The GeForce RTX graphic cards are designed to give gamers an elevated gaming experience. NVidia RTX has positioned itself as a leading high-end professional visual computing platform with multiple applications, including designing complex large-scale models in product design and architecture.
This software is also applied in gaming, scientific visualization, film and video, and energy exploration.
Below, we will cover specific aspects of RTX, specifically RTX 3080 and 3070, and how they compare against each other.
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RTX 3080
The RTX 3080 is one of the latest graphic cards on the market with outstanding performance and the ability to revolutionize 4K gaming. The graphic card is designed to make high-end gaming attainable for an average gamer. It runs a wide range of PC games with faster refresh rates and high resolution at an affordable price range.
Features and Chipset
The NVidia GeForce RTX 3080 largely borrows from the new Nvidia Ampere graphics architecture that seeks to elevate power efficiency and improve raw performance. The designers have also adjusted the RT and Tensor core, with the most notable being a tune-up of the rasterization engine. The company has doubled the amount of CUDA core present on each streaming Multiprocessor by adjusting each SM to handle Floating Point 32 workloads.
The RTX3080 has 46% more SMs than the RTX 2080 to achieve more than double the CUDA count from 2994-8704. These figures translate to three times the theoretical FP32 from 10TFLOPs to 29,7TFLOPs. Combining the upgraded CUDA cores and improved Texture, Cache, and Memory Bandwidth, and a faster GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, you get an exceptional gaming experience.
Price
The RTX 3080 had an average price of $699 on launch. However, the price varies from one seller to another and goes easily into the thousands as of today (Feb 2022).
This is mostly due to the high demand and drast GPU shortage.
Most retailers have sold out their entire stock of RTX 3080; for now, you will have to be patient for a restock. Reliable sources to buy from include Amazon or BestBuy.
ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 V2 OC Edition Graphics Card...
- NVIDIA Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors: The building blocks for the world’s fastest, most efficient GPU, the all-new Ampere SM brings 2X the FP32 throughput and improved power efficiency.
- 2nd Generation RT Cores: Experience 2X the throughput of 1st gen RT Cores, plus concurrent RT and shading for a whole new level of ray tracing performance.
- NVIDIA Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors: The building blocks for the world’s fastest, most efficient GPU, the all-new Ampere SM brings 2X the FP32 throughput and improved power efficiency.
- 2nd Generation RT Cores: Experience 2X the throughput of 1st gen RT Cores, plus concurrent RT and shading for a whole new level of ray tracing performance.
- 3rd Generation Tensor Cores: Get up to 2X the throughput with structural sparsity and advanced AI algorithms such as DLSS. Now with support for up to 8K resolution, these cores deliver a massive boost in game performance and all-new AI capabilities.
- This GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card with LHR (lite hash rate) delivers 43 MH/s ETH hash rate (est.).
- OC edition: Boost clock 1815 MHz (OC mode)/1785 MHz (Gaming mode)
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Pros N’ Cons of RTX 3080
The RTX 3080 comes with several adjustments to enhance performance. However, it still has its merits and demerits.
Pros
- Cheaper compared to RTX 2080 Ti
- High-quality performance, capable of supporting 4K gaming and ray tracing
- Cool design
- Future proof with HDMI 2.1. PCIe 4.0. AV1 encoding, and 8K/30fps capture
- Improved DLSS
- Has a 2x 8-pin converter to new 12-pin power
- Second-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- New features, including Broadcast, Reflex, RTX-IO, and G-SYNC 360
- Good for mining
Cons
- Consumes a lot of power
- Runs in power limit
- Get loud under load
- Lacks USB-C in Founder Edition
- The 10GB VRAM may not be enough for 4K gaming in the long run.
RTX 3070
The GeForce RTX 3070 is considered a pioneer when it comes to 4K gaming. However, these graphic cards face stiff competition from other models in the RTX 3000 series, including the RTX 3090. The RTX 3070 has outstanding features that make it a great contender against the flagship model, the RTX 2080 Ti. One of the greatest selling points of this graphic card s its affordable price coupled with its high performance.
Features and Chipset
The RTX 3070 is powered by the Ampere GA104 GPU that spots 5888 CUDA cores spread across 46 Streaming Multiprocessors. It also has a similar Nvidia Ampere architecture on the RTX3090 and RTX 3080. Some notable upgrades to this graphic card are its power efficiency and raw performance. Designers have also included second-generation RT cores and third-generation Tensor cores that improve the functionality of ray tracing and DLSS.
