How Much Does it Cost?
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition launches with an MSRP of £979 on January 30th 2025. However, there will be custom cards from partner brands too, and while some may be MSRP cards, many are likely to be above that with custom cooling and overclocking configurations. You can check for stock on the Nvidia website here, and for custom cards at Scan.co.uk here.
Overview
Let’s break this down because the RTX 5080 sits in an interesting position within NVIDIA’s Blackwell lineup. It’s not the flagship 5090, but it’s far from a mid-range option. Instead, it aims to deliver high-end gaming performance with fewer compromises and a more palatable price point. While the 5090 is designed for enthusiasts and professionals looking for no-compromise performance, the 5080 caters to those who want a balance between cutting-edge features and a reasonable investment.
Rasterisation Performance
Starting with rasterisation, the RTX 5080 delivers a strong uplift over its predecessor, the RTX 4080. In many cases, we see a 10-15% performance increase, which is notable for this tier. However, as with other cards in the series, the 1% lows still feel like they need some attention. It’s not to say they’re bad – they’re perfectly acceptable for gaming – but they occasionally lag behind the card’s average performance, which can create moments of inconsistency in demanding titles. This could likely be addressed through driver optimisations, which tend to smooth out over time.
Interestingly, while rasterisation performance is solid, it’s clear that NVIDIA is no longer focusing purely on this metric for generational improvements. Instead, they’re looking to leverage new technologies like ray tracing and upscaling to deliver meaningful performance gains and more immersive visuals. While there’s still room for improvement in rasterisation alone, it’s clear that NVIDIA sees the future of gaming as a blend of traditional rendering and newer technologies, and the RTX 5080 is a great example of this direction.
Ray Tracing Performance
Ray tracing has been one of NVIDIA’s major selling points for several generations now, and the RTX 5080 continues to push this technology forward. Compared to the RTX 4080, the 5080 handles ray tracing significantly better, offering smoother gameplay and higher frame rates in titles that use advanced lighting, shadows, reflections, and global illumination.
What’s particularly impressive is how the 5080 compares to AMD’s offerings, with NVIDIA still leading the way in ray tracing workloads. The performance gap becomes even more evident at higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K, where the 5080 delivers playable frame rates even without upscaling. As games continue to adopt more ray-traced elements and developers aim for fully ray-traced environments, the RTX 5080 shows that it’s ready for this shift. Its architecture is well-suited for next-gen visuals, offering a blend of raw power and efficiency that ensures games not only look stunning but run smoothly as well.
That said, the future of ray tracing isn’t just about making it playable – it’s about creating fully immersive environments. Developers are moving towards real-time global illumination, reflections, shadows, and ambient occlusion being calculated simultaneously, which represents the next level of realism. The RTX 5080 may not achieve the same performance levels as the 5090 in these scenarios, but it handles them well enough to be a great option for those looking to enjoy cutting-edge graphics without jumping to the flagship model. And if it doesn’t, then that’s where upscaling comes in.
Upscaling and Multi-Frame Generation (MFG)
Upscaling and multi-frame generation on the RTX 5080 delivers impressive performance improvements, with significant gains over native rendering across all settings. These features not only boost frame rates dramatically but also manage to maintain lower latency, even as more advanced settings are enabled. The balance between performance and responsiveness makes these technologies a standout piece of tech, and something that I’m keen to see progress as the hardware and software mature.
Who Is the RTX 5080 For?
The RTX 5080 is clearly targeted at gamers and enthusiasts who want high-end performance without stepping into the extreme pricing and power requirements of the RTX 5090. It’s a card that thrives at 1440p and 4K gaming, offering a great mix of features, performance, and price. While it doesn’t aim to be the king of the hill, it provides a more approachable option that still showcases much of what the Blackwell architecture can deliver without going into 5090 territory.
Unlike the 5090, the 5080 feels less like a showcase of what’s possible and more like a workhorse for gamers who want a reliable, high-performance GPU that can handle the demands of modern and next-gen games. It’s not about pushing every boundary; it’s about delivering a well-rounded experience that balances power, efficiency, and price. I feel it’s only going to get better as drivers and game optimisations come along. With it even easier for developers to incorporate upscaling and MFG into their games, we should start to see more and more titles adopt this latest technology, though 75 games at launch is still pretty impressive too.
Should I Buy One?
So, wrapping things up. The RTX 5080 is a card that feels like it was designed with gamers in mind. It takes the strengths of the 5090 – its cutting-edge features, improved architecture, and raw power – and puts it all into a product that’s more accessible while still delivering a fantastic gaming experience. It may not have the absolute best performance in every category, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it strikes a balance that will appeal to a wider audience, offering next-gen capabilities without the need for flagship pricing or hardware requirements.
While it’s not for everyone, the RTX 5080 is a great example of NVIDIA’s ability to scale its technologies across multiple tiers, ensuring that even non-flagship products deliver an impressive experience. It’s a card that shows what’s possible when you balance innovation with practicality, and it’s exciting to see how it sets the tone for the rest of the Blackwell lineup. To be completely honest with you, aside from the 5090, as it’s the top dog, I’m excited more about the RTX 5070 and what that can deliver, especially given its price point. Maybe in the near future, we’ll do a re-review of this card as those all-important driver updates come in.
