GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 7900 GRE
Performance-wise the Radeon RX 7900 GRE is out front, noticeably faster, roughly 16% up on the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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Radeon RX 7900 GRE vs GeForce RTX 3080 12GB: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 7900 GRE vs GeForce RTX 3080 12GB
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is noticeably faster, around 16% ahead of the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the Radeon RX 7900 GRE is comfortable at 4K with upscaling and native 1440p, while the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is better matched to 1440p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon RX 7900 GRE starts at $807 EUR against $1,447 EUR for the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 7900 GRE wins on performance-per-dollar by about 108%. The Radeon RX 7900 GRE still sits about $258 EUR above its $549 EUR MSRP. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB still sits about $648 EUR above its $799 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE sips power at 260W next to the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB's 350W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU. Its more modern RDNA 3 architecture on a TSMC N5 process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE's 16GB (vs 12GB on the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB (RDNA 3 vs Ampere), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 7900 GRE 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 12GB or Radeon RX 7900 GRE?
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 7900 GRE better than the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or the Radeon RX 7900 GRE?
Is the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB worth the extra $640 EUR over the Radeon RX 7900 GRE?
Does the Radeon RX 7900 GRE have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or Radeon RX 7900 GRE?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 7900 GRE |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 3 |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC N5 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 8,960✓ | 5,120 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 80 |
| Tensor / AI Cores | — | 160 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 7900 GRE |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,440 MHz✓ | 1,287 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,710 MHz | 2,245 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 7900 GRE |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB | 16 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit✓ | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 19 Gbps✓ | 18 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 912 GB/s✓ | 576 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 7900 GRE |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 350 W | 260 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Released | Jan 2022 | Feb 2024 |