NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
Ampere · 12 GB GDDR6X · 350 W
85
/ 100
From $799
VS
GeForce RTX 5090 Super wins by 14
NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 5090 Super
Blackwell · 32 GB GDDR7 · 620 W
99
/ 100
From $2,199
Specdex verdict
GeForce RTX 5090 Super takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, GeForce RTX 3080 12GB lands at 85 and GeForce RTX 5090 Super at 99. That puts GeForce RTX 5090 Super ahead by 14 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick GeForce RTX 3080 12GB if…
- ✓NVIDIA driver stack
- ✓DLSS support on RTX
- ✓Strong resale value
Pick GeForce RTX 5090 Super if…
- ✓Fastest consumer GPU ever
- ✓DLSS 4.5 Multi-Frame Gen
- ✓Hardware ray-tracing cores 5th-gen
Score breakdown
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
85 raster 85
rt 80
ai 82
efficiency 73
GeForce RTX 5090 Super
99 raster 100
rt 100
ai 100
efficiency 74
Specs side-by-side
Spec
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
GeForce RTX 5090 Super
Architecture
Ampere
Blackwell
VRAM
12 GB GDDR6X
32 GB GDDR7
TBP
350 W
620 W
Release year
2022
2025
CUDA cores
—
23,040
Memory bus
—
512-bit
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
Pros
- +NVIDIA driver stack
- +DLSS support on RTX
- +Strong resale value
Cons
- −Power draw scales with tier
- −Gen-over-gen price creep
- −VRAM gated per tier
GeForce RTX 5090 Super
Pros
- +Fastest consumer GPU ever
- +DLSS 4.5 Multi-Frame Gen
- +Hardware ray-tracing cores 5th-gen
Cons
- −620 W peak power draw
- −PSU requirements extreme
- −Supply allocation tight
FAQ: GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs GeForce RTX 5090 Super
Which is better, GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or GeForce RTX 5090 Super? +
GeForce RTX 5090 Super scores 99 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 14. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is GeForce RTX 3080 12GB worth the price? +
At $799, GeForce RTX 3080 12GB delivers a Specdex score of 85 — strongest in raster.
Is GeForce RTX 5090 Super worth the price? +
At $2,199, GeForce RTX 5090 Super delivers a Specdex score of 99 — strongest in raster.
Does GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or GeForce RTX 5090 Super last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.