Connect with us

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

You’re receiving price alerts for 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 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 FE's connectors and rear ventThe Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 FE's connectors and rear vent

The RTX 4080 is as fat as the RTX 4090, which is the same size as an Xbox Series S.

Lori Grunin/CNET

For 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)

RTX 3080 Ti

97

RTX 4080

134

RTX 4090

181

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

RTX 3080 Ti

12,635

RTX 4080

17,619

RTX 4090

24,407

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

SpecViewPerf 2020 SolidWorks (4K)

RTX 3080 Ti

191.52

RTX 4080 FE

233.84

RTX 4090 FE

304.66

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate)

RTX 4080

7,168

RTX 4090

9,813

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark DXR (DirectX Ray Tracing)

RTX 3080 Ti

54.96

RTX 4080

85.01

RTX 4090

136.05

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark DLSS

No DLSS, RTX 4080

39.56

No DLSS, RTX 4090

57.01

DLSS 2, Quality, RTX 4080

71.04

DLSS 3, Quality, RTX 4080

97.98

DLSS 2, Quality, RTX 4090

99.41

DLSS 2, Performance, RTX 4080

102.63

DLSS 3, Quality, RTX 4090

132.71

DLSS 3, Performance, RTX 4080

133.07

DLSS 2, Performance, RTX 4090

136.69

DLSS 3, Performance, RTX 4090

170.95

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

RFK Jr. Announces All Americans Need Health Tracking Devices: Here Are the Pros and Cons

The US Health Secretary plans a huge campaign to encourage health wearables: CNET knows exactly the kind of devices he’s talking about, and why accuracy may be a problem.

Many Americans already track health statistics like heart rate and sleep cycles on app-connected accessories. Now the federal government wants to jump in. On June 24, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced «one of the largest HHS campaigns in history» to encourage the use of wearables to track health conditions, a trend CNET has recently covered.

Kennedy is referring to the many different bands, watches and even clothes that use technology to track human vital signs. CNET’s reviewers have spent years testing devices like these, seeing how rings monitor health signs, straps track your heart health and the right devices lead to better sleep.

The latest version of the Apple Watch, for example, has sensors designed to detect heart rate, heart rhythm issues, falls, sleep health, sleep apnea, temperature, breathing rate and more. The newest Oura Ring can track sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, temperature, heart rate and other health details.

«We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda, Making America Healthy Again ,» Kennedy told the Subcommittee on Health during its budget meeting. «My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years … they can see what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates and a number of other metrics as they eat it.» 

Kennedy also tweeted that «wearables put the power of health back in the hands of the American people.» 

«Wearables,» however, is a broad term encompassing everything from fitness devices that count steps to sleep trackers you wear at night. And consumer devices can’t easily replace monitoring solutions offered by medical professionals. 

For example, CNET has covered research indicating that even the best-in-class Apple Watch struggles with accuracy from metrics like steps to heart rate. Another study from California State Polytechnic University has shown that fitness-related Fitbit trackers show high inaccuracies as well. In fact, that research was used in a related Fitbit lawsuit.

Speaking of glucose monitors, Kennedy isn’t the only White House official with an interest in such health sensors. The administration’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, co-founded glucose-monitoring company Levels and sells a monitoring app as well as other wellness products.

Finally, CNET wellness experts remind everyone that wearables aren’t always a good fit. Those suffering from eating disorders or body image issues should always talk to an expert before using wearables, as they can exacerbate certain issues or lead to a unhelpful outlook. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Continue Reading

Technologies

What’s Included in Xbox Game Pass? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Check out the pros and cons of each Game Pass tier, and how much each costs.

Editors’ Note: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers a slew of benefits, including a massive game library, diverse device support and both PC and console games. Nifty features like the ability to play on smart TVs, phones, tablets and PCs — not just consoles — make this a convenient gaming subscription service for a wide range of people. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs less than the price of a new game each month, yet gives access to hundreds of titles, which is why it earned a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. The original article follows.

New AAA video games used to cost $50 apiece, but it’s not unusual to see a similar game cost $70 now. That price might make you pause before you buy the game, but with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, you could play a brand-new game, and others, for a fraction of the price.

Microsoft launched Game Pass in 2017, and since then, the gaming service has grown to be one of the best values for gamers. All Game Pass plans offer member discounts for non-Game Pass titles and other perks, but figuring out which plan is right for you can be difficult.

That choice can be especially tough after Microsoft removed its Game Pass Console plan and replaced it with Game Pass Standard. The company also increased the price of Game Pass Ultimate from $17 to $20 a month.

I’ve covered the service in the past, including future releases and whether Game Pass Ultimate will save you money compared with buying single games. And with all the new titles Microsoft announced would be joining the service as Day 1 releases, like the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages, you might be wondering what the difference is between different Game Pass plans.

Here’s what you need to know about the Game Pass plans so you can decide which one is right for your needs.

Xbox Game Pass tiers

Game Pass Core Game Pass PC Game Pass Standard Game Pass Ultimate
Day 1 releases No Yes No Yes
PC games No Yes No Yes
Online multiplayer Yes Yes Yes Yes
EA Play No Yes No Yes
Cloud Gaming No Yes (select games via GeForce Now Ultimate) No Yes (via Xbox Cloud Gaming and select games via GeForce Now Ultimate)
Monthly price $10 $12 $15 $20

For more on Xbox, here’s what was announced at Gamescom, some titles available on Game Pass Ultimate right now and everything to know about that gaming service.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Review: The Best Content Deal in Gaming

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media