The RTX 4080 SUPER from NVIDIA is a highly capable graphics card that targets the top-end enthusiast market. This GPU is the third card to be released as part of NVIDIA’s ‘SUPER’ refresh, offering improved hardware and a significant drop in pricing that makes it an extremely competitive option versus AMD’s alternatives. We’ve tested a range of RTX 4080 SUPER graphics cards to determine where performance lies and which cards are the best to buy.
To determine which RTX 4080 SUPER graphics cards offer the most substantial value, we’ve rounded up a fantastic selection of RTX 4080 SUPER GPUs that have been tested and analysed rigorously so that we can provide the most robust selection that caters to a range of prospective buyers and use cases.
Our Top Pick: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition
The Best RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card is NVIDIA’s Founders Edition option. The Founders Edition card is one of the few GPUs that comes in at the $999 MSRP while establishing excellent baseline performance that competes with the pricier alternative variants that other manufacturers provide. Needless to say, if you’re looking for the best value RTX 4080 SUPER, the Founders Edition model will not disappoint.
The Best RTX 4080 SUPER GPUs
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition
Founders Edition graphics cards are the mainstay of any NVIDIA launch and offer the best value proposition compared to alternative variants from other manufacturers. The RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition card is a solid option because of its MSRP price point. The Founders Edition model has a tempting $999 MSRP and is one of the few cards that launches at this price.
In terms of performance, the RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition can easily handle AAA titles and ray tracing. Founders Edition cards are also thermally robust. Thanks to the larger heatsink design that features across most of the shrouding, air is guided efficiently away from hot components, dissipating quickly. This card is one of the smaller options, sitting at 304mm in length, which will minimise any case installation issues.
| Key Specs | NVIDIA RTX 4080 SUPER Founders Edition |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.29GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.55GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| GPU Length | 304mm |
| Power Consumption | 320W |
The only major caveat of this particular variant is the somewhat restricted design. NVIDIA has updated its Founders Edition cards to have a more stealthy black look, but some buyers will find the minimalist style a bit boring compared to some of the other flashier cards on the market. The Founders Edition won’t be the best card for those looking for plenty of RGB.
Pros
- MSRP pricing
- Thermals
- 1440p performance
Cons
- Restrictive design
- No RGB
Suggested Article: Best PC Cases for the RTX 4080 SUPER
2. Palit RTX 4080 SUPER GamingPro OC
The Palit GamingPro OC variant of the RTX 4080 SUPER is a great card that maximises performance while keeping a lid on thermals. Whilst the RTX 4080 SUPER GamingPro OC is not an MSRP card, the extra cost will be well worth it for many prospective buyers. On the specs front, because this is an OC model, you can leverage a higher boost clock speed capability, enhancing performance across various games and applications.
Regarding thermals, the GamingPro OC version utilises three Gale Hunter fans designed to concentrate airflow while minimising vortexes. The meticulous heatsink design also ensures that heat is moved away efficiently from critical components. While this model is a bit large (328mm long), the more substantial thermal capability is worth it.
| Key Specs | Palit RTX 4080 SUPER GamingPro OC |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.29GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.61GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| GPU Length | 328mm |
| Power Consumption | 320W |
Looking at the design, this Palit variant is an awesome-looking card with a contrasting white and black shroud that pops up on the front and top of the GPU. Various etchings across the card add some depth, and some RGB strips add to the flair of your PC build. This can also be fully customised within Palit’s ThunderMaster software.
Pros
- Boost speed
- Thermal capability
- Aesthetic
Cons
- Non-MSRP price
- Size
3. Gigabyte RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC
The Gigabyte RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC offers an all-white shroud, perfect for a lighter-themed build. The crisp, sleek white look provides a sophisticated style that any buyer will be fond of.
Aside from the design, Gigabyte has prioritised gaming and thermal performance. As this is an OC model, this particular RTX 4080 SUPER has a slightly overclocked boost speed, improving performance in games and day-to-day applications. Thermal performance is also excellent because this is a triple-fan model with a large heatsink design.
| Key Specs | Gigabyte RTX 4080 SUPER AERO OC |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.29GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.59GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| GPU Length | 342mm |
| Power Consumption | 320W |
The biggest concern for most prospective buyers is this GPU’s length. At 342mm, this card could cause clearance issues in small and compact cases, so it’s worth researching beforehand what the maximum graphics card space is inside your chassis.
Pros
- Overclocked boost speed
- All-white aesthetic
- Thermal performance
Cons
- Potential clearance issues
- Not MSRP
4. MSI RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT
The MSI RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT rivals ASUS’ ProArt series of cards by offering a more refined and luxurious design that provides strong thermal capability, outstanding performance across games, and more demanding workloads. The MSI EXPERT variant provides a similar aesthetic and thermal design to the Founders Edition version, with a vapour chamber cooling solution that maximises airflow through guided heatsinks.
The MSI EXPERT version has a silvery-grey shrouding similar to the flashy SUPRIM cards. This shrouding encases the entire GPU, providing a consistent and minimalist look across the whole card. I will admit that this card’s attractive aesthetic is only visible from the front. This means that mounting your GPU horizontally instead of vertically might leave you with a more lacklustre view of your card.
| Key Specs | MSI RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.29GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.61GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| GPU Length | 336mm |
| Power Consumption | 320W |
The RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT slightly enhances the boost clock speed, which will assist performance in several games. This GPU is also 336mm long, so clearance shouldn’t be a problem in most modern cases. Overall, the MSI EXPERT variant of the RTX 4080 SUPER is a well-designed card that strives to offer chart-topping performance, but it comes in at a price that will make many buyers reconsider their options.
