After almost 2 years, Nvidia RTX graphics cards are finally affordable at market price. But are they worth getting now? Because Nvidia will announce its RTX 40 series at the end of 2022. That’s why many gamers are hesitating to get the RTX 3080.
But is RTX 3080 future proof?
Getting an RTX 3080 in 2022 is indeed a future-proof option. This beast of a graphics card is pure overkill for 1080p. Extremely well-performing in 1440p which makes it the perfect GPU for this resolution. For 4K, it achieves well over 60 FPS. And with the help of DLSS, you can achieve more.
That was just a brief answer to the topic. We’ve discussed this matter in more detail, and provided benchmarks to justify our claim further.
Stay with us to see whether the RTX 3080 is really future-proofed or not!
Is RTX 3080 Worth Buying in 2022?
We’re almost at the end of 2022. The graphics card shortage has bothered us gamers for a long time. But fortunately, the gamers are finally going to see some great prices.
And that brings us to the topic- RTX 3080 buy now or wait?
You should buy the RTX 3080 now. The RTX 3080 hit the peak of gaming back in 2020. The generational leap between the 2080 ti and 3080 is still plainly visible. We haven’t had a game that has made an RTX 3080 crumble into pieces. On top of that, you have Nvidia’s DLSS feature which makes it more powerful.
To assure you further we’ve listed the RTX 3080 specs that make it really strong. We’ve also added some other cards so that you can compare.
I’ve taken GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon RX 6800 XT. These cards were launched in late 2020 and the RTX 3080 is the oldest one among them.
These kinds of comparisons really help with choosing/understanding a product. But before that, I would like you to take a look at the guide about VRAM of GPU.
| Specs | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 | RX 6800 XT |
| Architecture | Ampere | Ampere | RDNA 2 |
| VRAM | 10 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Resolution | 7680 x 4320 | 7680 x 4320 | 7680 x 4320 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 320 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory Speed | 19 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Power Consumption | 320W ~ 380W | 220W ~ 280W | 300W |
| Recommended PSU | 850W or 1000W | 750W or 850W | 750W or 850W |
| Price | $699 – $999 | $499 – $799 | $649 – $899 |
| Get It Now | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Amazon |
As you can see from the table, which one seems the most future proof to you?
If you’re still confused, that’s alright. We’re here to clarify the table further. You can see there are differences between the RTX 3080 with the other two.
The first notable difference here is the memory type of this card. Only RTX 3080 is equipped with the GDDR6X memory. It has a significant jump from GDDR6.
This technology is yet to be implemented in regular GPUs.
It has 19 Gbps of memory transfer that helps process texture data. In simple words, the higher the speed, the faster a game will run.
It also has a decent enough VRAM to run games. VRAM in graphics cards matters a lot. RTX 3080 VRAM size is 10GB which is just enough to play games in 4K.
Apart from that, RTX 3080 ray tracing cores are something to note. In the future, we’re going to see a lot more games with ray tracing. These RT cores will be super helpful in those games.
Finally, RTX 3080 power consumption is a little higher than other cards. But considering the recent RTX 3090ti release, it’s not much.
Another thing to mention is an 850W or 1000W PSU isn’t overkill if you’re using a 3080, 3080 Ti or 3090. It gives you more room for improvement instead of for future upgrades.
Also, when comparing RTX 3080 vs RTX 3090, there are only 5-10% differences.
And that’s quite a feat since it has a comparatively low power draw.
Speaking of RTX 3080, here are our best picks-
| ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3080 | Buy Now! |
| GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming OC 12G Graphics Card | Buy Now! |
| MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 LHR 10GB | Buy Now! |
The LHR is especially for the purpose of gaming. So, if you’re going to get the 3080 for gaming then go for the LHR one. Otherwise, you can choose the ZOTAC one for better cooling or the OverClocked one for maximum performance.
RTX 3080 Video Game Benchmarks: 3 Different Resolutions
If the specs aren’t enough to make it believable, then some stats will do the job. That’s why we’ve included some benchmark results for you!
Source: YouTube
Here you can see the visible differences between 3 different resolutions of RDR2. Also, check out this thread to see the difference between 1080 Ti and RTX 3080 while playing Cyberpunk 2077.
1080p Benchmark
Let’s start with some benchmarks in 1080p. Remember that all 3 graphics compared are too overkill for 1080p. That’s why the results are quite similar.
Here’s what you’re looking for.
| Video Games | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 | RX 6800 XT |
| Dying Light 2 (High) | 135 FPS | 103 FPS | 139 FPS |
| God of War (Ultra) | 150 FPS | 134 FPS | 139 FPS |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra) | 124 FPS | 114 FPS | 123 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High) [RT: Off] | 113 FPS | 100 FPS | 124 FPS |
| Metro Exodus Enhanced (Ultra) [RT: On] | 160 FPS | 122 FPS | 116 FPS |
| Forza Horizon 5 (Extreme) | 115 FPS | 104 FPS | 138 FPS |
| F1 2021 (Ultra High) | 162 FPS | 131 FPS | 150 FPS |
| Apex Legends (High) | 226 FPS | 183 FPS | 212 FPS |
| COD Warzone (Max) | 157 FPS | 130 FPS | 154 FPS |
| Fortnite (Epic) | 155 FPS | 168 FPS | 166 FPS |
As you can see, the average FPS in 1080 is over the charts.
