When a conversation about GPUs gets brought up, there’ll be a mention of NVIDIA’s 3070 vs 3080 at some point or another. These GeForce RTX GPUs are some of the best on the market and can handle most games that you throw at them. They also straddle the price point of NVIDIA’s latest 4090 and a more casual GPU.

So the question arises, “Should you be buying the 3070 or the 3080 for your gaming rig?”

The RTX 3080 is the more premium model and offers more Performance than the RTX 3070, although for higher performance you do pay a premium price which can dissuade more casual buyers. But when we’re talking about the RTX 3070 vs 3080 graphics cards, there’s more to discuss than just the price point.

We’ve highlighted some of the key differences below for you to read through so that when you make your decision, you’re certain it’s the right one. Everything from price, performance, and visuals, as well as the internal workings like memory, are easy to find below – just scroll to the most critical factor you’re interested in about Nvidia GPUs for your PC build.

Let’s not waste any more time and dive into the specs!

The Main Differences Between the 3070 vs 3080

As with many of Nvidia’s latest graphics cards, when the 3070 and 3080 launched in 2020 they were met with a feverish demand that created a GPU shortage for several weeks. They were powerful GPUs that would allow you to run modern triple-A games at incredible refresh rates.

But the 3070 and the 3080 are meant for very different consumers. While the 3070 is an Nvidia GPU that is considered to be on the boundary of mid-range and high-end, the 3080 is quite firmly placed on the high end of the spectrum for Nvidia GPUs.

What the differences between the two cards boils down to is if you’re willing to purchase a high-end card with better performance and a higher price tag, or a respectable mid-range card with worse performance and a lower price tag. There are a few other differences between the two cards that we’ll cover later but this is the most pertinent comparison that most consumers care about.

A Deeper Look:

Price and processing power aren’t the only details when comparing the 3070 vs 3080, although the vast majority of consumers will look at only these specs when deciding whether or not they should spend.

We’ve gathered how the 3070 and 3080 compare in a variety of factors so you’ll know what to expect when you add to your PC.

Price

Price is an extremely important factor when it comes to choosing which of these GPUs is right for you. The Geforce RTX 3070 has been surpassed by newer Nvidia models but still can cost anywhere from $700 – $900, depending on memory. In contrast, the GeForce RTX 3080 can cost you upwards of $1000 depending on the memory, a steep increase indeed!

A 3070 is about 20 – 30 percent cheaper than the 3080 in most cases, but the GPU market is prone to fluctuations so it’s always better to shop around and see any market trends before you commit and spend extra money that you don’t have to.

It’s easy for prices to fluctuate because of the stringent demand thanks to industries like cryptocurrencies, which use stacks and stacks of GPUs in cases to mine for Bitcoin and other crypto coins. This market seems to be on a downswing right now, so finding the GPU to complete the classic visual of your gaming rig has never been easier.

Performance

The other meaty topic that consumers love to talk about is the performance of a GPU, and with the Nvidia 3070 and 3080, there’s certainly a lot to speak about.

The 3080 boasts a high-end GA102 GPU that you’ll also find in the 3080 Ti as well as the 3090, in comparison to the 3070’s more modest GA104 which is also found in the 3060 Ti. Both the 3070 and the 3080 offers a powerful graphics card that will allow you to run most games at a stellar FPS – far more than any optimized laptop or MacBook could.

The performance of these graphics cards does depend on the Resolution while you’re running your games. Rest assured that they’ll be able to run the games you’re thinking of playing fairly smoothly, more so than any console – we’re just comparing the upper end of performance for these cards for more intensive graphical games like Microsoft Flight Simulator.

1080p Resolution

The 3070 and 3080 are made for running games at 1080p and do so without any real issues. We’re talking about 60+ frame rates for games like Cyberpunk 2077 and 100+ frames for most triple-A titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. When comparing the two together, the 3080 edges out the 3070 in a majority of the titles we tested it against, often performing about 9 – 11% better for most games.

It’s difficult to recommend purchasing the 3080 for a 1080p resolution as the 3070 is nearly as good at a far more attractive price point. Both graphics cards are adept at running games in this resolution, so much so that the difference becomes imperceptible past a certain amount of frame rates. If budget is of no issue to you at all, then go for the 3080 but we recommend the 3070 for those who want more than decent frame rates at a solid price.

If you want even more value, then check out the 3060 Ti, which has the same GPU as the 3070 with only a marginal dip in performance.

1440p Resolution

Shooting up to the 1440p resolution category, the 3070 is put to the test against the 3080. As you make expect, the 3080 shows significantly better performance compared to the 3070 – and the difference widens way more than in our 1080p example.

