3080 vs 2080 super: Nvidia RTX 2080S (Super) vs 3080

GeForce RTX 2080 Super vs GeForce RTX 3080 Graphics cards Comparison

When choosing between GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let’s find out the difference between GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080.

GeForce RTX 2080 Super

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GeForce RTX 3080

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Main Specs

  GeForce RTX 2080 Super GeForce RTX 3080
Power consumption (TDP) 250 Watt 320 Watt
Interface PCIe 3. 0 x16 PCIe 4.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin 1x 12-pin
Memory type GDDR6 GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 10 GB
Display Connectors 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
 

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  • GeForce RTX 3080 has 28% more power consumption, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
  • GeForce RTX 2080 Super is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and GeForce RTX 3080 uses PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce RTX 3080 has 2 GB more memory, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • GeForce RTX 2080 Super is build with Turing architecture, and GeForce RTX 3080 — with Ampere.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce RTX 2080 Super is 200 MHz higher, than GeForce RTX 3080.
  • GeForce RTX 2080 Super is manufactured by 12 nm process technology, and GeForce RTX 3080 — by 8 nm process technology.
  • GeForce RTX 3080 is 18 mm longer, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce RTX 3080 is 3500 MHz higher, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.

Game benchmarks

Assassin’s Creed OdysseyBattlefield 5Call of Duty: WarzoneCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveCyberpunk 2077Dota 2Far Cry 5FortniteForza Horizon 4Grand Theft Auto VMetro ExodusMinecraftPLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDSRed Dead Redemption 2The Witcher 3: Wild HuntWorld of Tanks
high / 1080p 80−85 95−100
ultra / 1080p 60−65 75−80
QHD / 1440p 50−55 60−65
4K / 2160p 35−40 45−50
low / 720p 100−110 110−120
medium / 1080p 95−100 100−110
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is 16% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
high / 1080p 130−140 140−150
ultra / 1080p 120−130 140−150
QHD / 1440p 95−100 110−120
4K / 2160p 60−65 75−80
low / 720p 160−170 170−180
medium / 1080p 140−150 150−160
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Battlefield 5 is 11% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
low / 768p 45−50 45−50
GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080 have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone.
low / 768p 250−260 250−260
medium / 768p 230−240 230−240
QHD / 1440p 150−160 150−160
4K / 2160p 100−110 100−110
high / 768p 220−230 220−230
GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080 have the same average FPS in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
low / 768p 70−75 70−75
medium / 1080p 50−55 50−55
GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080 have the same average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077.
low / 768p 120−130 120−130
medium / 768p 110−120 110−120
GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080 have the same average FPS in Dota 2.
high / 1080p 110−120 120−130
ultra / 1080p 100−110 110−120
QHD / 1440p 85−90 100−110
4K / 2160p 50−55 65−70
low / 720p 130−140 140−150
medium / 1080p 110−120 130−140
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Far Cry 5 is 13% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
high / 1080p 170−180 180−190
ultra / 1080p 140−150 150−160
QHD / 1440p 100−110 120−130
4K / 2160p 21−24 21−24
low / 720p 270−280 280−290
medium / 1080p 190−200 220−230
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Fortnite is 9% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
high / 1080p 140−150 150−160
ultra / 1080p 120−130 140−150
QHD / 1440p 100−110 120−130
4K / 2160p 70−75 95−100
low / 720p 170−180 180−190
medium / 1080p 140−150 160−170
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Forza Horizon 4 is 14% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
low / 768p 170−180 170−180
medium / 768p 160−170 160−170
high / 1080p 140−150 150−160
ultra / 1080p 90−95 100−110
QHD / 1440p 80−85 95−100
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Grand Theft Auto V is 5% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
high / 1080p 80−85 100−110
ultra / 1080p 65−70 80−85
QHD / 1440p 50−55 65−70
4K / 2160p 30−35 45−50
low / 720p 140−150 160−170
medium / 1080p 100−110 120−130
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Metro Exodus is 22% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
low / 768p 120−130 120−130
GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 3080 have the same average FPS in Minecraft.
high / 1080p 150−160 160−170
ultra / 1080p 120−130 140−150
4K / 2160p 18−20 18−20
low / 720p 170−180 220−230
medium / 1080p 170−180 180−190
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS is 13% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
high / 1080p 75−80 100−110
ultra / 1080p 50−55 65−70
QHD / 1440p 40−45 55−60
4K / 2160p 27−30 35−40
low / 720p 140−150 150−160
medium / 1080p 110−120 130−140
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 21% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
low / 768p 300−350 350−400
medium / 768p 240−250 290−300
high / 1080p 150−160 200−210
ultra / 1080p 85−90 110−120
4K / 2160p 60−65 80−85
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 22% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
low / 768p 450−500 900−950
ultra / 1080p 220−230 400−450
The average gaming FPS of GeForce RTX 3080 in World of Tanks is 92% more, than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.

