GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022Core: 1260 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025Core: 1660 MHzBoost: 2970 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 9070 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

12 GB 350

26,569

0.0%

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 XT

16 GB 304

26,922

+1.3%

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 XT 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 XT: 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

✅7.8% 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 XT is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
❌
108.7% HIGHER MSRP
$1,250 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.3 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($1,250 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $651 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 111.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($599 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 4nm 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 7.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 9070 XT instead at 26,922 vs 26,569, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

Radeon RX 9070 XT 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 4nm 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 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $651 cheaper on MSRP at $599 vs $1,250, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 111.5% (44.9 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 XT 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 XT

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 6 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2970 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 304W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,922 points. Launch price was $599.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB scores 26,569 and the Radeon RX 9070 XT reaches 26,922 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 9070 XT uses RDNA 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 4,096 (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 48.66 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2970 MHz. Ray tracing: 70 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 64 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) with 280 Tensor cores vs 128.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070 XT
G3D Mark Score	26,569	26,922+1%
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	8 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	8960+119%	4096
Compute (TFLOPS)	30.64 TFLOPS	48.66 TFLOPS+59%
Boost Clock	1710 MHz	2970 MHz+74%
ROPs	96	128+33%
TMUs	280+9%	256
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	70+9%	64
Tensor Cores	280+119%	128

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 9070 XT 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 XT 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 XT
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 XT carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 9070 XT 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 XT) — 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 XT. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070 XT
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 XT). 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 XT
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 VCN (Enhanced) (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN (Enhanced). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 9070 XT's 304W — a 14.1% difference. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 750W (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 288mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070 XT
TDP	350W	304W-13%
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	285mm	288mm
Height	112mm	120mm
Slots	2-33%	3
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	75.9	88.6+17%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB came in at $1250, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT launched at $599. On MSRP, Radeon RX 9070 XT was 52.1% cheaper ($651 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.3 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 44.9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT offers 110.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 9070 XT (2025 vs 2022).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 9070 XT
MSRP	$1250	$599-52%
Performance per Dollar	21.3	44.9+111%
Codename	GA102	Navi 48
Release	January 11 2022	March 6 2025
Ranking	#38	#31

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