- Nvidia’s new RTX 5080 GPU performs better than AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX at raw rasterization and ray tracing
- DLSS 4 performance takes it further, while the RX 7900 XTX only has FSR 3 for now
- Scalping could leave many people buying AMD GPUs instead
The best of Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series GPUs are finally here, with the RTX 5090 ($1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039) and the RTX 5080 ($999 / £939 / AU$2,019) launching yesterday. With comparisons now out in the wild, it’s clear to see that the RTX 5080 defeats AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX while sitting at the same listed price – although the chances of finding one at that price are slim.
At both raw rasterization and (unsurprisingly) ray tracing performance, Team Green’s RTX 5080 comes out on top against its rivals’ flagship RX 7000 series GPU in several games as evident in Gamer Meld‘s comparison on YouTube (available below). Whilst it isn’t by a huge margin (at least in raw rasterization), it completes the job the previous generation’s RTX 4080 Super set out to do.
Examples of this are notable in Black Myth: Wukong, as the RTX 5080 scored an average frame rate of 42fps versus the RX 7900 XTX’s 32fps at 4K max graphics settings with no upscaling or ray tracing, a 27% performance difference. With RT Overdrive enabled in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K max graphics settings and upscaling on (performance mode for both), the RTX 5080 had an average of 59.84 fps versus the 7900 XTX’s 30.02 fps.
It’s worth noting that this is while Team Green’s powerhouse GPU was using DLSS 4 and the RX 7900 XTX was using FSR 3 – you could call it an unfair comparison, but Team Red’s FSR 4 will only be available for RDNA 4 GPUs (at least for now), and the GPU in question isn’t one of them. We will have to wait just a little longer for more information on what the new RX 9070 series offers (especially while using FSR 4), and whether this could stack up to Nvidia’s offerings.
Unless you’re lucky enough to grab an RTX 5080 FE before scalpers, you likely won’t get it at its listed price
Now, this may be a circumstance where I’d recommend sticking with AMD’s RX 7900 XTX if you already own the GPU – the RTX 5080 FE would likely be the better option going forward (especially if DLSS 4 is better than FSR 4), but the scalpers will likely be the main obstacle to stop you from purchasing it at reasonable prices.
We’ve seen this happen on numerous occasions with Nvidia’s GPUs and other PC hardware, so expect it to be the same case here. It’ll likely be much worse for those chasing the RTX 5090 with its $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039 price (which I frankly don’t think is worth it if you already own an RTX 4090).
While Nvidia’s RTX 5080 is the stronger GPU, the RX 7900 XTX doesn’t stray too far behind in raw rasterization – ray tracing and upscaling are great don’t get me wrong, but I’ve already stated that this shouldn’t be the deciding factor for a GPU purchase.
Both GPUs are at the same listed price, with third-party options of the RX 7900 XTX at lower prices (since it’s been out for 2 years) so it would be the easy and most affordable option in this case – but once more users catch wind of performance comparisons, you’ll likely see the RX 7900 XTX disappear from online retailers too with low stock. A potential purchase of the RTX 5080 is entirely down to whether you own AMD’s GPU already or a GPU that’s weaker on either Team Red or Team Green’s end.
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