Full Specs

  GeForce RTX 2080 Super GeForce RTX 3080
Architecture Turing Ampere
Code name Turing TU104 GA102
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 2 July 2019 1 September 2020
Pipelines 3072 8704
Core clock speed 1650 MHz 1450 MHz
Boost Clock 1815 MHz 1710 MHz
Transistor count 13,600 million 28,300 million
Manufacturing process technology 12 nm 8 nm
Texture fill rate 348. 5 465.1
Length 267 mm 285 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 320 Bit
Memory clock speed 15500 MHz 19000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 495.9 GB/s 760.3 GB/s
Shared memory
G-SYNC support +
VR Ready +
DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_1) 12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model 6.5 6.5
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 2.0
Vulkan 1.2.131 1. 2
CUDA 7.5 8.5
 

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Nvidia RTX 3080 vs.

2080 Super

Nvidia offered a small but notable late-generation refresh to its Turing cards in the form of the RTX 2080 Super in 2019. It offered a slight performance boost over the standard 2080 at the same price as its predecessor. Now, however, it’s hard to find a 2080 Super at all, much less one at a reasonable price.

Contents

  • Pricing and availability
  • Performance
  • Power and cooling
  • Ray tracing, DLSS, and more
  • The next-gen leap

The next generation of Nvidia GPUs is almost here, though, with the RTX 3080 set to replace the 2080 and 2080 Super. The 3080 is a more powerful card on paper, and it’s the same price as the 2080 Super. But is an upgrade worth it? In this Nvidia RTX 3080 versus 2080 Super comparison, we’re going to find out.

Pricing and availability

Riley Young/Digital Trends

The RTX 2080 Super launched in 2019 with an MSRP of $699, though you won’t find any Founders Edition cards at that price anymore. With the advent of the RTX-3000 series, paying anything more than that, or even slightly less, is not worth it.

The RTX 3080 releases on September 17 for the same price as the 2080, $699. Board partner cards will likely be a little more expensive once they release. If Nvidia’s past launches have taught us anything, it’s that you probably won’t find a 3080 in stock right away. Prices for secondhand 2080 Supers will drop almost immediately, though.

Performance

RTX 3080 RTX 2080 Super
GPU Unknown TU104
Interface PCIExpress 4.0 PCIExpress 3.0
CUDA cores 8,704 3,072
Tensor cores 238 384
RT Cores 58 48
Base clock Unknown 1,650MHz
Boost clock 1,710MHz 1,815MHz
Memory 10GB GDDR6X 8GB GDDR6
Memory speed 19Gbps 15. 5Gbps
Bandwidth 760GBps 496GBps
TDP 320w 250w

Based on specifications alone, the 3080 looks to be massively more capable than the 2080. It should be, but not quite in the way it seems on paper.

