Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Ray tracing cores | 84 | 128 |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 24 GB |
| Memory bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |
| CUDA / Stream cores | 10752 | 8192 |
| TDP | 360 W | 330 W |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 23800 | 28500 |
Between the GeForce RTX 5080 and Radeon RX 9080 XT, the GeForce RTX 5080 comes out ahead in cuda / stream cores / dlss, while the Radeon RX 9080 XT wins on ray tracing cores / vram. Overall, the GeForce RTX 5080 scores 71.4 and the Radeon RX 9080 XT scores 79 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Radeon RX 9080 XT edges ahead on the Mars Score (71.4 vs 79), but the 7.6-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 care most about cuda / stream cores / dlss. The biggest gaps in its favor are cuda / stream cores, dlss. The single most decisive one: CUDA / Stream cores — 31.25% more. 10752 vs 8192.
Pick the Radeon RX 9080 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 ray tracing cores, vram, memory bus, among others. The single most decisive one: Ray tracing cores — 52.38% more. 128 vs 84.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: the Radeon RX 9080 XT is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Which should you buy: NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 or AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT?
AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT leads the current Mars Score by 7.6 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare vram, cuda / stream cores, boost clock, tdp against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 if…
NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 has the measurable edge on cuda cores, has dlss.
Choose AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT if…
AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT has the measurable edge on ray tracing cores, vram gb, memory bus bit.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 wins
- ▲CUDA / Stream cores — 31.25% more. 10752 vs 8192.
- ▲Has DLSS.
Why AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT wins
- ▲Ray tracing cores — 52.38% more. 128 vs 84.
- ▲VRAM — 50.00% more. 24 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Memory bus — 50.00% more. 384 bit vs 256 bit.
- ▲TDP — 30.00 W less. 330 vs 360.
- ▲3DMark Time Spy — 19.75% more. 28500 vs 23800.
- ▲Boost clock — 18.46% more. 3100 MHz vs 2617 MHz.
Spec comparison
Core
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | GB203 | Navi 48 |
| Base clockⓘ | 2295 MHzlead | 2100 MHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 2617 MHz | 3100 MHzlead |
| CUDA / Stream coresⓘ | 10752lead | 8192 |
| Ray tracing coresⓘ | 84 | 128lead |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAMⓘ | 16 GB | 24 GBlead |
| VRAM typeⓘ | GDDR7 | GDDR7 |
| Memory busⓘ | 256 bit | 384 bitlead |
Power & Form
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDPⓘ | 360 W | 330 Wlead |
| Recommended PSUⓘ | 850 W | 850 W |
| Length | 304 mmlead | 320 mm |
| Slot size | 2-slot | 3-slot |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 5080 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spyⓘ | 23800 | 28500lead |
| DLSSⓘ | truelead | false |
| FSRⓘ | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has more VRAM, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT ships with 24GB GDDR7 vs 16GB.
Which scores higher in 3DMark Time Spy, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT scores 28500 vs 23800.
Which draws less power, GeForce RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT draws 330W TDP vs 360W.