Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Review

Discover the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super review, diving into its specs, performance, and affordability. Is it worth the upgrade? Find out now!

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Review: One Super price cut

Introduction

In November 2022, Nvidia launched the GeForce RTX 4080, which garnered attention for its high price tag compared to its performance. Fast forward to January 2024, Nvidia introduces the RTX 4080 Super, boasting better specs at a lower price point. This article delves into the details of the RTX 4080 Super, analyzing its features, performance, and whether it’s a worthy upgrade from its predecessor.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Specification

Here is a specification table for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super:

This table provides a concise overview of the key specifications of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super.

A Step Towards Affordability

The RTX 4080 Super comes as a relief to many gamers, with its launch price of $999, significantly lower than the original RTX 4080’s $1,199. Although it doesn’t bring a groundbreaking performance leap, the price adjustment makes it a more appealing option.

Finally a Better Price

The original RTX 4080 faced criticism for its pricing compared to its performance, making it a tough recommendation. However, the RTX 4080 Super addresses this issue by offering improved value, albeit still pricier than the RTX 3080 launched in 2020.

Specs and Design

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super is based on the Ada Lovelace graphics microarchitecture, which includes fourth-generation Turing cores for AI acceleration and third-generation RT cores for ray tracing. With 80 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), it has 10,240 CUDA cores, 320 Tensor cores, and 80 RT cores, representing a 5% increase in silicon over the RTX 4080. Despite the hardware improvements, it retains the same 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus, providing better theoretical performance at a lower cost.

Similar to its predecessor, the RTX 4080 Super Founder’s Edition is a triple-slot card that requires either a PCIe gen 5 connection or three PCIe 8-pin cables, with an adapter provided for the latter option. Despite the increased hardware, it retains power efficiency, with a peak power usage of 316W compared to 308W for the previous RTX 4080. Temperature regulation continues excellent, with temperatures reaching at 64°C.

In terms of connection, the RTX 4080 Super has three Display Port and one HDMI output to accommodate typical display configurations. Despite the lack of USB-C connection, the card performs well in creative workloads, demonstrating Nvidia’s dedication to high-performance graphics.

In summary, Built on the Ada Lovelace graphics microarchitecture, the RTX 4080 Super boasts enhancements over its predecessor. With 80 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs) and 10,240 CUDA cores, it offers a 5% increase in silicon, promising better performance. Despite the hardware upgrades, it maintains a similar power draw and temperature profile, ensuring efficient operation.

Features and Software

Nvidia’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology has become synonymous with cutting-edge graphics innovation, establishing the benchmark for GPU upscaling technology. While alternatives like AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution and Intel’s XeSS have appeared, none can match DLSS’s performance.

DLSS 3.0, included in the RTX 4000 series, goes beyond simple upscaling to include Frame Generation. This AI-powered feature uses Tensor Cores to evaluate picture and motion data, creating additional frames to improve frame rates. By circumventing the usual rendering process, DLSS greatly improves performance, especially in games with already good framerates.

In summary, Nvidia’s RTX 4080 Super comes equipped with exclusive technologies like DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), setting it apart from competitors. DLSS 3.0, the latest iteration, utilizes AI-accelerating Tensor Cores to enhance frame rates by generating new frames, offering a smoother gaming experience.

Performance

Performance Comparison: RTX 4080 Super vs. RTX 4080

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super showcases exceptional performance, particularly at 4K resolution, matching its predecessor, the RTX 4080, stride for stride.

Gaming Performance

• Cyberpunk 2077: With DLSS set to “performance” and Ray Tracing Ultra preset, the RTX 4080 Super achieves 84 fps at 4K. Enabling Frame Generation technology boosts the framerate to 111 fps. The RTX 4080 achieves similar results, scoring 80 fps without Frame Generation and 111 fps with it enabled, indicating a marginal 5% performance increase for the Super variant.
• Total War: Warhammer 3: Even without DLSS or ray tracing, the RTX 4080 Super delivers impressive performance at 4K, scoring 79 fps compared to 76 fps from the RTX 4080 and 86 fps from the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

Synthetic Benchmarks

• Port Royal Benchmark: Testing ray tracing performance, the RTX 4080 Super leads with 18,580 points compared to 17,819 points from the RTX 4080, showcasing a 4% performance advantage.
• Speed Way Benchmark: Evaluating DirectX 12 Ultimate performance, the RTX 4080 Super achieves 7,493 points, surpassing the RTX 4080’s score of 7,314 points and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX’s score of 6,222 points.

Value Proposition

While the RTX 4080 Super doesn’t match the performance of the higher-tier RTX 4090, it offers better value for money. The RTX 4090, priced nearly $2000, delivers 20-25% better performance than the RTX 4080 Super. However, with a 60% price difference between the two, the RTX 4080 Super emerges as a more appealing choice in terms of performance per dollar spent.

At 4K resolution, the RTX 4080 Super excels in gaming benchmarks, especially when paired with DLSS. While the performance boost compared to the original RTX 4080 is marginal, it still delivers impressive results across various titles, making it a suitable choice for high-resolution gaming.

In summary, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super provides commendable performance enhancements over its predecessor, making it a compelling option for gamers seeking high-resolution gaming experiences without breaking the bank.

Buying Guide

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super will be available on January 31, 2024, beginning at $999 for the Founders Edition. However, like with every other graphics card, there will be dozens of third-party RTX 4080 Super cards. However, you should attempt to stay around $999; if you spend much more than that, you might as well go with an RTX 4090.

Verdict

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super is an excellent graphics card, not because it outperforms the RTX 4080 it replaces, but because it is significantly less expensive while providing a minor performance boost. This graphics card will not narrow the gap between itself and the more powerful RTX 4090, but if you’re looking for a 4K graphics card for around $1,000, there isn’t a better option right now. This is the RTX 4080, which should have been available in 2022.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Price

The price of the RTX 4080 $999 USD.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super bridges the gap between affordability and performance in the RTX 4000 series. Its competitive pricing coupled with commendable specs makes it a noteworthy addition to Nvidia’s lineup, catering to gamers’ diverse needs.

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