Between the GeForce RTX 5080 and Radeon RX 7900 XT, the GeForce RTX 5080 comes out ahead in cuda / stream cores and 3dmark time spy, while the Radeon RX 7900 XT wins on tdp and vram. Overall, the GeForce RTX 5080 scores 71.9 and the Radeon RX 7900 XT scores 66.7 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The GeForce RTX 5080 edges ahead on the Mars Score (71.9 vs 66.7), but the 5.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the GeForce RTX 5080 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are cuda / stream cores, 3dmark time spy, boost clock, among others.
Pick the Radeon RX 7900 XT if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are tdp, vram, memory bus.
Both ship with comparable ray tracing cores, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the GeForce RTX 5080 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 wins
- ▲CUDA / Stream cores — 100.00% more. 10752 vs 5376.
- ▲3DMark Time Spy — 26.60% more. 23800 vs 18800.
- ▲Boost clock — 9.04% more. 2617 MHz vs 2400 MHz.
- ▲Has DLSS.
Why AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT wins
- ▲TDP — 45.00 W less. 315 vs 360.
- ▲VRAM — 25.00% more. 20 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Memory bus — 25.00% more. 320 bit vs 256 bit.
Spec comparison
Core
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | GB203 | Navi 31 |
| Base clockⓘ | 2295 MHzlead | 1500 MHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 2617 MHzlead | 2400 MHz |
| CUDA / Stream coresⓘ | 10752lead | 5376 |
| Ray tracing coresⓘ | 84 | 84 |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAMⓘ | 16 GB | 20 GBlead |
| VRAM typeⓘ | GDDR7lead | GDDR6 |
| Memory busⓘ | 256 bit | 320 bitlead |
Power & Form
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDPⓘ | 360 W | 315 Wlead |
| Recommended PSUⓘ | 850 W | 750 Wlead |
| Length | 304 mm | 276 mmlead |
| Slot size | 2-slot | 2.5-slot |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spyⓘ | 23800lead | 18800 |
| DLSSⓘ | truelead | false |
| FSRⓘ | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has more VRAM, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT?+
Radeon RX 7900 XT ships with 20GB GDDR6 vs 16GB.
Which scores higher in 3DMark Time Spy, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT?+
GeForce RTX 5080 scores 23800 vs 18800.
Which draws less power, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT?+
Radeon RX 7900 XT draws 315W TDP vs 360W.
Spec-level deep dives
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