Does RTX 5080 fall short compared to its predecessor, the RTX 4080 Super?

Nvidia has unveiled its latest line of graphics cards, which includes the RTX 5080 priced at $1,000. However, this premium model is generating confusion among users due to its performance not being significantly better—in several instances, it even underperforms compared to its predecessor, the RTX 4080 Super.

Latest performance evaluations show that the RTX 5080 is merely around 8% quicker than the RTX 4080 Super—a rather limited enhancement against what was anticipated. In particular, games such as Delta Force, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and Counter-Strike 2 at 1440p resolution demonstrate that the RTX 5080 falls short of its predecessor.

Both graphic cards perform similarly in Alan Wake 2, yielding disappointing outcomes for the new $1,000 release from Nvidia. The most significant discrepancy is observed in Delta Force, where the RTX 5080 achieves 192FPS in contrast to the RTX 4080 Super’s 214FPS.

In the case of Counter-Strike, the performance on both cards, 504FPS versus 523FPS, is comfortably above the high refresh rate standard. However, in Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2, where frame rates dip below 100, the results are quite unexpected.

A potential CPU bottleneck may be responsible, but these findings underscore that even GPU-intensive games show a consistent pattern. Notably, Hardware Unboxed has also reported a few instances of such results with the RTX 5090. These inconsistencies could be attributed to Nvidia’s architectural shifts in the Blackwell generation.

Although these outcomes are disappointing, Nvidia might still "turn things around" by enhancing performance via upcoming driver updates. Is this a regression for Nvidia? The answer remains uncertain until the next driver updates become available. Nonetheless, for a $1,000 price tag, users are justified in expecting superior performance from the RTX 5080.

And as always, remember to use our comparison tool to find the best deal for your next favorite game.