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 Thursday, Aug. 14
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 14
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 isn’t too tough, and it has some fun movie and TV references. Just remember that «poster» can mean a couple of different things — it’s not always that photo of Def Leppard hanging on the wall. Want help with today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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: Animals holding «Eat Mor Chikin» signs, in a classic ad campaign
Answer: COWS
5A clue: Suffix with Beatle or Wrestle
Answer: MANIA
6A clue: «Au revoir!»
Answer: ADIEU
7A clue: Ugly poster?
Answer: TROLL
8A clue: Be likely (to)
Answer: TEND
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Core group
Answer: CADRE
2D clue: Vegetable combined with celery and carrot to form «mirepoix»
Answer: ONION
3D clue: Handle, as a sword
Answer: WIELD
4D clue: «Better Call ___» («Breaking Bad» spinoff)
Answer: SAUL
5D clue: Damon of «Oppenheimer»
Answer: MATT
Technologies
The iPhone 17 Hasn’t Been Announced Yet, but There’s Already a Case for It
The new case makes a bold style statement, but there’s no official confirmation that it correctly reflects Apple’s upcoming phone.
One of the first cases for the iPhone 17 has made its appearance. Canadian tech accessory company Dbrand announced its Tank Case for the iPhone 17 is set to go on sale in September, the same month we’re expecting Apple to announce the eagerly awaited iPhone 17.
While we don’t know the price of the Tank Case yet, Dbrand has certainly made some striking design choices in the hard black shell case, including plenty of number codes, the Freemason Eye of Providence in what looks like a center designed for MagSafe connections and what appears to be Braille. Dbrand is light on details for now, but you can sign up with your email address to get notifications about the case.
A representative for Dbrand did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Patrick Holland, CNET managing editor and mobile guru, cautions that these early-announced phone designs don’t always end up making it to the release date. Holland saw that happen just last year, when some manufacturers were forced to push quick redesigns to make room for the iPhone 16’s surprise camera control button.
«It’s become a yearly tradition,» Holland said. «We see companies try to be the first out with a new case design for the latest iPhone, even though the phone hasn’t been announced by Apple.»
«For Dbrand, it’s unclear whether the Tank case is designed based on rumors, or if the company got an early look at the iPhone 17 series, or were given a dummy model,» Holland said. «The case does feature a full body width camera bump that has been heavily leaked for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. There’s one thing that’s for certain: Dbrand’s Tank case looks chunky and busy, especially for a sleek new iPhone.»
That’s why we’re also keeping a close eye on all the latest reports of iPhone 17 features, including rumors of a redesigned camera bump and a movable lens that could throw a curveball for third-party cases like this.
Social media buzz
Commenters on X shared a variety of opinions about the case. While one person wrote, «that case looks fire,» another wrote, «that case looks hideous.»
Commenters also wondered if the case design was revealing some previously unknown details about the iPhone 17.
«So the second button is basically confirmed?» one X commenter wrote. «Why would the case sport an area that looks pressable or ‘slideable’ otherwise?»
Another wrote, «Am I seeing that correctly? Three cameras on a base iPhone model finally.»
Others zeroed in on the idea that Apple likely does not want case manufacturers to reveal details about a phone before the company announces it, noting that Dbrand also unveiled a case for the Nintendo Switch 2 before that console came out.
«First the Switch 2, now the iPhone 17,» the one commenter wrote. «Yeahh, they’re never getting shit early to make cases anymore.»
Technologies
Apple Reportedly Planning AI Comeback, Complete With a Tabletop Robot
Home security cameras and a standalone smart display are also coming, the report says.
Apple wants a bigger place in your home, according to a report posted Wednesday from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. While you might think of Apple primarily because it provides your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook, AirPods and more, the tech giant reportedly hopes to use artificial intelligence to sell you a number of new smart home devices. Those devices may include a tabletop robot, home security cameras and a smart speaker with a screen.
A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tabletop robot
According to Bloomberg, it’s the tabletop robot, reportedly coming in 2027, that is the center of the plan. Bloomberg — and CNET — have reported on this plan before. At that time, the company reportedly had two concepts in mind: a robot that can move around the home, and a tabletop robotic device.
Now, Bloomberg says the robot «will feature a lifelike version of Siri and the ability to engage with users throughout the day.» It reportedly resembles an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can reposition itself to face you.
Former CNET senior editor Lisa Eadicicco wrote in 2024 that «perhaps the biggest challenge when it comes to a home robot is that the market is unproven.» We’ve all seen the robot maid Rosie on the old Jetsons cartoon, but do we really need or want a robotic helper in our homes?
Standalone smart display
Another item Apple is reportedly working on is essentially a smart speaker with a screen. Bloomberg calls this a «stripped-down version of the robot.»
It won’t have a robotic arm or conversational Siri, but it should be able to do such things as music playback, note taking, control home devices and video conferencing. Bloomberg says it will run a new operating system called Charismatic.
Home security cameras
Home security cameras are becoming more and more popular, and Apple wants to move into that realm as well. The company will make cameras that will anchor an Apple security system, the report says.
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