The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti launched almost a year ago, and while it's taken a long time for it to mature since then, the graphics card market is in a strange place.
If you've been paying attention, you've probably felt that it's been virtually impossible to own a graphics card since the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 was released in September XNUMX. But now that we're starting to see GPU costs come down a bit, we felt it was time to start talking again about which GPUs offer the best value for gamers. After all, if things continue as they are, the average gamer could soon afford a graphics card; you better know which one is the best for you.
With the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3080, the names can be confusing. While the RTX 3080 is undoubtedly powerful, we found that in our tests, the RTX 3080 Ti performed very close to an RTX XNUMX, only with a partially lower MSRP. So, is it worth buying the card?
Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti vs. RTX 3080: Price
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti launched at €3080 / €XNUMX / AU$XNUMX for Nvidia's Founders Edition. Costs obviously go up from there, especially these days, but you should certainly expect to spend between €XNUMX and €XNUMX on an RTX XNUMX Ti when costs finally settle down.
However, the RTX 3080 is considerably more affordable, or so it is supposed to be. At launch, Nvidia's flagship GPU was priced at €XNUMX (€XNUMX, close to AU$XNUMX) for this Founders Edition. However, it is the graphics card that has been hit the hardest by recent cost increases, and continues to see highly inflated costs. Now on Amazon we see it for between €XNUMX and €XNUMX in the US. It's exactly the same cost as its big brother.
In fact, even on Amazon at the time of writing, you can get the Giga RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC for €3080, which is essentially exactly the same cost as an RTX 3080 right now. If it comes down to this and you have to choose between an RTX 3080 and an RTX 3080 Ti that still costs €XNUMX more, you should definitely go for the RTX XNUMX Ti. It is considerably faster.
Today's Best Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Deals
Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti vs. RTX 3080: Specs
When you first hear the name "RTX 3080 Ti," you'll be excused for thinking it's just a small mid-gen spec bump over the original RTX 3080. However, Nvidia has really improved the dials for it.
The original Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 launched with ten GB of GDDR6X memory on a XNUMX-bit bus. This memory was paired with XNUMX CUDA cores and a boost clock of XNUMX GHz. It was recently upgraded with a twelve GB alternative. This alternative is also free on a higher memory bus of XNUMX bits, with slightly more CUDA cores at XNUMX.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, on the other hand, has considerably more CUDA cores, 3080, with a boost clock of 3080 GHz. That means it's significantly more powerful than both versions of the RTX 6. Actually, it's closer to the RTX XNUMX, with its XNUMX CUDA cores. Nonetheless, it has exactly the same amount of RAM as the upgraded RTX XNUMX, with twelve GB of GDDRXNUMXX memory on a XNUMX-bit bus.
It really makes it clear that the two maps are very, very different from each other. If you're looking to game in 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti is simply going to be better than the original RTX 3080. And that means less commitment to complex graphics effects like ray tracing.
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Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti vs. RTX 3080: Performance
However, the specifications do not mean much. Who cares about a bunch of numbers on a sheet of paper when what really matters is how well these graphics cards handle the best PC games?
In 4K gaming, the RTX 3080 Ti stands out from the RTX 3080 and offers a performance difference of nearly ten percent. For example, you can get ninety-five fps in Dirt Five at 4K with all settings maxed out, where the stock RTX 3080 gets eighty-six fps. Obviously, the two cards excel at this resolution and eighty-six fps is nothing to write home about, but there's no denying that an additional ten fps helps.
However, if you play at a lower resolution, you're going to see diminishing returns, especially at 1080p. Both graphics cards will outperform any current game at this resolution, so paying more for an RTX 3080 Ti really makes no sense.
On the other hand, it's really possible that future games will test the more powerful graphics at this low resolution. And if you're buying such an expensive graphics card for 1080p gaming, you're probably the type to want something that will last for quite a while anyway.
Any of these graphics cards are going to be great for 1080p gaming at high frame rates, so professional esports gamers will probably like them a lot. The RTX 3080 Ti can easily handle a game like Overwatch and achieve over XNUMX fps, which is good news for anyone who relies on speed to improve their reaction speed.
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