GeForce RTX 5080 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX

Speed and memory

In our performance index the GeForce RTX 5080 scores 77 and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX scores 73, which makes the GeForce RTX 5080 about 5% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The GeForce RTX 5080 has 16 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB. That difference matters at 1440p and in new games at High textures, and it can outweigh a small speed advantage as the card ages.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Call of Duty (171 against 163 fps), and the smallest is in Cyberpunk 2077 (185 against 177 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce RTX 5080 is rated at 360 W and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX at 355 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 850 W for the first and 750 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the GeForce RTX 5080 cost $999 and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX $999. Per dollar, the GeForce RTX 5080 gave more performance (7.7 points per $100 against 7.3). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce RTX 5080 if you want the faster card, and you can accept 16 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 7900 XTX if the price gap matters more than the 5% speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.