The GeForce RTX 4080 is NVIDIA‘s second-fastest GPU available in the market. Like the flagship RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 is based on NVIDIA’s latest Ada Lovelace architecture. With the new architecture, the RTX 4080 offers more than double the performance of its predecessor, the RTX 3080. It also provides unique features like DLSS 3 frame generation technology, dual AV1 NVIDIA Encoders, and many more. So, if you are in the market for some of the best RTX 4080 available in the market, check out our list below.
The Best GeForce RTX 4080 Graphics Cards
I have listed some of the best GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards that are currently available in the market. Unfortunately, EVGA is not one of them. If you haven’t been living under a rock, EVGA didn’t produce any RTX 40 series graphics cards. They have ended their relationship with NVIDIA and have announced that they won’t release any RTX 40 series graphics card. EVGA’s graphics card division has basically ended at this point. Nevertheless, there are still several excellent RTX 4080 cards from other AIC partners.
Just a quick summary, the RTX 4080 is based on NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture. It uses an AD103 GPU that is based on TSMC’s 4N NVIDIA custom process, which is basically a customized 5nm process. The GeForce RTX 4080 has 9,728 CUDA cores, providing 49 Shader-TFLOPS of power for traditional rasterized graphics; 304 Fourth Generation Tensor Cores offering 780 Tensor-TFLOPS (with Sparsity) for AI processing and DLSS; and 76 Third Generation Ada RT Cores capable of 113 RT-TFLOPS for powering next-generation ray-traced graphics, and 16GB of GDDR6X memory.
All RTX 4080 graphics cards listed below are some of the best in the market, and you simply can’t go wrong with any of them. They will also perform similarly regardless if it’s an OC or non-OC, premium or not-so-premium design. Why? Because NVIDIA controls how these graphics cards perform, and they have set a limit. You can get a few FPS from the premium card, but their difference is negligible and unnoticeable while gaming.
What’s more important is their respective prices and their design. All of these graphics cards have great cooling performance. Just look at the size of these things. The heatsink alone is massive and chunky, perhaps unnecessarily too big. So get whichever card suits your taste or your budget.
How Fast Is The GeForce RTX 4080? Some Benchmarks
The GeForce RTX 4080 is a fast graphics card, even surpassing the previous flagship GPU. It’s an excellent GPU for 1440p, ultrawide 1440p, and 4K monitors. It’s capable of driving games at maximum graphics settings, even at 4K.
When it comes to performance, the RTX 4080 is around 40% to 50% faster, on average, than the RTX 3080 in traditional rasterization. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 is about 25% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti and approximately 15% faster than the previous flagship RTX 3090 Ti in traditional rasterization. Compared to the current flagship GPU, the RTX 4080 is about 20% to 30% slower than RTX 4090, depending on the scenario.
Below are some benchmarks of the RTX 4080 graphics cards from our reviews.
These numbers are based on traditional rasterization alone. With the Ada Lovelace architecture, these RTX 40 series GPUs have a unique feature called AI Frame Generation technology or DLSS 3. With the feature enabled, the frame rate increases substantially since the GPU produces extra frames and inserts them between two actual frames. Some are not happy about “fake frames”, but while I was playing Hogwarts Legacy with DLSS 3 enabled, it helped increase the frame rate and smoothen the gameplay.
Here are some DLSS 3 results from our reviews:
Best GeForce RTX 4080 Cards Near MSRP
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio
The Gaming (X) Trio variant is MSI’s top-tier graphics card. It’s not the flagship; that’s the SUPRIM. But the Gaming Trio is a tried and tested graphics card with an excellent cooling solution and performance. By the way, the “Gaming Trio” is a mildly overclocked variant, with a boost clock speed of 2505MHz, while the “Gaming X Trio” has a boost clock speed of 2595 MHz out of the box. Nevertheless, get whichever is cheaper since these cards will eventually boost higher thanks to NVIDIA Boost technology. As I mentioned earlier, NVIDIA controls how the GPU performs.
Just like the SUPRIM variant, the MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio also features dual BIOS, where you can switch from silent to gaming mode. Honestly, this graphics card runs silently already, thanks to its Tri Frozr 3 thermal design. So just keep it on gaming mode. When I published this review, MSI’s Gaming (X) Trio graphics card was one of the RTX 4080 cards closest to MSRP.
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming (X) Trio is available on Amazon.com here.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 Trinity OC and AMP Extreme AIRO
Another RTX 4080 graphics card close to the MSRP is from Zotac. The Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Trinity OC is one excellent performing graphics card. It also runs cool and silently, as you can see from our review here. Unlike most graphics cards in the market with a block-type design, Zotac decided to give their cards a curvy design.
