GPU Comparison

Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.

Quick Verdict

The GeForce RTX 3080 is dramatically faster than the Radeon RX 590, leading by roughly 400% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.

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VS
NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 3080
Price
$580 CAD
Performance
35%
VRAM
10 GB GDDR6X
Key Specs Advantage
+278% CUDA Cores (8,704 vs 2,304)
+197% Bandwidth (760 GB/s vs 256 GB/s)
+25% Memory Bus (320-bit vs 256-bit)
Price
$790 CAD
Performance
7%
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage

Comparable or lower specs

GeForce RTX 3080 vs Radeon RX 590: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: GeForce RTX 3080 vs Radeon RX 590

The GeForce RTX 3080 is dramatically faster, around 400% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the GeForce RTX 3080 is comfortable at 1440p, while the Radeon RX 590 is better matched to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the GeForce RTX 3080 starts at $580 CAD against $790 CAD for the Radeon RX 590. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce RTX 3080 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 581%. The GeForce RTX 3080 is trading below its $699 CAD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 590 still sits about $511 CAD above its $279 CAD MSRP.

Power & Efficiency

The Radeon RX 590 pulls less power (225W vs 320W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster GeForce RTX 3080 draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it. Its more modern Ampere architecture on a Samsung 8nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

With 10GB against 8GB, the GeForce RTX 3080 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon RX 590's 8GB can fall short.

Generation & Longevity

The GeForce RTX 3080 is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon RX 590 (Ampere vs GCN 4.0 (Polaris)), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 3080 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 590?

The GeForce RTX 3080 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 590 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GeForce RTX 3080 better than the Radeon RX 590?

The GeForce RTX 3080 is dramatically faster, roughly 400% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3080 or the Radeon RX 590?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at 1440p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon RX 590 worth the extra $210 CAD over the GeForce RTX 3080?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the GeForce RTX 3080 comes out ahead.

Does the GeForce RTX 3080 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 10GB (vs 8GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

SpecificationGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 590
ArchitectureAmpereGCN 4.0 (Polaris)
Process NodeSamsung 8nmGloFo 12nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)8,7042,304
Ray Tracing Cores68
Tensor / AI Cores272

Clock Speeds

SpecificationGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 590
Base Clock1,440 MHz1,469 MHz
Boost Clock1,710 MHz1,545 MHz

Memory

SpecificationGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 590
VRAM Capacity10 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6XGDDR5
Memory Bus320-bit256-bit
Memory Speed19 Gbps8 Gbps
Bandwidth760 GB/s256 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 590
InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP320 W225 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin1x 8-pin
ReleasedSep 2020Nov 2018