GeForce RTX 3080 vs GeForce RTX 4070
The GeForce RTX 4070 pulls ahead here — a touch quicker, about 6% ahead of the GeForce RTX 3080. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
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GeForce RTX 4070 vs GeForce RTX 3080: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce RTX 4070 vs GeForce RTX 3080
The GeForce RTX 4070 is marginally faster, around 6% ahead of the GeForce RTX 3080. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to 1440p.
Price & Value
Pricing has the GeForce RTX 4070 at $661 EUR, $57 EUR under the GeForce RTX 3080's $718 EUR. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce RTX 4070 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 15%.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the GeForce RTX 4070 (200W vs 320W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter. Its more modern Ada Lovelace architecture on a TSMC N4 process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The GeForce RTX 4070 carries 12GB versus 10GB on the GeForce RTX 3080. The extra 2GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers. The GeForce RTX 3080's memory is also faster — 760 GB/s versus 504 GB/s (320-bit vs 192-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce RTX 4070 is roughly 3 years newer than the GeForce RTX 3080 (Ada Lovelace vs Ampere), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 or GeForce RTX 4070?
The GeForce RTX 4070 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 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce RTX 4070 better than the GeForce RTX 3080?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3080 or the GeForce RTX 4070?
Is the GeForce RTX 3080 worth the extra $57 EUR over the GeForce RTX 4070?
Does the GeForce RTX 4070 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 or GeForce RTX 4070?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC N4 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / CUDA Cores) | 8,704✓ | 5,888 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 68✓ | 46 |
| Tensor / AI Cores | 272✓ | 184 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,440 MHz | 1,920 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,710 MHz | 2,475 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 10 GB | 12 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 320-bit✓ | 192-bit |
| Memory Speed | 19 Gbps | 21 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 760 GB/s✓ | 504 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 320 W | 200 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | 1x 16-pin |
| Released | Sep 2020 | Apr 2023 |