Pros
- Sophisticated design
- Excellent thermals
- Boost speed
Cons
- Expensive
- Similar to Founders Edition
5. MSI RTX 4080 SUPER SUPRIM X
The MSI RTX 4080 SUPER SUPRIM X is an incredibly sophisticated graphics card for enthusiast-level systems. One of the main selling points of this card is the luxurious metal triple-fan shroud, which makes the card robust but also looks gorgeous. The metal plating is silvery-grey, with RGB chevrons lining the fans, offering plenty of additional lighting to spice up the look of your system.
Performance-wise, the RTX 4080 SUPER SUPRIM X utilises the MSI TRI-FROZR 3S thermal design, which is built to maintain strong airflow through three axial fans, keeping the card nice and cool. It also has a 2.64GHz boost clock speed, providing increased performance compared to non-OC cards.
| Key Specs | MSI RTX 4080 SUPER SUPRIM X |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.29GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.64GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| GPU Length | 336mm |
| Power Consumption | 320W |
Like many other non-Founders cards, the MSI RTX 4080 SUPER SUPRIM X is not an MSRP option. It is priced well above $999, which is a harder pill to swallow. Ultimately, there are some significant benefits to picking up the SUPRIM X version of the RTX 4080 SUPER, but the increased cost won’t be worth it for everyone.
Pros
- Luxurious design
- High boost clock speed
- Excellent thermals
Cons
- Pricey
- Potential clearance issues
How We Tested the Best RTX 4080 SUPER Graphics Cards
To see how these RTX 4080 SUPER graphics cards perform, we’ve tested them within a suite of gaming benchmarks. Our tests primarily target 1440p, but the RTX 4080 SUPER can also play 4K games. Check out our How We Test Graphics Cards article for more information on our methodology.
Alan Wake 2
Settings: 1440p, Post-Processing High, Texture Resolution High, Texture Filtering High, Volumetric Lighting High, Global Illumination Quality High, Shadow Detail High, Terrain Quality High, Ray-Tracing: Disabled, DLSS: On/Off, Frame Generation: On/Off
In our Alan Wake 2 benchmark, we did two different runs: one with ray tracing and DLSS and one without. With these settings disabled, the RTX 4080 SUPER saw an average framerate of 96FPS, which is a pretty strong showing. This is the same performance the original RTX 4080 saw, proving how solid the ’80’ range is compared to other cards.
When ray tracing and DLSS were switched on, our framerates jumped to 133FPS. DLSS is doing a fair amount of work here, but it’s still great to see that the RTX 4080 outperforms its RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Ti counterparts within ray-traced games.
Apex Legends
Settings: 1440p, Anti-aliasing TSAA, Texture Filtering 8X, Model Detail High, VSync Disabled, Effects High, Ambient Occlusion Quality High
In Apex Legends at 1440p high, the RTX 4080 SUPER was able to output an average FPS of 271. This was one of the strongest cards in our benchmarking runs, sitting at 3rd place, just beneath the RTX 4090 and RX 7900 XTX. Ultimately, you won’t notice a difference in performance at framerates this high. However, it’s great that the RTX 4080 SUPER offers solid performance within this fast-paced Esports title.
Cyberpunk 2077
Settings: 1440p, Shadow Quality High, Indirect Lighting High, Reflections High, Crowd Density High, Particle Quality High, Volumetric Lighting High, Motion Blur off, GTAO Quality High, Grass Quality High, Contact Shadows High VSync Off, DLSS/FSR: On/Off, Ray Tracing: On/Off, Textures: High
Cyberpunk 2077 is another game in which we tested ray tracing and DLSS, along with no performance enhancement settings. At 1440p with ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 switched on, the RTX 4080 SUPER offered 117FPS on average. It is still impressive that the RTX 4080 SUPER can offer solid framerates within this title despite it being quite graphically intensive.
When we switched off ray tracing and DLSS, the RTX 4080 SUPER surged to 141FPS. This card thrives in rasterised games, and this benchmark demonstrates that.
F1 2022
Settings: 1440p, Ray Tracing Quality Medium, Lighting Quality Ultra High, Post Process High, Shadows Ultra Hight, Weather Effects Ultra High, Ambient Occlusion HBAO+, Asynchronous Compute On, Texture Streaming Ultra High, Anisotropic Filtering 8x, DLSS: Enabled
In our final benchmarking run, we played F1 2022 at 1440p high settings with ray tracing and DLSS enabled. The RTX 4080 SUPER offered an insane 299FPS on average. Realistically, you do not ever need framerates this high in a game like F1 2022, but this shows how much of a powerhouse the RTX 4080 SUPER is, especially when DLSS is switched on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Power Does the RTX 4080 SUPER Draw?
The RTX 4080 SUPER draws 320W, and NVIDIA recommends a minimum power supply wattage of 750W.
How Much Clearance Do I Need?
We recommend at least 50-100mm of extra clearance between your GPU’s length and your PC case’s maximum supported length.
How Much is the RTX 4080 SUPER?
The RTX 4080 SUPER has an MSRP of $999, but other variants will differ in price.