The Zotac RTX 4080 Trinity OC has a curvy design with RGB lighting on its front side. The cooler shroud is entirely made of plastic. But the back plate is all-metal.
On the other hand, the Zotac RTX 4080 AMP Extreme Airo has, in my opinion, a better design and RGB lighting than the Trinity OC. One look at the card in action, and you’ll know what I mean. It is slightly more expensive than the Trinity OC, but it looks better, in my opinion. So if looks matter to you, you might want to consider the AMP Extreme Airo variant.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 Trinity OC is available on Amazon.com here.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 16GB AMP Extreme AIRO is available on Amazon.com here.
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 OC
Unlike other brands, Asus has only two variants for its RTX 40 series (at least for now). These are the TUF Gaming and the ROG Strix. The TUF Gaming is not a base model per se. Still, it is definitely better than an entry-level or base-model graphics card design.
The Asus TUF RTX 4080 has an industrial vibe or design. It features a “metal exoskeleton”, “military-grade capacitors”, and a triple Axial-tech fan design with dual ball bearings. The middle fan spins in the opposite direction to minimize turbulence and maximize airflow. It doesn’t have any RGB-bling like the Strix. But there is a small RGB lighting on the rear-front-side for the TUF Gaming logo. Performance-wise, it is similar to the more expensive (but premium) ROG Strix variant, making the TUF RTX 4080 better in terms of value than the ROG Strix RTX 4080.
Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 is available on Amazon.com here.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC
Aside from being included in the best RTX 4080 category, Gigabyte’s RTX 4080 Gaming OC is perhaps one of the thickest RTX 4080 in this list. I’m not referring to its overall size since the ROG Strix RTX 4080 is slightly larger. When I said thickest, this graphics card will occupy 4 PCI slots, with a thickness of 75mm.
Similar to the TUF RTX 4080, the Gigabyte RTX 4080 Gaming OC has a more industrial look. However, it does have more RGB lighting; specifically, the fans on its cooler shroud have RGB lighting on its edges. Gigabyte’s RTX 4080 Gaming OC might not be the best-looking graphics card on this list, but it is certainly one of the cheaper or closer to MSRP.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC is available on Amazon.com here.
Best Premium RTX 4080 Graphics Cards
The graphics cards I listed above are the ones that are currently selling at MSRP or at least near the MSRP. However, if you are willing to shell out a bit more cash to get a more premium-looking RTX 4080, below are some of the best premium RTX 4080 graphics cards available.
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Suprim X
The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Suprim X is the company’s flagship design. It features an almost all-metal material. Unlike the Gaming X Trio, whose front cooler shroud is plastic, the RTX 4080 SUPRIM X has a metal shroud. On top of that, the design is more intricate, with highlights and details not present on the Gaming X Trio.
The MSI RTX 4080 Suprim X also has a slightly higher boost clock speed out of the box. You also get additional accessories like a mousepad and a nice-looking graphics card support holder. As you may have read from our review, the RTX 4080 Suprim X is truly a stylish and elegant-looking graphics card.
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Suprim X is available on Amazon.com here.
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC
Aside from being one of the best RTX 4080 graphics cards, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 is also one of the best-looking and premium graphics cards. When people saw the new design, some didn’t like how it looked. The ROG Strix RTX 4080 is huge, has a blocky rectangular shape, and has an all-black finish with a blue and red accent.
Some said that the previous ROG Strix RTX 30 series has better aesthetics. However, as I looked at more PC builds with an ROG Strix RTX 4080 card, I started to appreciate its design. True, it may not fit all sorts of a PC build, but it does look nice, especially if you are building a gaming PC with an aggressive or gamer vibe.
The Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 features a 3.5-slot design; however, it is a bit longer and wider than other RTX 4080 cards. It measures 357.6mm in length and 149.3mm in width. It also features a new patented vapor chamber, diecast shroud, frame and backplate, digital power control, and Asus’ axial-tech fans.
Recently, Asus released a white version of the ROG Strix RTX 4080. So if you are planning to build a white-themed gaming PC, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 White OC is also available.
Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC is available on Amazon.com here.
White Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 OC is available on Amazon.com here.
So far, these are the best GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards available in the market. Again, I would like to emphasize that if you ever spot a non-OC variant of an RTX 4080 card that you like and is cheaper than the OC version, you better get that one instead. It doesn’t matter if it’s OC or non-OC since the GPU will eventually boost higher thanks to NVIDIA boost technology. Also, if you really want or need to, you can manually apply a (mild) overclock.
Which RTX 4080 do you think is best suited for your gaming rig? Again, you can’t go wrong with any of these. Just pick which card looks best with your (current) setup and/or fits your budget.
Speaking of budget, if you are torn between an RTX 4080 and the cheaper RTX 4070 Ti, check out our review comparison here. It may help you decide which one to get.
