GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022Core: 1260 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon RX 9070

2025Core: 1330 MHzBoost: 2520 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

12 GB 350

26,569

+4.7%

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce GTX 1070 SLI

GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile

RTX 5000 Ada Generation Mobile

GeForce RTX 5070

RTX 5000 Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

Radeon RX 9070

16 GB 220

25,380

0.0%

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022

Why buy it

✅13.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Radeon RX 9070 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
❌
127.7% HIGHER MSRP
$1,250 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.3 vs 46.2 G3D/$ ($1,250 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon RX 9070

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $701 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 117.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 46.2 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3080 12GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.7% in PassMark G3D (26,569 vs 25,380), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 9070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025), while GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 8nm, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2022. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 9070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $701 cheaper on MSRP at $549 vs $1,250, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 117.5% (46.2 vs 21.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce RTX 3080 12GB still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1260 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 70 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,569 points. Launch price was $799.

Radeon RX 9070

The Radeon RX 9070 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 6 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1330 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 56 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 25,380 points. Launch price was $549.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB scores 26,569 and the Radeon RX 9070 reaches 25,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 9070 uses RDNA 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 3,584 (Radeon RX 9070). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 36.13 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2520 MHz. Ray tracing: 70 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 56 (Radeon RX 9070) with 280 Tensor cores vs 112.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
G3D Mark Score	26,569+5%	25,380
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	8 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	8960+150%	3584
Compute (TFLOPS)	30.64 TFLOPS	36.13 TFLOPS+18%
Boost Clock	1710 MHz	2520 MHz+47%
ROPs	96	128+33%
TMUs	280+25%	224
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	70+25%	56
Tensor Cores	280+150%	112

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 9070 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 9070 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 9070 carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 9070 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 912 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 640 GB/s (Radeon RX 9070) — a 42.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 9070. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070) — the Radeon RX 9070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
VRAM Capacity	12 GB	16 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	912 GB/s+43%	640 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 9070). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 9070). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs Dual Media Engine. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs H.264,H.265,AV1 (Radeon RX 9070).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	Dual Media Engine
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	Dual Media Engine
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	H.264,H.265,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 9070's 220W — a 45.6% difference. The Radeon RX 9070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 650W (Radeon RX 9070). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
TDP	350W	220W-37%
Recommended PSU	750W	650W-13%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	285mm	267mm
Height	112mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C-6%	85
Perf/Watt	75.9	115.4+52%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB came in at $1250, while the Radeon RX 9070 launched at $549. On MSRP, Radeon RX 9070 was 56.1% cheaper ($701 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.3 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 46.2 (Radeon RX 9070) — the Radeon RX 9070 offers 116.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 9070 (2025 vs 2022).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070
MSRP	$1250	$549-56%
Performance per Dollar	21.3	46.2+117%
Codename	GA102	Navi 48
Release	January 11 2022	March 6 2025
Ranking	#38	#39

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