The RTX 4080 Super is one of our favourite cards we’ve had our hands on at PC Guide. Sitting just underneath the Nvidia RTX 4090, the 4080 Super packs a ton of performance at a price point that’s not to be sniffed at. Don’t believe us? You can check out our full RTX 4080 Super review here. The Super arrived and replaced the standard RTX 4080, which is still a very good card. But just how well does it compare with the newer Super version? Here we take a look and compare these two models to see who truly wins when you pit the RTX 4080 Super vs. RTX 4080.
RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4080 specs comparison
The RTX 4080 Super was initially thought to be minimal upgrade to the original 4080, however, in our 4080 Super hands on review we realised it was a lot more than that. On the surface, the incremental advancement, particularly in terms of cores, clock speed, and TDP, might seem extremely modest. However, in the realm of high-end GPUs, even small improvements can translate to noticeable performance gains. This is exactly what we saw in our review. Having used both cards, there is a clear performance boost in the 4080 Super, so much so that we concluded it should have been the card Nvidia launched with initially. Let us explain.
| Specs | RTX 4080 Super | RTX 4080 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10240 | 9728 |
| Memory Size | 16GB G6X | 16GB G6X |
| Bus Width | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| Bandwidth | 716.8 GB/s | 716.8 GB/s |
| Base Clock | 2295 MHz | 2205 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2550 MHz | 2505 MHz |
| RT Cores | 80 | 76 |
| TDP | 340 W | 320 W |
| Launch Price | $959 | ≈ $900 |
The RTX 4080 Super features a core count of 10,240. This is rather significant in terms of its correlation to performance. This roughly 5% increase in CUDA cores leads to greatly enhance processing power. Both the RTX 4080 Super and the RTX 4080 maintain relative parity in clock speed, with a base and boost improvement of 2295 MHz and 2550 MHz respectively. This general consistency in clock speeds shows the primary performance boost comes from the increased number of cores, rather than clock speeds. From a pure specifications standpoint, the RTX 4080 Super trumps the RTX 4080 without straying too far from the original’s design ethos.
RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4080 performance comparison
The increase core count for the 4080 Super, although not huge on the surface, causes an improvement in processing power. This enhancement in cores is significant enough to deliver better handling of graphics and intensive tasks. That means you can expect a slight, but noticeable overall uptick in performance between the RTX 4080 Super and RTX 4080, especially at 4k resolution. This, coupled with a slightly faster clock speed give the Super a clear edge over the older RTX 4080. In real world teams, this translates to better gaming performance, especially at 4K, despite the fact both cards boast the same amounts of VRAM. That doesn’t mean the 4080 is a slouch, though… far from it. Compared to lesser cards, the 4080’s huge 16GB VRAM gives plenty of room to enjoy AAA games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, Starfield and more at 4K, Ultra paired with formidable framerates. Of course, as per any RTX card, ray tracing and DLSS is supported by both GPUs, features we at PC Guide absolutely appreciate.
Newer is better
There’s no doubt, and this was confirmed in our testing, that the 4080 Super is a better card then the standard 4080. Only opt for the 4080 if you spot a good deal, otherwise we would recomend saving up for a Super… you won’t be disapointed.
RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4080 price comparison
Like many of these comparisons, price is a crucial element when looking at graphics cards. The Super is by no means a cheap card, with an MSRP of $959. Current RTX 4080 prices fluctuate around $900, although since the Supers have been released, the 4080 prices has started to decline. This minor increase in price for the Super variant is particularly noteworthy considering the additional cores and potential performance enhancements it offers – and we think it’s totally worth it. We fully expect standard 4080 prices to continue to drop, which would be in line with Nvidia’s price and product release history.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, the RTX 4080 Super has absolutely come in and knocked the 4080 down a few pegs. The combination of a higher core count, performance boosts, and a competitive price point all makes choosing the Super the sensible choice. Apart from the RTX 4090, which is very much targeting enthusiasts, the 4080 Super is easily one of the best pound-for-pound GPUs around right now. If you’re interested to see how it fares against Nvidia’s top dog, check out our RTX 4080 Super vs RTX 4090 showdown. If you’re looking for your next GPU, check out our best graphics cards of 2024.
