It might not be the flagship, but the RTX 5080 is the premium graphics card most players will be eyeing up this generation. Not only is it half the price of the RTX 5090, but it promises to bring next-gen 4K gaming abilities to your PC and a bunch of new AI tricks too. I’d be surprised if plenty of you aren’t looking to buy RTX 5080 GPUs at the end of the month, especially if you’re looking to spend under a grand.
Again, the RTX 5080 comes in at $999, so unless you’re hellbent on grabbing a RTX 5090 pre-order, this GeForce GPU will more likely fit your budget. Just shy of $1,000 is still a lofty price to pay for a PC upgrade, make now mistake. However, considering the RTX 4070 will apparently boast “4090 performance,” the best graphics card contender could pull off some ridiculous performance tricks in new releases.
RTX 5080 pre-orders haven’t arrived yet, so to prepare for the next-gen graphics card’s arrival on January 30, I’ve got advice on how to grab one when the time comes. You’ll also find some of my go-to retailers below accompanied by an idea of what to expect some launch day. That should ultimately make the process of picking up a new Blackwell card pain-free, especially if you want one ASAP.
Where to pre-order RTX 5080 in the US
Where to pre-order RTX 5080 in the UK
Where to buy RTX 5080: FAQ
How much is the RTX 5080?
RTX 5080 will set you back $999 / £979, but that price specifically applies to the Founder’s Edition model. While custom versions by Asus, Gigabyte, PNY and others might stick with a similar price tag, features like factory overclocking could mean you’ll pay more.
When is the RTX 5080 release date?
The RTX 5080 is scheduled to launch January 30, 2025 alongside the flagship RTX 5090, so you’ll be able to grab Founder’s Edition models from that date. Custom versions should show up from that date or soon after too, but individual AIB partners may have slightly different launch dates.
Is the Is the RTX 5080 faster than RTX 4090?
The RTX 5080 comes armed with a new Blackwell GPU, and the next-gen architecture should provide a performance boost over Lovelace graphics cards. Whether it’ll beat the RTX 4090 on native performance remains to be seen, but its exclusive DLSS 4 abilities should help it boost fps beyond the former flagship using new AI tricks.
Should you buy the RTX 5080?
The RTX 5080 might be second in command this generation, but it’s still set to be a powerhouse 4K GPU with snazzy next-gen abilities. It’s also half the price of the RTX 5090, and if its specs end up providing plenty of bang for buck, it could end up stealing the graphics card crown this generation by way of value.
That said, there are a few things to note about the RTX 5080 based on its specs alone. For starters, it’ll only pack 16GB VRAM, meaning it’s got less memory than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. It will use faster GDDR7 modules, so it does at least have speed and efficiency on its side. However, it’s strange to see such a wide gap between this card and the flagship’s 32GB setup, and it could affect future performance when dealing with high resolution textures.
It’s also worth noting that its sibling, the RTX 5070 Ti, looks to offer the same memory for $749 / £729. Naturally, you’ll be getting a reduced Blackwell GPU with that model compared to the RTX 5080, with the latter boasting 10,752 CUDA cores versus 8,960. Nevertheless, the 70-class model could end up winning over more players if there’s not a massive difference in frame rates, especially if it can still pull off great 4K performance.
At face value, the RTX 5080 looks to be the GPU most premium players should pick up for 4K ultra gameplay. If you won’t settle for anything but the best, you’ll naturally want to consider spending $2,000 on the RTX 5090 instead, but I suspect most of you would prefer to spend under a grand. At the same time, I’d also hold off for my official benchmarks before settling on the 80-class card, as its value will ultimately hinge on how it fairs against the RTX 4070 Ti in terms of real gaming scenarios.
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