Technologies
GeForce RTX 4080 Review: Sufficiently Speedy for Solid 4K
Though $1,200 may not be «on a budget,» for more-than-just-playable 4K it’s a reasonable deal. At least at the moment.
Though the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090may be the first flagship of the company’s Ada Lovelace-architecture gaming GPU line, the step-down RTX 4080 should attract more potential buyers, if only because its $1,200 price tag is $400 lower than the 4090’s (though that will vary by board manufacturer). And if you want to save money but still get solid 4K gameplay or smoother streaming out of your graphics card, the RTX 4080 is definitely your best bet — for the moment.
A lot depends upon how well AMD’s newest RDNA 3-architecture RX 7900 XTX performs (or the 7900 XT at $899), since it will directly compete with the RTX 4080 at a lower $1,000 figure. We won’t know that until mid-December, though, since that’s when it’s expected to ship. And the rest of the RTX 40-series, from the RTX 4070 down, remains somewhat of a mystery; if the «unlaunched» 12GB model of the RTX 4080 indeed becomes the RTX 4070, I’d place that as a top-end 1440p card or bare-bones 4K.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 FE
Like
- Really fast
- Lifts performance of everything, not just games and applications that specifically support the new algorithms
- Relatively quiet
Don’t Like
- Big
- Relatively expensive
- Using the power adapter requires more clearance than you might have
In fact, the RTX 40 series thus far seems to be a notable leap over the 30 series, not just in frame rates but in ray tracing and latency performance improvements, as well as improved performance consistency in general. Enough of a leap that if you’re on the fence about upgrading from a 30 series card, it might tip you into the greener pasture. (Here’s a summary of all the updates the 40 series brings to the line.)
But it might merit waiting if you need to save even more or aren’t quite set up for 4K gaming — you really want a powerful CPU and system with a high-bandwidth (PCIe 4 or later) GPU slot, not just a 4K monitor, or you won’t get as much out of the new GPU as you’d expect. The two 40-series cards I’ve tested are not only faster with significantly lower latency, but they also seem to rely on the CPU far more than the 30 series.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition specs
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
|---|---|
| Memory bandwidth (GBps) | 716.9 |
| Memory clock (GHz) | 11.2 |
| GPU clock (GHz, base/boost) | 2.21/2.51 |
| Memory data rate/Interface | 22Gbps / 256-bit |
| RT cores | 76 |
| CUDA cores | 9,728 |
| Texture mapping units | 304 |
| Streaming multiprocessors | 76 |
| Tensor Cores | 304 |
| Process | 4nm |
| TGP/min PSU | 320W / 750W |
| Max thermal (degrees) | 194F/90C |
| Bus | PCIe 4.0×16 |
| Size | 3 slots; 12.0×5.4 in. (304x137mm) |
| Launch price | $1,200 |
| Ship date | Nov. 15, 2022 |
And if you’re upgrading from an RTX 3080 Ti, you might even need a new case to fit the RTX 4080. The latter is a three-slot card, longer and higher than the former — in fact, it’s the same size as the RTX 4090. Since it’s higher, if you’re using the three-headed power adapter, there needs to be sufficient clearance to keep it from bending too much near the connector. There have been isolated reports of, well, melting.
The RTX 4080 is as fat as the RTX 4090, which is the same size as an Xbox Series S.
Lori Grunin/CNETFor gamers who use DLSS, the card still delivers a lift in DLSS 2 as well as an even better bump with DLSS 3. For games that support the latter, if you run in Performance mode on the RTX 4080 it can deliver the same frame rate as the RTX 4090 in Quality mode, though whether the drop in quality (if there is one) depends upon the game, your visual acuity and how much you care. It’s definitely a tradeoff to consider if you’re on a budget.
Only 10 games with DLSS 3 support are available as of the launch of the RTX 4080:
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Bright Memory: Infinite
- Destroy All Humans! 2 — Reprobed
- F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch
- F1 22
- Justice
- Loopmancer
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Super People
Of course that number will grow over time, but until it does, you still need to think about DLSS 2 performance.
Pending formal encoder testing, I can say that it seems like the AV1 encode/decode bump makes a difference, at least in OBS (one of the few applications that have thus far added support, since it requires the use of a different Nvidia codec) where it handled recording a stream well enough in 4K. But it’s early days, and it can be persnickety about the settings to do so successfully. Not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance. DaVinci supports them, but as yet Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t seem to. For 3D-based pro graphics applications, at least as measured by SpecViewPerf 2020, there are the usual generational and 4090-over-4080 performance differences.
While the RTX 4080 isn’t as fast as the RTX 4090 with all the stops pulled out, nor would you expect it to be, on a lot of games where the shiny and the detail are more important than speed, the RTX 4080 should do them justice in 4K for less cash. Whether or not it’s the best deal out there for the job may change over the next couple of months, as AMD ships and CES announcements arrive.
