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Is the newer model better than the original flagship, it’s time to consider the RTX 4080 Super Vs RTX 4090 to see if new does mean improved. The RTX 4080 Super, which was released January 31, is the latest GPU flagship from Nvidia, so we’re comparing the newer models to the old. Looking at everything from prices, specs and performance to help you make an informed decision of which high-end graphics card is best for you. Want to get hold of the new graphics card? Here’s where to buy RTX 4080 Super graphics cards. Don’t know whether to get one? Check out our review of the RTX 4080 Super to see what we think of the new flagship.
RTX 4080 Super Vs RTX 4090 price comparison
ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080 Super OC
Base Clock
2.024 gigahertz
Boost Clock
2.505 gigahertz
VRAM
16GB
TDP
320
The RTX 4090 had an original MSRP of $1599 when it was first released, a price which remained steadfast since the GPU’s release in 2022, but has recently seen a big increase to roughly $1,999 at its basic rate on Newegg. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 Super had a release price of $999, which made its MSRP substantially cheaper than the 4090, however the hype around the RTX 4080 Super’s release meant stocks have been fluctuating, and prices have gone up with certain retailers. Another factor in price is the cost of the components you’ll want to have around the GPU itself. For example, the best CPU for the RTX 4090 costs more than the best CPU for the RTX 4080 Super. Your processor is the component most likely to bottleneck your graphics card, and because the RTX 4090 is more powerful, you need a more powerful CPU to go with it.
Want to get your hands on an RTX 4090? Here’s one we recommend.
ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090
Base Clock
2235 MHz
Boost Clock
2610 MHz
VRAM
24 GB GDDR6X
Recommended PSU
850W
Dimensions
358 x 149 x 70 mm
RTX 4080 Super Vs RTX 4090 specs comparison
With Super in the title, it’s not a great shock to find out that the RTX 4080 Super’s specs are impressive, but the difference between these two GPUs is still noticeable. The RTX 4090 boasted 25GB of GDDR6X VRAM, which is twice the VRAM offered by the Super (16GB), whilst also sporting a 384-bit memory interface, more than the Super’s 256-bit. However, the 4090 has a memory clock of 1313MHz, which is beaten by the Super (1438MHz). And, the 4090 has a substantially higher power consumption at 450W, whereas the 4080 Super’s is a steady 320W.Â
The 4080 Super does boast a decent amount of CUDA cores with 10240, but the 4090 is equipped with an impressive 16384; as well the 4080 Super has an improved memory bandwidth of 736GB/s, an improvement on the 717GB/s of the 4080, but the 4090 wins again with a bandwidth of 1008 GB/s. When considering core clock speed, the Super does win but only by a small margin, with a base frequency of 2295MHz and a boost frequency of 2550MHz, which is a fraction more than the 2235MHz and 2520MHz respectively, that the 4090 is equipped with.
RTX 4080 Super Vs RTX 4090 performance comparison
As was promised by Nvidia in its special address at CES 2024, the RTX 4080 Super is new and improved, capable of running games at 4K with full Ray Tracing and 1.4x faster than the RTX 3080 Ti, with frame rates of up to twice as fast, with DLSS 3. The RTX 4080 Super also features super-fast gen AI for roughly 1.5x faster AI generated images and video diffusion.Â
Compared during gameplay by Dracarys Gaming on YouTube, these two Nvidia graphics cards were competing in performance benchmarks at 4K Ultra during graphically demanding games. Maintaining a similar GPU temperature throughout The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, the 4080 Super kept an average temperature of around 69 degrees celsius while the 4090 Super was cooler at around 65 degrees celsius. The Super had an average frame rate of 134 fps, with the lowest score at 1% being about 107 fps, while the 4090 maintained an average of 163 fps and a low at 1% of 130 fps. When compared during Cyberpunk 2077, at maxed out settings, both GPUs kept similar temperatures as before, with the Super’s average framerate at 70 fps and the 4090’s at 88 fps.
As expected, the RTX 4090 is going to pull much more consistent frame rates than the newly developed competitor, however, the difference is fairly minimal enough that you won’t be left yearning for more performance with the Super variant.
When WePC’s Sebastian Kozlowski tested the RTX 4080 Super’s performance, the Super showed prowess during Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough, hitting 51fps in native 4K, and 28fps in 4K with Ray Tracing. Running modern AAA games, like Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, the Super scored up to 95fps in 4K, with ‘ultra settings’ not causing any drops in performance. During The Finals gameplay, the 4K reached 99fps without Ray Tracing or DLSS enabled, as well as hitting 230fps in 4K in Doom Eternal and 194fps in 4K during Rainbow Six Siege.
RTX 4080 Super Vs RTX 4090 release date comparison
First announced at the GPU Technology Conference in September 2022, the RTX 40 series was available to buy as of October that year, making the RTX 4090 just over a year old. GPUs tend to have a shelf life of around 3 years, depending on the demand put on them and the condition of your PC, which means the RTX 4090 is definitely not out of date yet. However, the Super series, first announced at CES 2024, began its three-part release on January 17 with the RTX 4070 Super becoming available to buy. The RTX 4080 Super was the last of the three new Super GPUs to be released, available to buy as of January 31.
Should I buy the RTX 4080 Super or the RTX 4090?
The RTX 4080 Super, as promised, is a robust GPU that performs well through 4K Ultra gameplay without a substantial spike in GPU temperature or loss of framerate. It may be a bit overkill if you’re just in the market for a graphics card to support casual gaming, but if you need a GPU that can undertake the demand of high graphical performances, with a lower power consumption and a substantially smaller price tag, the 4080 Super is worth it. However, if you don’t mind breaking the bank for a graphics card built to withstand the highest graphics settings, and which can produce great images at 4K whilst keeping high frame rates, even if it does use more power, the 4090 is set to produce impressive quality graphics for high end gaming experiences, but at a much higher cost.
What do the reviews say about the RTX 4080 Super and RTX 4090?
Now that we’ve seen the reviews for the RTX 4080 Super, it’s pretty clear that it offers up a really solid set of performance benchmarks, with The Verge handing it an 8/10 score, and PC Gamer following suit.
‘$999 is the main feature,’ The Verge’s review says boldly, while PC Gamer’s notes that it’s ‘still priced too high’ with ‘no tangible performance gains over RTX 4080’. It’s clear that there’s a mixed set of responses to the RTX 4080 Super which, despite a better pricing structure, only really makes minimal gains over the RTX 4080.
In comparison, over a year on from the 4090’s launch, it’s review still holds up competitively, with the Tom’s Hardware’s review noting that a CPU bottleneck is going to be the most important factor in trying to optimise performance with the card.
How much does the RTX 4080 Super cost?
Available to buy since January 31, the RTX 4080 Super has an MSRP of $999.
When did the RTX 4090 come out?
First announced at the GPU Technology Conference in September 2022, the RTX 4090 became available to buy from November 2022.
