Nvidia may give the RTX 5080 a sweet consolation prize
A new glimpse at the potential specs for the RTX 5080 tells us that it might have the RTX 5090 beat in one way, but there's still a huge gap between the two.
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Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Nvidia’s best graphics cards are due for an update, and it seems that the RTX 5080 might get an unexpected boost with faster GDDR7 memory than even the flagship RTX 5090. That might be its sole consolation prize, though, because the gap between the two may turn out to be even bigger than in this generation.
First, the good news. Wccftech cites its own sources as it reports that the RTX 5080 will get 32Gbps memory modules from the get-go — a significant upgrade over the RTX 5090 with its 28Gbps. The best part is that such a memory upgrade would bring the RTX 5080 to a whopping 1TB/s of total bandwidth, marking a huge improvement over the RTX 4080 Super, which maxes out at 736GB/s.
As we’ve noted in our RTX 50-series roundup, the RTX 5080 is said to sport 16GB of VRAM across a 256-bit memory bus. Recent leaks revealed that a 24GB version may also be unveiled one day, but that’s mere speculation at this point. Still, with 3GB GDDR7 modules said to come out a bit later, Nvidia will have room for solid upgrades down the line.
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The bad news? I can’t help but feel like Nvidia might be doubling down on a decision it made in this generation. The RTX 4090 and the RTX 4080 had a massive performance and spec gap. At the time of launch, this actually made the $1,600 (and up) RTX 4090 a better deal than the $1,200 RTX 4080. The Super version at $1,000 made the performance-per-dollar aspect better, but the specifications stayed nearly the same.
Jacob Roach / Digital TrendsAll leaks so far point to the RTX 5080 being a much weaker offering than the RTX 5090. The flagship is said to come with 21,760 CUDA cores and up to 32GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit memory bus. Meanwhile, the RTX 5080 will reportedly max out at 10,752 CUDA cores, which is a measly upgrade over the RTX 4080 Super — and miles behind the RTX 5090. In addition to the above, Wccftech and other sources also report that the RTX 5080 might receive a significantly higher total board power (TBP) reaching 400 watts. Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 will max out the 12VHPWR connector at 600 watts.
All of this is speculation, but if the two cards indeed launch with these exact specs, the RTX 5080 may be up to 50% worse than the RTX 5090 — but we’ll have to wait and see. According to various leaks, the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 will hit the market first, with an announcement reportedly planned for CES 2025 in January.
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
The RTX 5090 will reportedly require 600 watts of power
Rumors have been circulating about the RTX 5090 for a while, but we're finally getting a clearer picture of how Nvidia's flagship RTX 50-series GPU is shaping up. Well-known hardware leaker Kopite7kimi is claiming the RTX 5090, which seems destined to earn a spot among the best graphics cards, will come with an obscene power requirement of 600 watts.
The leaker shared specs for the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 on X (formerly Twitter). We've seen vague claims from Kopite7kimi in the past concerning RTX 50-series graphics cards, but this is the first time the leaker has shared full specs. According to the leak, the RTX 5090 will require 600W of power and come with a staggering 32GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus.
Nvidia is reportedly sunsetting the RTX 4090
The RTX 4090 is undoubtedly the best graphics card you can buy right now from a performance standpoint, but Nvidia is reportedly discontinuing the flagship GPU. Reports from the Board Channel forums (shared by Wccftech) suggest Nvidia is preparing to end production of the RTX 4090 and the China-exclusive RTX 4090D starting next month in order to make way for next-gen RTX 50-series graphics cards.
It's not surprising that Nvidia would wind down production of the RTX 4090 as the next generation of graphics cards approaches. Flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090 don't have much of a shelf life after a new generation has released, which is something we saw in action with the RTX 3090. Although Nvidia could end production of the GPU in October (the company itself hasn't, and likely won't, confirm that detail publicly), the card won't immediately disappear from store shelves.
Next-gen GPUs are coming ‘later this year’ — but which?
What's going on with next-gen graphics cards? I've been asking myself that question for months now. Reports about Nvidia's RTX 50-series and AMD's RDNA 4 first pointed to a 2024 release, but most sources now agree that we won't see any new GPUs until 2025. Except EK Water Blocks, a company that now claims that we'll see an announcement "later this year."
EK Water Blocks makes liquid cooling solutions, and it's partnered with both Nvidia and AMD, which makes it harder to determine which GPU manufacturer it's talking about here. According to the latest leaks, both GPU makers aren't launching their new products this year, although one source (admittedly uncertain) claimed that we'd have an announcement this month. This is now the second leak in as many days that implies good news in 2024.