1440p Benchmarks
The RTX 3080 pulls a great job against the other two. Most gamers use 1440p monitors in high-end setups these days.
If you’re one of them, then this is the deciding factor for you. We’ve made this chart for you-
| Video Games | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 | RX 6800 XT |
| Dying Light 2 (High) | 99 FPS | 73 FPS | 102 FPS |
| God of War (Ultra) | 126 FPS | 104 FPS | 115 FPS |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra) | 111 FPS | 94 FPS | 115 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High) [RT: Off] | 86 FPS | 65 FPS | 91 FPS |
| Metro Exodus Enhanced (Ultra) [RT: On] | 113 FPS | 84 FPS | 77 FPS |
| Forza Horizon 5 (Extreme) | 100 FPS | 90 FPS | 117 FPS |
| F1 2021 (Ultra High) | 125 FPS | 96 FPS | 111 FPS |
| Apex Legends (High) | 184 FPS | 141 FPS | 173 FPS |
| COD Warzone (Max) | 123 FPS | 96 FPS | 128 FPS |
| Fortnite (Epic) | 126 FPS | 93 FPS | 135 FPS |
Here, the RTX 3080 is way ahead of the RTX 3070; it’s the younger brother. The RTX 3070 was meant to be a 1440p card so it manages enough FPS for its own.
2160p Benchmark
It’s extremely tough to get more than 60 FPS for the RTX 3080. If you want more than 60 FPS, you can simply enable the DLSS feature.
This will add an extra 20-50 FPS at the cost of almost nothing. But for now, let’s compare the native results for better comparison-
| Video Games | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 | RX 6800 XT |
| Dying Light 2 (High) | 55 FPS | 39 FPS | 56 FPS |
| God of War (Ultra) | 89 FPS | 63 FPS | 74 FPS |
| Far Cry 6 (Ultra) | 71 FPS | 56 FPS | 73 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High) [RT: Off] | 44 FPS | 33 FPS | 41 FPS |
| Metro Exodus Enhanced (Ultra) [RT: On] | 59 FPS | 42 FPS | 36 FPS |
| Forza Horizon 5 (Extreme) | 75 FPS | 65 FPS | 83 FPS |
| F1 2021 (Ultra High) | 73 FPS | 54 FPS | 62 FPS |
| Apex Legends (High) | 122 FPS | 96 FPS | 110 FPS |
| COD Warzone (Max) | 85 FPS | 48 FPS | 83 FPS |
| Fortnite (Epic) | 69 FPS | 68 FPS | 72 FPS |
Only Cyberpunk 2077 gets below 50 FPS. But if you enable the DLSS setting, you’ll see a noticeable jump in frame rate.
Also, here’s a graph for Apex Legends with 3080 in different quality along with different resolutions.
Source: GPUCheck
Is It Future Proof?
In 1080p, all games achieve over 144 FPS. So, it’s not even a question. The RTX 3080 is pure overkill for this resolution.
For 1440p gaming, getting an RTX 3080 is definitely a futureproof option. You won’t be seeing an RTX 3080 dip below 90 FPS anytime soon.
But in 2160p, the RTX 3080 somehow manages to be at the 60 FPS mark. You can always enable DLSS for an FPS boost. But it’s not as future proof as it is in the lower resolution.
Another thing you can do is to overclock your GPU. If you’re confused then you can follow this easy-to-follow video tutorial to overclock your RTX 3080.
Also, remember to keep your GPUs clean all the time. Because dirt can cause temperature throttling and it’ll lower the performance.
FAQs
Is the RTX 3080 Ti worth it over RTX 3080?
No, the RTX 3080 Ti isn’t worth getting over the RTX 3080. But if you value the extra 2GB VRAM and the Ti trademark, then yes. Since the market price is all over the place, it’s best to get RTX 3090 instead. It has a higher clock and 12GB more VRAM; making it extremely future-proof.
Is it worth getting RTX 3080 over RTX 3070?
Absolutely! The RTX 3080 has 48% more CUDA cores that handle the overall computing. This makes the GPU extremely fast and reliable. For $200-$300 more, you get more CUDA cores, RT cores, and 2GB extra VRAM. This helps the RTX 3080 achieve a goliath equivalent performance in video games.
Can the RTX 3080 run 4K?
Yes! The RTX 3080 can effortlessly run video games at 2160p. Nvidia’s RTX 3080 was marketed for gamers that want to play games at 4K. Since it achieves around 60 FPS at 4K, they also upgraded their DLSS feature. This allows you to get a free FPS boost of 20-30 FPS to avoid dipping below 60 FPS.
Final Thoughts
That was everything we could gather on “is RTX 3080 future proof or not”. We hope that these spec charts and benchmarks have reassured you.
Getting an RTX 3080 right now is the best choice you can make. Because the market price is stable. It’s the true successor of the GTX 1080 Ti.
Happy gaming!
