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Ever wondered what it would be like if Batman had a fight against Naruto? Well, the same thinking applies here, except instead of comic book heroes battling anime legends, it’s the RTX 4080 Super vs PS5. We’re comparing the gaming hardware based on their specs, performance, and price so you can make an informed purchasing decision.
It’s an apples and oranges question, really, though it’s a valid point. Should you save your money and pick up an extremely versatile current-generation games console, or should you splash the cash and invest in an industry leading gaming PC component which will be gaming for many years to come in high fidelity. While one might offer a vast selection of features, simple usability and an easily accessible ecosystem, the other offers raw performance and a vastly more immersive experience. Let’s get into it.
RTX 4080 Super vs PS5: Specs
Comparing the specs of a console to a PC component may seem futile, but there are important factors to remember even though they seem to operate in totally different ways. It’s still important to understand what exactly what you’re thinking with, as you can gauge the theoretical performance, too.
| Specs | RTX 4080 Super | PS5 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 2 |
| Graphics Die | AD103 | AMD Oberon (Navi12 Lite) |
| Process Size | 5nm | 7nm |
| Graphics Memory | 16GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Graphics Memory Bus | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| Graphics Bandwidth | 716.8 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |
| VRAM Clock Speed | 2295 – 2550 MHz | 2233 MHz |
| Cuda Cores / Stream Processors (not directly comparable) | 10,240 | 2,304 |
| Storage | N/A | 1TB |
| TDP | 320W (Not including full build) | 200W |
There’s a few instances where there’s not been an applicable specification to reference for the RTX 4080 Super. That’s because it’s not a whole, complete system as the PS5 is. As you know, you’re going to need the best CPU for the RTX 4080 Super to get the most out of it, alongside a motherboard and RAM that’s not going to bottleneck it with inadequate bandwidth.
In terms of the rest of the specs, it might appear that the PS5 and RTX 4080 Super stand on similar ground. That’s partly why outright comparing specs isn’t the best idea. Even though the two pieces of kit have the 16GB RAM, it’s utilized in different ways, with the GPU featuring the faster GDDR6X variant. This means there will be quite the difference in bandwidth which can dramatically impact performance. The RTX 4080 Super is going to be capable of the latest DLSS 3.5 techniques (A.I. upscaling as well as Ray Reconstruction to better aid the third generation ray tracing functionality. The PS5, on the other hand, is dictated by the aging RDNA 2 architecture that’s going to be limited in FSR 2and less sophisticated ray tracing capabilities.
RTX 4080 Super vs PS5: Performance
While the RTX 4080 Super has only been announced with no hands-on just yet, we can make some pretty accurate predictions as to how it’s going to perform. The RTX 4080 (released in 2022) is going to give us a basic framework to gauge this from, though the differences in cores and memory bandwidth is going to give it a 2-3% performance boost. We go into depth in the differences between the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 Super in another comparison.
Frame rate and resolution
In terms of gaming performance on the PS5, you’re going to be limited to 4K at 60Hz in most games. While the console is capable of running at 120Hz, there are very few games that make use of this. A few AAA games are going to be running fairly steadily at around 60FPS, though many will need to be upscaled from 1440p to achieve this. In the case of the RTX 4080 Super, I can’t imagine there’s many games you could run on it that won’t eclipse 4K well past 60FPS with much more complex and immersive ray tracing going on. The visual experience on the graphics card is going to be significantly better than the PS5 – so long as you can fork out the $2,000 – $3,000 expenditure needed to make building an RTX 4080 Super gaming PC worth it.
The RTX 4080 Super’s performance is going to heavily depend on AI processing to make it work. DLSS 3, for example, is going to significantly upscale resolutions while optimising framerates, giving you a much cleaner gaming experience. While the PS5 is still going to be doing this, you will be able to see much more artifacting and evidence that you’re not really gaming at a native resolution.
At times, games like Final Fantasy XVI and Spider-Man 2 are going to have irking frame drops. This is thanks to some beautiful textures being rendered on screen, but the console is definitely being throttled to achieve them. Sadly, as the PS5’s now starting to enter its fourth year of commercial availability, and with games only getting larger in scope and file size, we could start to see the once-powerful RDNA 2 chip start to struggle.
Ray tracing
Nvidia’s forte is ray tracing, so you would expect the RTX 4080 Super to be well stocked in RT cores. It’s 3rd generation RT cores are capable of 121 teraflops – extraordinary speed that only the RTX 4090 eclipses. It’s only eight teraflops faster than the RTX 4080, though when you put that next to the PS5’s RT teraflops potential of 10.29, it’s drastic.
The PS5 is capable of light ray tracing, and while it’s going to make slight visual changes, the effect on performance in most games usually renders it a fun gimmick, rather than core component. At the moment, I’d say that the ray traced potential on Next Gen consoles is a work in progress. It’s worth remembering that ray tracing is a catch-all term which incorporates the likes of ray traced soft shadows, ray traced reflections, and ray traced real-time lighting, something the PS5 can do but can’t lead in, nor can it stack up where path tracing is concerned as the power’s simply not there.
When (and if) the PS5 Pro drops, expect it to be the first next-gen console with a real ray tracing voice.
How does the price of the RTX 4080 Super compare to the PS5?
The most affordable model of the PS5 at the moment is the PS5 Slim Digital edition. At $449, you’re going to have a complete console that has access to an extraordinary range of games. In comparison, the $999 RTX 4080 Super will require the following:
- CPU: $300 – $700
- Motherboard: $250 – $600
- DDR5 memory: $100 – $150
- SSD: $30 – $200
- PSU: $150 – $300
- Case: $40 – $200
- Cooling: $50 – $150
Alone, the GPU alone will cost double the price of the PS5, and with all of the other required components you could be looking at nearly five or six times the price. Of course, you can find cheaper options, though if you’re building an RTX 4080 Super PC, you’re probably not looking to cut any corners. That said, if you already have all the PC components and are just looking for an upgrade – it might not seem so bad.
Should you buy the RTX 4080 Super or the PS5?
Beyond the price and specs of the two pieces of kit, you’ve really got to think about what exactly you’re looking for. Do you want a machine that plays games well enough outputting in 4K and media playback or lay casual games or an beast of a machine with the price tag to match? If the former, go for the PS5 as its price-to-performance can’t really be beaten. On the other hand, if you’re excited about pushing graphics and visual fidelity to the boundaries of what’s possible – build a PC with an RTX 4080 Super. It’s much more affordable than the now redundant RTX 4080, and it’s going to offer slight increases in performance, too.
Cover image background sourced from Pexels, then edited in-house.
