Nvidia RTX 5080: Specifications, price & performance speculation

The RTX 5080 is rumored to be Nvidia’s next-gen high-end GPU. We’ve gathered up all that we know about this card, including price, specifications, and performance.

Though the RTX 5080 is not expected to be as earth-shaking as the RTX 5090, the RTX 5080 is still expected to be a powerful card. PC builders looking for a cheaper option that still comes with all the bells and whistles will be keen to see what the card can bring to the table.

As with the RTX 5090, there are few solid details on the RTX 5080. Most of the available information has been sourced from leaks by industry insiders. This means that until Nvidia formally unveils its next generation of cards, all this information should be taken with a grain of salt.

Release window rumors

Throughout 2024, rumors of the 50-series release included at least one of the graphics cards hitting the market before the end of the year.

However, the latest rumor is that Nvidia will reveal everything at CES 2025 in January, with a full release shortly after.

Price speculation

There is no confirmed data on the expected price point for the RTX 5080. With the RTX 5090 predicted to cost around $1699 at launch, we can then use the price distribution of previous Nvidia GPUs to estimate that the RTX 5080 will be around $1000 at launch. This is in line with current pricing for the RTX 4080 Super, which launched in early 2024.

Leaked specifications

Nvidia officially announced the Blackwell architecture at GTC 2024. Though that announcement was primarily concerned with its AI-focussed chips, some of the available information remains relevant for commercial gaming GPUs.

Diamond Foundry

It is generally expected that the RTX 5080 will use the GB203 chip, a step down from the flagship GB202 which is predicted to be used in the RTX 5090.

According to regular leaker Kopite7Kimi, the GB203 will be ‘half of GB202’. This would parallel the difference in performance seen in the Ada Lovelace line between the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080.

For memory, there is a growing belief that the RTX 5080 will use GDDR7 memory, improving speed and energy efficiency. Debate remains over the memory interface, however. Another recent leak from Kopite7Kimi suggests that the RTX 5090 will use the 512-bit memory bus.

Still, previous rumors indicated that Nvidia plans to reuse the existing 384-bit memory bus for some of its new products. This could mean the 512-bit bus is reserved for the flagship RTX 5090 card, and the RTX 5080 and below will use the older 384-bit memory bus technology.

As with much of the other currently available information, until Nvidia makes an official announcement, this should be taken with the appropriate level of skepticism.

Twitter/X user Everest spotted an update to Seasonic’s PSU wattage calculator, which now included data on the RTX 50 series. Though the data may not be completely accurate, it does roughly fit the expected patterns.

According to the Seasonic data, the RTX 5080 will have a TDP of 350W. This is a reasonable jump from the RTX 4080, which has a TDP of 320W.

Data supplied by Benchlife in early September 2024 seemed to confirm the 350W figure, though Kopite7Kimi proposed a slightly higher figure of 400W for the RTX 5080. However, it is unknown if this figure refers to the TGP (Total Graphical Power) or TDP (Thermal Design Power).

Features speculation

Once again we have leaker Kopite7Kimi to thank for the news that the RTX 5080 will feature support for Display Port 2.1, as well as HDMI 2.1. This is an upgrade on the Ada Lovelace cards, which did not support DisplayPort 2.1.

PCWorld

An unexpected area of debate has been the power connector. Amidst growing reports of the 12VHPWR connectors used on the RTX 4090 and 40 Super cards melting and causing significant damage, consumers have been hoping that Nvidia was planning on a different connector type for its next-generation cards.

According to Moore’s Law is Dead, Nvidia does indeed plan on switching to an entirely new connector type for the RTX 50 series.

The leak further suggests that it will be an all-new type of 16-pin connector, but further details are not available, and other sources have not yet backed up this rumor.

If Nvidia persists with the 12VHPWR connector, then the power draw will be limited to 600W. However, rumors indicate that Team Green will be pushing the efficiency of the new cards, which suggests that the actual power figures will be considerably less than this.

Performance speculation

Based on the current leaks, it seems like the biggest jump in performance will be due to the greater bus width. Though this doesn’t seem like a big chance on the surface, the size of the data bus can directly impact what resolution can be used in games.

Most of the current 40-series of GPUs use 192-bit and 256-bit data buses, which are capable of rendering 1440p with ease but can struggle when at 4K.

Even if the RTX 5080 is restricted to 384-bit, that would make it capable of rendering 4K with ease. A 512-bit bus would enable the card to handle up to 8K.

As the market is heading towards 4K as standard, enabling a high-end GPU to handle higher resolutions is a logical move.

Should you wait for the RTX 5080?

The 80-suffix cards are usually a good option for PC gaming fans who want high-end performance without shelling out the big bucks for a top-of-the-line flagship card.

In addition, those looking for a bargain might be able to bag a bargain at the end of 2024 when retailers are discounting old stock of RTX 4090 or RTX 4080 Super cards to make way for the shiny new GPUs.