RTX 4070 vs RTX 3080
The RTX 3080 is about 15% faster than the RTX 4070 at 4K and 12% faster at 1440p.
Quick verdict: the RTX 3080 is the faster card, but the RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick if you play at high resolutions with high textures and plan to keep the card for years.
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3080: Specs and Performance
| Spec | GeForce RTX 4070 | GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy (graphics) | 16,870 | 19,667 |
| Estimated FPS · 1080p | 120 | 132 |
| Estimated FPS · 1440p | 91 | 102 |
| Estimated FPS · 4K | 54 | 62 |
| Video memory | 12 GB | 10 GB |
| Board power | 200 W | 320 W |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $599 | $699 |
| PCI Express | 4.0 ×16 | 4.0 ×16 |
| Release year | 2023 | 2020 |
| Series | NVIDIA RTX 40 Series | NVIDIA RTX 30 Series |
Estimated FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K
1080p: the RTX 3080 leads by 10%. 1440p: the RTX 3080 leads by 12%. 4K: the RTX 3080 leads by 15%. These figures come from our performance model, calibrated against published benchmark averages. They are estimates for comparing the two cards, not results measured on your PC.
Estimated FPS in Popular Games at 1440p
| Game (settings) | RTX 4070 | RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) | ~75 | ~80 |
| Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) | ~120 | ~135 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) | ~105 | ~115 |
| Counter-Strike 2 (High) | ~220 | ~245 |
Per-game figures scale each card's modelled 1440p average by how demanding the game is relative to our test blend, rounded to the nearest 5 FPS. Counter-Strike 2 is usually limited by the processor well before these numbers.
Verdict: RTX 4070 or RTX 3080?
The RTX 3080 is clearly faster than the RTX 4070: about 10% at 1080p, 12% at 1440p and 15% at 4K in our model. The gap narrows at 1080p because both cards are closer to what a typical processor can feed them, so the higher your resolution, the more of the difference you actually get.
The RTX 4070 carries 12GB of video memory against 10GB on the RTX 3080. 10GB is fine at 1440p today; the larger buffer mainly buys headroom at 4K and for games released over the next few years. That makes this a genuine trade-off: the faster card has the smaller buffer.
At launch the RTX 4070 was $599 and the RTX 3080 $699, which works out to $6.6 and $6.9 per frame at 1440p. On those prices the RTX 4070 is the better value, but street prices move every week, so check before you buy. The RTX 3080 is rated for 120W more board power, which means more heat, more fan noise and possibly a bigger power supply.
Beyond raw speed, the RTX 4070 brings DLSS 3 Frame Generation, while the RTX 3080 offers DLSS upscaling, but not NVIDIA frame generation.
Bottom line: the RTX 3080 is the faster card, but the RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick if you play at high resolutions with high textures and plan to keep the card for years.
Pairing Either Card With a Processor
A faster graphics card only helps if the processor can keep up. Each card's own page lists the slowest CPU that will not hold it back at every resolution:
- GeForce RTX 4070: best CPU pairing and bottleneck
- GeForce RTX 3080: best CPU pairing and bottleneck
- Check your own processor in the bottleneck calculator
Power supply: a common rule of thumb is the card's board power plus about 150W for the rest of a gaming PC, with 30% headroom. That points to roughly 500W for the RTX 4070 and 650W for the RTX 3080. Check the card maker's own recommendation too.
Related GPU Comparisons
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- RTX 3080 vs RX 6800 XT RTX 3080 faster at 1440p
- RTX 5070 vs RTX 5060 Ti 16GB RTX 5070 faster at 1440p
- RX 7800 XT vs RX 6800 XT Effectively tied
- RTX 5060 Ti 16GB vs RX 9060 XT 16GB Effectively tied
- Compare any two graphics cardsThe full GPU vs GPU tool
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3080: Common Questions
Is the RTX 4070 better than the RTX 3080?
The RTX 3080 is the faster card, but the RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick if you play at high resolutions with high textures and plan to keep the card for years. The RTX 3080 is about 15% faster than the RTX 4070 at 4K and 12% faster at 1440p.
Which is better for 1440p, the RTX 4070 or the RTX 3080?
The GeForce RTX 3080, by about 12% (102 vs 91 FPS on high settings in our model).
Which is better for 4K, the RTX 4070 or the RTX 3080?
The GeForce RTX 3080, by about 15% (62 vs 54 FPS on high settings in our model).
Does the RTX 4070 have more VRAM than the RTX 3080?
Yes. The RTX 4070 has 12GB against 10GB on the RTX 3080.
Data last reviewed October 15, 2026. Launch prices are US MSRPs; board power is the reference design's rating. See the methodology for how every figure is produced.