The CUDA core count of the RTX 3080 is almost three times that of the 2080 Super. This is partly a standard increase in core count, but also because of a change in the way Nvidia designates what is, and is not, a CUDA core. The RTX 2080 Super has 3,072 floating-point (FP32) CUDA cores, and a further 3,072 integer (INT32) cores. They are both used in gaming, but FP32 more so. The RTX 3080 has 4,352 FP32 CUDA cores, and 4,352 cores that can do INT32 and FP32. That means that in FP32-heavy games, the 3080 could use all those extra cores to increase its FP32 performance, but in games that demand a lot of integer math, the core count increase is closer to 40%.

That’s still a big increase, but the actual performance improvement from those extra cores being multipurpose could be very game dependent.

In the real world, Nvidia claims that the 3080 will double the performance of the 2080, and Digital Foundry’s coverage certainly suggests that it’s possible to get close to such numbers. It found that the 3080 was between 60% and 90% faster than an RTX 2080 with a slight factory overclock, at 4K resolution and all settings on high, whether ray tracing was enabled or not. Considering the slight difference between the stock 2080 and the 2080 Super, this would make the 3080 vastly more capable than the 2080 Super, and even the 2080 Ti, by quite a margin.

The games were hand-picked by Nvidia, however, and with what we now know about the CUDA cores, that may be with good reason. The switch to a much faster GDDR6X memory, and 2GB more of it, will no doubt have helped too, but we’ll need to see some more third-party benchmarks in a wider array of games to see how much faster the 3080 really is.

Power and cooling

The 2080 Super draws 250w on the reference design, with Nvidia’s dual-fan RTX FE design cooling the card. It uses a six-pin and eight-pin connector for power, and Nvidia recommends 650w for total system power for the card. The 3080 comes with a higher power draw, 320w, and uses Nvidia’s new 12-pin low-profile power connector. Third-party cards are set to leverage traditional dual 8-pin designs, though we may see the 12-pin connector appear on more cards as supporting power supplies become more widely used.

Where those same board partners will use their typical array of multi-fan and water-cooling designs to cool custom RTX 3080s, Nvidia has revamped its Founders Edition cooling for the Ampere generation. The 3080 and 3090 use a new, push-pull fan configuration to get extra air into the card and push it out the top and rear. This, we’re told, improves cooling performance and allows for reduced noise levels.

Again, we’ll need to wait until we get our hands on a card, but Nvidia’s design is intriguing and makes the Founders Edition cards even more attractive an option for early adopters.

Ray tracing, DLSS, and more

The 3080 pushes the features of the 2080 Super further rather than introducing much of its own. DLSS 2.0 is available on both cards, offering higher resolutions through Nvidia’s deep learning algorithm, though the RTX 3080 leverages a new generation of tensor cores to deliver far greater upscaling performance.

Ray tracing is present on both cards, too, but the 3080’s second-gen RT cores should provide better ray-tracing performance at higher resolutions. With ray-tracing support in the PS5 and Xbox Series X, we’ll likely see an uptick in games that support the feature. Here are all the games that support Nvidia’s RTX-driven ray tracing now.

Nvidia Reflex is a tool within recent that speeds up gameplay performance by reducing the time it takes to load information into the system. Both the 2080 Super and the RTX 3080 will have this feature, but neither will have Nvidia’s RTX I/O. It enables the RTC 3000 GPU to deal with asset decompression within the game, permitting quicker asset loading on the system’s storage and decreased pop-in during gameplay. It can also reduce CPU overhead.

The next-gen leap

The 3080 represents a crucial shift in Nvidia GPU’s prioritization of transparency at this point in their ongoing production. The 3080 is proof that the future Nvidia GPU generation is about clarification. RT’s cores perform 1.7x better than Turing, GDDR6X enhances bandwidth and the speed of memory, and the 3080 has twice the number of CUDA cores compared to the Titan RTX. The Titan RTC already had many more capabilities than the competing 2080 Super. The 3080, along with all of these models, are equal in cost to the 2080.

Recommending a 2080 Super isn’t easy right now, given the grossly inflated costs and decreased availability. If you don’t have too much money to spend, you could always shop around for a used 2080 Super as their second hands status significantly reduces their prices. However, studying raw performance alone demonstrates that the 3080’s features are capable of outperforming the 2080.

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