- Much better cost per frame than the 5090
- Strong for rendering and video work
Where it doesn't
- 16GB VRAM — no more model headroom than a 5070 Ti at two-thirds the price
- Cannot run 70B-class inference
- Expensive for what it adds over the tier below
Specifications
Structured product data, grouped by system.
Core hardware03
| Architecture | Blackwell |
|---|---|
| GPU Engine Specs / Base Clock (GHz) | 2.30 |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Architecture | Blackwell |
Memory & compute05
| Memory | 16GB GDDR7 |
|---|---|
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 960 GB/s |
| Memory Specs / Memory Interface Width | 256-bit |
| Memory Specs / Standard Memory Config | 16 GB GDDR7 |
AI & acceleration09
| Cuda Cores | 10752 |
|---|---|
| Technology Support / DLSS | DLSS 4 Super Resolution DLAA Ray Reconstruction Frame Generation Multi Frame Generation |
| GPU Engine Specs / Shader Cores | Blackwell |
| Technology Support / Ray Tracing | Yes |
| GPU Engine Specs / Ray Tracing Cores | 4th Generation 171 TFLOPS |
| GPU Engine Specs / Tensor Cores (AI) | 5th Generation 1801 AI TOPS |
| GPU Engine Specs / NVIDIA CUDA ® Cores | 10752 |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA GPU Boost ™ | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA NVLink ™ (SLI-Ready) | No |
Display & media09
| Display Support / HDCP | 2.3 |
|---|---|
| Display Support / Multi Monitor | up to 4 (4) |
| Technology Support / AV1 Decode | Yes |
| Technology Support / AV1 Encode | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA G-SYNC ® | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Decoder (NVDEC) | 2x Sixth Generation |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) | 2x Ninth Generation |
| Display Support / Maximum Digital Resolution | 4K at 480Hz or 8K at 165Hz with DSC |
| Display Support / Standard Display Connectors | 3x DisplayPort (2), 1x HDMI (3) |
Power & thermal05
| Total Graphics Power | 360W |
|---|---|
| Thermal And Power Specs / Total Graphics Power (W) | 360 |
| Thermal And Power Specs / Required System Power (W) (5) | 850 |
| Thermal And Power Specs / Maximum GPU Temperature (In C) | 88 |
| Thermal And Power Specs / Supplementary Power Connectors | 3x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in box) OR 1x 450 W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable |
Physical & connectivity04
| Card Dimensions / Slots | 2-Slot |
|---|---|
| Card Dimensions / Width | 137 mm |
| Technology Support / PCI Express Gen 5 | Yes |
| Card Dimensions / SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Card | Founders Edition Yes Varies by manufacturer |
Platform & software14
| Technology Support / VR Ready | Yes |
|---|---|
| Technology Support / RTX Remix | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA App | Yes |
| Technology Support / Photo Mode | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Reflex | Reflex 2 Low Latency Mode Frame Warp (Coming Soon) |
| Technology Support / Resizable BAR | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Broadcast | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA FreeStyle | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Omniverse | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA Highlights | Yes |
| Technology Support / NVIDIA ShadowPlay | Yes |
| Technology Support / Game Ready Drivers | Yes |
| Technology Support / Vulkan 1.4, OpenGL 4.6 | Yes |
| Technology Support / Microsoft DirectX ® 12 Ultimate | Yes |
Read the record
- Last source read
- Source on record
- nvidia.com
The 5080 is a good card carrying an awkward specification. Generationally it is a real improvement, and its cost per frame is far better than the 5090 — for rendering, video work and gaming it is the sensible high-end pick. For local AI it sits in an unhappy middle: the same 16GB as the far cheaper 5070 Ti, which means it buys you speed on models you could already run rather than access to models you could not. That distinction decides the purchase. If your workload is creative and compute-bound, this is the card. If your workload is inference and memory-bound, the extra money over a 5070 Ti buys nothing that matters, and the money you would need to actually move up is the 5090's.
The 5080 is a good card carrying an awkward specification for local AI. Generationally it is a real step over the 4080, and its cost per frame is far better than the 5090 — for rendering, video and gaming it is the sensible high-end pick.
Why it doesn't help local inference
It ships with the same 16GB of GDDR7 as the far cheaper 5070 Ti. The extra 1792 CUDA cores and 960 GB/s of bandwidth buy you speed on models you could already run, not access to models you could not. For memory-bound inference work, the money over a 5070 Ti buys nothing that matters — and the money you would need to actually move up a model class is the 5090's.
The trade-offs
| Strength | Limit |
|---|---|
| Solid generational gain over the 4080 | 16GB — no more model headroom than a 5070 Ti |
| Much better cost-per-frame than the 5090 | Cannot run 70B-class inference |
| Strong for rendering and video | 360W, and expensive for what it adds over the tier below |
Who should buy
Content creators, video editors and high-end gaming builds where the workload is compute-bound. If your workload is inference and memory-bound, buy the 5070 Ti and put the difference toward more system RAM or a second card later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB) for?↓
What are the drawbacks of Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB)?↓
What does Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB) do well?↓
How much does Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB) cost?↓
What is the Fathom Layer design score for Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB)?↓
Alternatives to consider
See all alternatives →Memory on record
- Another option Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (16GB)
16GB VRAM is the practical floor for comfortable local inference
16GB GDDR7Design score 9.3/10 - Another option Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (32GB)
32GB GDDR7 — runs 70B-class models quantised on a single card
32GB GDDR7Design score 9.7/10 - Another option Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 (Used)
24GB of GDDR6X memory for handling large datasets and complex scenes
Explore its evidenceDesign score 8.5/10
Where to buy
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Further reading
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