The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 features 10GB VRAM, DLSS and RTX. It uses NVIDIA’s new Ampere architecture, over last generations Turing. The 3080 is practically top of the line when it comes to graphics card. The only card above the 3080 is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which comes with an increase in price over the 3080. The NVIDIA 3080 play 1080p at max settings and not even begin to sweat. This card truly shows its power when it comes to 1440p or 4K. It is approximately 70% better than the NVIDIA 2080, and 30% better than the 2080Ti, which was top of the line last generation.
With this kind of power and performance, you can expect a high price. Well, not really actually. If you’re a serious hardcore gamer and play AAA games at 1440p and 4k, or even for a content creator, the 3080 is definitely the best value for you. Saying that this card is fast is a huge understatement. No matter what gets thrown at this card, it will be able to handle it with ease. We don’t recommend this card if you are only going to play 1440p or 1080p. For that, we recommend sticking with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070.
Performance
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 offers some of the most power per cost of any NVIDIA 30 Series Card. It comes in about 14% slower than the RTX 3090, which is top of the line and features 24GBs of VRAM as well as more CUDA cores. That being said, if you are going to play at 1440p and 4K, we absolutely recommend this card. Why get this card over a 3070? As said before, this card can pretty much handle anything you throw at it. Even Cyberpunk 2077 on max settings. Although we do not recommend this card for anyone who doesn’t play at 1440p and 4k mostly, it is still a fantastic choice simply because of how well it will keep up with games.
The 3080 will be able to keep up with next-gen games and possibly even the generation after that. If you game at 1080p, the 1080Ti can still handle games today. The 3080 will eventually be that 1080Ti, only with 1440p in the future. One day, this card will begin to struggle at 4K the same way the 1080Ti struggles at 1440p today. But it will be able to play 1440p still in the future. That is the biggest reason we recommend this card. It will maintain its performance over the years to come.
What is a good system build for the 3070?
If you’re looking at a 3080, we recommend pairing it with a Ryzen 9 5900X CPU or an I9-10900K. This card is no doubt powerful, so it needs an equivalent CPU to avoid bottle necking.
In terms of Memory, you can’t really go wrong with any of our selections when pairing with this GPU. In general, graphics cards have their own memory so the speed will not make too much of a difference.
In terms of what motherboard is best, we recommend going with an X570 board for AMD Ryzen, or a mid tier/top tier Z490 for Intel Core.
We do recommend upgrading your system cooling to something a little beefier because the card does generate a decent amount of heat.
Our Recommendations and Alternatives
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is no doubt a powerhouse of a graphics card, but that doesn’t mean its untouchable. An alternative to the 3080 is the AMD Radeon™ RX 6900-XT. Given, the 6900XT doesn’t have DLSS. The 6900XT also features 16GB VRAM and is much better at multi rendering. If you use professional software and enjoys gaming, we recommend the 6900XT over the the 3080. Other than that, we cannot recommend anything else within this league.
If you don’t play at 4K at all, it may be worth it to just save and sacrifice some frames on a 3070. That being said, the 3080 is still a good option since it will not show its age as fast as a 3070 will.
Overview
Supernova Gaming recommends choosing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 for most builds within a higher tier. When considering how much power this card has and its capabilities, it would not make sense to pair this card with a lower end processor. In our books, its worth the upgrade over a 3070, but it really comes down to what you need the GPU for. If you need it for strictly 1080p gaming, this is one of the worst choices. Just play 1440p? Maybe go with a 3070. Play 1440p and 4K or just 4K exclusively? Then this card is for you.
Good Choice If
You play mostly 4K
You want your GPU for a long time
Its within your budget to get a better CPU (Ryzen 9 or i9)
Bad Choice If
You play lower resolution
You selected a lower end processor (Ryzen 5 or i5)
All Supernova Gaming PCs come with Lifetime Parts & Service Warranty as well as Lifetime Support and offer free continental US shipping.