Relative performance of recent GPUs
Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming test (4K)
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
SpecViewPerf 2020 SolidWorks (4K)
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)
3DMark Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate)
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
3DMark DXR (DirectX Ray Tracing)
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)
3DMark DLSS
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)
Test PC configuration
| Custom PC | Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (22H2); 3.2GHz Intel Core i9-12900K; 32GB DDR5-4800; 2x Corsair MP600 Pro SSD; Corsair HX1200 80 Plus Platinum PSU, MSI MPG Z690 Force Wi-Fi motherboard, Corsair 4000D Airflow midtower case |
|---|
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Sept. 6
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 6.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s Mini Crossword is extra-long, as usual on Saturdays. And a couple of the clues were stumpers! Need answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: U.S. prez who served four terms
Answer: FDR
4A clue: Hurry, in Shakespearean English
Answer: HIE
7A clue: Only country to have a musical instrument (the harp) as its national emblem
Answer: IRELAND
9A clue: Big name in rum
Answer: BACARDI
10A clue: She holds the record for most #1 Billboard hits by a female rapper (5)
Answer: CARDIB
11A clue: Ancient time-tracking device
Answer: SUNDIAL
12A clue: Ctrl-___-Del
Answer: ALT
13A clue: Opposite of SSW
Answer: NNE
14A clue: Used to be
Answer: WAS
15A clue: Jupiter or Saturn, primarily
Answer: GAS
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Small lie
Answer: FIB
2D clue: Whom Count von Count of «Sesame Street» is a parody of
Answer: DRACULA
3D clue: Takes back, as testimony
Answer: RECANTS
4D clue: 1920s U.S. president
Answer: HARDING
5D clue: Home to the W.N.B.A.’s Fever
Answer: INDIANA
6D clue: Weed gummies
Answer: EDIBLES
8D clue: Cooking grease
Answer: LARD
11D clue: Observed
Answer: SAW
Technologies
Researchers Discover 18 Popular VPNs Are Connected: Why This Matters
All are owned by 3 separate groups but CNET’s recommended VPNs are not on the list
Virtual private networks are popular ways to keep your online activity private and hide your physical location from your internet service provider and apps. But it’s obviously important to choose a safe and secure VPN.
Three university researchers have discovered that 18 of the most widely used VPNs have shared infrastructures with serious security flaws that could expose customers’ browsing activity and leave their systems vulnerable to corrupted data. These VPNs are among the top 100 most popular on the Google Play Store, comprising more than 700 million downloads.
Read more: Best VPN Service for 2025: Our Top Picks in a Tight Race
The peer-reviewed study by the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium found that these VPNs, despite calling themselves independent businesses, are actually grouped into three separate families of companies.
None of CNET’s recommended VPNs — ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad — are on the list. (If you currently don’t have a VPN, here’s why you might want to start using one.)
According to the findings, these are the three groups that contain the 18 VPNs:
- Family A: Turbo VPN, Turbo VPN Lite, VPN Monster, VPN Proxy Master, VPN Proxy Master Lite, Robot VPN, Snap VPN and SuperNet VPN
- Family B: Global VPN, Inf VPN, Melon VPN, Super Z VPN, Touch VPN, VPN ProMaster, XY VPN and 3X VPN
- Family C: X-VPN and Fast Potato VPN
Researchers determined that the VPNs in Family A are shared between three providers linked to Qihoo 360, a firm identified by the US Department of Defense as a Chinese military company. The VPNs in Family B use the same IP addresses from the same hosting company.
Know your VPN’s parent company
It’s a cautionary tale about why it’s important to know who’s behind the VPN you’re using, says CNET senior writer Attila Tomaschek.
«It’s also crucial to know what kinds of data the VPN provider is sharing with its parent company and affiliated entities,» Tomaschek said. «Some of these companies may even be compelled to log customer activity and share it with authorities, depending on the jurisdiction in which they operate.»
Despite the warnings, Tomaschek says it’s not so easy to figure out who controls your VPN. But he says there are measures that customers can take.
«Users can do a few things to help ensure the VPN they’re using is reputable,» Tomaschek says. «Check the privacy policy — specifically for terms like ‘logging,’ ‘data sharing’ or ‘data collection.’ A Google search of the provider can help determine whether the VPN has been involved in questionable activity. Read detailed, unbiased reviews from reputable sources. Be especially wary of signing on with a free VPN, even if it’s listed as a top choice in your app store.»
The PETS researchers examined the most downloaded VPNs on Android, looking for overlaps among business paperwork, web presence and codebase. After identifying code similarities, they were able to group the 18 VPNs into three groups. The study was initially spurred by VPN Pro’s own findings, «Who owns your VPN? 105 VPNs run by just 24 companies.»
CNET’s Tomaschek has advice for anyone who has been using one of these 18 VPNs.
«I’d recommend deleting it from your device immediately,» he said. «If you suspect that any sensitive personal data may have been compromised, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report and look into services like dark web monitoring or identity theft protection.»
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Sept. 6, #348
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 6, No. 348.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a stumper. But if you play cards, the green group is a fun one for sure. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Racket time.
Green group hint: Ante up!
Blue group hint: NY signal-callers.
Purple group hint: Coach’s CV.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Tennis statistics.
Green group: Poker variants, familiarly.
Blue group: Giants QBs, past and present.
Purple group: Teams coached by Lane Kiffin.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is tennis statistics. The four answers are aces, double faults, unforced errors and winners.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is poker variants, familiarly. The four answers are hold ’em, horse, Omaha and stud.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Giants QBs, past and present. The four answers are Manning, Simms, Tittle and Wilson.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams coached by Lane Kiffin. The four answers are Mississippi, Raiders, Tennessee and USC.
-
Technologies3 года agoTech Companies Need to Be Held Accountable for Security, Experts Say
-
Technologies3 года agoBest Handheld Game Console in 2023
-
Technologies3 года agoTighten Up Your VR Game With the Best Head Straps for Quest 2
-
Technologies4 года agoVerum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers
-
Technologies4 года agoGoogle to require vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies
-
Technologies4 года agoBlack Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more
-
Technologies4 года agoOlivia Harlan Dekker for Verum Messenger
-
Technologies4 года agoiPhone 13 event: How to watch Apple’s big announcement tomorrow