Price
Due to the high demand and overall GPU shortage, the prices for the RTX 30xx series tend to fluctuate a lot. So you should always check Amazon or other retailers for the latest prices.
Here are some good options from Amazon:
EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra Gaming, 08G-P5-3755-KL, 8GB GDDR6, iCX3 Cooling,...
- Real Boost Clock: 1770 MHz; Memory Detail: 8192 MB GDDR6.
- Real-Time RAY TRACING in games for cutting-edge, hyper-realistic graphics.
- All-Metal Backplate & Adjustable ARGB
- Avoid using unofficial software
- Real Boost Clock: 1770 MHz; Memory Detail: 8192 MB GDDR6.
- Real-Time RAY TRACING in games for cutting-edge, hyper-realistic graphics.
- All-Metal Backplate & Adjustable ARGB
- Avoid using unofficial software
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC Low Hash Rate 8GB...
- NVIDIA Ampere architecture, 2nd Gen Ray Tracing Cores, 3rd Gen Tensor Cores
- Boost Clock 1755 MHz, 8GB 256-bit GDDR6, 14 Gbps, PCIE 4.0; Low Hash Rate (LHR) 25 MH's ETH hash rate (est.)
- White LED Logo Lighting, IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, FREEZE Fan Stop, Active Fan Control, Metal Backplate
- NVIDIA Ampere architecture, 2nd Gen Ray Tracing Cores, 3rd Gen Tensor Cores
- Boost Clock 1755 MHz, 8GB 256-bit GDDR6, 14 Gbps, PCIE 4.0; Low Hash Rate (LHR) 25 MH's ETH hash rate (est.)
- White LED Logo Lighting, IceStorm 2.0 Advanced Cooling, FREEZE Fan Stop, Active Fan Control, Metal Backplate
- 8K Ready, 4 Display Ready, HDCP 2.3, VR Ready.Avoid using unofficial software
- 4 x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1 x HDMI 2.1, DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan RT API, OpenGL 4.6
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Pros N’ Cons
The RTX 3070 is considered an upgrade from the RTX 2080 Ti with better power consumption and performance.
However, it still has its merits and demerits, including:
Pros
- Ideal choice for 1440p gaming
- High price to value ratio
- Quiet and cool
- Excellent ray tracing performance
- Fast performance
- Supports HDMI 2.1 and AV1 decode
- Has new GeForce features, including Broadcast, RTX-IO, Reflex, and G-SYNC 360
Cons
- Requires a 12-pin power connector
- 750W power supply required
- Has a complicated overclocking due to power limit
- Stock issues
Benchmark Comparison
The RTX 3080 and 3070 are powerful graphic cards that bring a whole new perspective to the gaming industry. However, each card has its strengths and weaknesses in gaming in 4K, 1440p, and 1050p.
RTX 3080 vs. 3070: 1080p Benchmarks
Both models perform outstanding even at the highest setting of 1920×180, delivering 70-80 frame rates in high demanding AAA games. The difference between these two is negligible regardless of the type of processor you add to your PC.
RTX 3080 vs 3070: 1440p benchmarks
In the previous comparison, these models performed seamlessly. However, the disparity starts to show when running your gaming at 1440p. The RTX 3080 and 3070 were designed to provide flawless gaming even with the game set at maximum details and a resolution of 2560×1440. Both cards are powerful enough to manage an average of 60fps+ in most new games. However, to ensure seamless gaming, you may need to activate the game’s DLSS support.
In some games, the RTX 3080 takes the lead with more than 20fps. Which is not surprising giving the powerhouse it is.
However, the difference between these two is not really visible to the eye; it’s not easy to tell the difference between 70fps and 90fps for non FPS games. In conclusion, the RTX 3070 manages an average of 72fps on high settings at 1440p while the RTX 3080 manages 80+ fps.
Tech Imperium did a great comparison of a few games in 1080p and 1440p which matches our experience.
RTX 3080 vs. 3070: 4K benchmark
When buying a graphic card for 4K gaming, you should consider saving up for the RTX 3080, especially if you want to future-proof your PC.
Both models reach 60fps with a medium setting in most 4K games. However, the 3070 may start to show its limitations when executing some of the latest games on high settings. The RTX 3070 performs well in a medium setting for some of the latest games with DLSS support, most of which are being phased out. On the other hand, the RTX 3080 can reach up to 60fps at Ultra settings.
Subsequently, the RTX 3080 is the best choice if you are looking to enjoy the latest 4K gaming.
Random Benchmark actually did a great video that goes into more detail and tested various games in 1080p, 1440p and 4k – give it a watch:
