RTX 5090 vs 5080: Differences explained

With the release of these new GPUs from NVIDIA, we instantly know that the RTX 5090 is a stronger GPU than the RTX 5080. But how much better? And is it worth the additional cost? Well, here we’re going to compare the specs first, then get into some more specific considerations, too.

Of course, regardless of whether you choose the 5080 or 5090, chances are you are not running a single monitor, so knowing what mixture of HDMI and DisplayPort the 5080 and 5090 are launching with is important.

Now that the technicalities are out of the way, we can talk brass tacks. The RTX 50-Series makes for refreshing bump in performance compared to the “SUPER” half upgrade that we saw in January of 2024.

Both the 5080 and the 5090 benefit from the new and considerably spicy GDDR7 memory, which can be up to 33% faster than the GDDR6X that those 40-Series SUPER GPUs were using. However, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that the 5090 gets 32GB of this, whereas the 5080 has to make do with 16GB.

This means that the 5090 has double the capacity for things like textures and shaders, so those who want their games to look as realistic as possible should keep this in mind. In fact, we see a lot of the specs being doubled up for the 5090 compared to the 5080. Of course, this is not to say that the 5090 will provide 100% better performance than the 5080. As ever, diminishing returns is here to ruin the fun and make everyone slightly less excited about things. One thing that is not doubled between these two cards is, thankfully, the TDP. So lets talk about that.

Here we see the RTX 5090 all-but maximising the capabilities of the 12V-2x6 cable, with a TGP/TDP of 575W. This means that it’s imperative that you choose a PSU capable of powering this insane GPU, and one with a native 12V-2x6 connector to retain some spare outputs on your PSU for other stuff.

Those who are leaning towards the 5080 have slightly less to worry about. This card has a comparatively pedestrian TDP/TGP of 360W. Both cards use the 12V-2x6 cable, so if you’re in the market for a new PSU, it’s well worth getting one that’s ATX 3.1 compliant, as this ensures a native 12V-2x6 connection. For a super tidy look, consider the CORSAIR 90-degree 12V-2x6 cable. Note the vertical port connecter, though.

However, if your PSU is already up to the task, you can still power this card without a 12V-2x6 port on the PSU, as two 8-pin connections can be used to supply enough power without issue. You can see the different ways to power an RTX 5080 and 5090 from a CORSAIR PSU in the helpful infographic below.