Our benchmarks illustrated a difference of about 18 – 21 percent in performance between the 3080 and the 3070, which means that you’d be netting an additional frame for every four frames that the 3070 gives. That being said, our 3070 was still about to handle about 80+ frames in this test so don’t knock it off just yet.

It’s up to you and how you run games if this ~ 20 % difference is enough to make up for the 20% price difference, but if you play to run games at higher settings in 1440p, then the 3080 will be able to handle any situation you create quite handily.

4K Resolution

From 1440p onwards, the 3080 becomes very evidently the more powerful GPU and outpaces the 3070 by more than it is more expensive, with around 30% increased performance compared to the 3070.

We still want to put into perspective that the 3070 will consistently get 60+ frame rates on most triple-A titles even at 4k resolution, but the 3080 is more consistent and can handle more compared to the 3070. The 3070 may buckle if you load the ultra settings on very demanding games, especially if it includes ray tracing but in most cases, it can handle the max settings on any other title.

Without a doubt, the 3080 is the superior choice for playing games at 4k. Both graphics cards allow for high refresh rates in part thanks to their Deep Learning Super Sampling, an innovative feature that boosts the performance of the graphics cards without any loss in your resolution.

Power Supply & Thermal

As the saying goes, with great power comes even greater power consumption and that is certainly true of the 3070 and the 3080. Keeping these graphics cards cool under use is going to ensure that you receive even better performance out of them for years to come – we highly recommend you learn how to monitor GPU temperature.

The TDP, or Thermal Design Power, for the 3080 is 320W, and 220W for the 3070. TDP is an important factor to consider when designing your gaming rig, and it may impact the choice of graphics card your purchase too.

While we’re speaking on thermal and power, ensure that you have the proper power supply for your graphics card as well. You’ll want to supply your 3080 with a wattage of 750 and supply your 3070 with 650W. You can monitor the performance and input of your power supply and graphics card with your performance testing tool of choice.

CUDA Cores & Boost Clock Speed

In tandem with performance, you should never forget about the CUDA cores and the clock speed when deciding which GPU is right for you. As you’d expect, the 3080 comes ahead with an extra 2,816 CUDA cores compared to the 3070 – wow!

These extra cores make a definitive difference in your gaming experience, and you can expect these additional cores to prove critical in the 3080s performance. Speaking of cores, the 3080 also has 24 more RT cores as well as 88 more Tensor Cores. RT cores are crucial in allowing your GPU to handle ray tracing, while Tensor Cores accelerate throughput and enable mixed-precision computing.

If you’re planning to upgrade from your Alienware Aurora or are having trouble with your GPU fan not spinning, then we recommend this graphics card to play games on your new PC build.

Memory Size & Memory Type

Memory is one of the biggest factors in slowing your laptop or tablet down, so you must get the most out of your GPU. Thankfully both the 3070 and 3080 come with plenty of memory for you to utilize.

The 3080 comes with an impressive GDDR6X, which blazes past the 3070’s GDDR6 and offers 2 GB of extra memory storage. To put these numbers into more a perspective, the 3080 offers an additional 5 GT/s, thanks to its 320-memory bit bus.

In terms of memory clock speed, the two cards are about on each other’s level. The 3070 has a higher clock speed but the true metric that matters to gaming, the memory boost speed, is about the same for each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Thought of some questions while reading through our article about the 3070 vs 3080? Look no further! We’ve gathered the most frequently asked questions from the reaches of the internet and answered them here for today. Before you start pushing to get these gaming graphics cards, stick around to read through them.

Otherwise, feel free to check out our articles about how to choose a laptop for photo editing and which version of JDK is most used!

Is RTX 3080 worth it over 3070?

The 3080 is indeed worth purchasing over the 3070 if the budget is no issue. In every category that we’ve covered, it has outperformed the 3070 and will provide you with a superior gaming experience.

However, if the price tag on the 3080 is a critical factor then we recommend you purchase the 3070 instead as the performance is less but not noticeable for most games you’ll play, especially if they are in 1440p resolution or less.

Can a 3070 run 4K?

The 3070 won’t be able to handle a 4k/1440p monitor, so if you’re planning to purchase the 3070 and expect to get 100+ frames on the higher settings of a game, this isn’t a great card for you to purchase.

You’ll find that the refresh rate of your GPU won’t be able to handle your monitor resolution.

Can 3070 TI handle 8K?

Unfortunately not, the 3070, the 3080, and the 3090 aren’t able to handle an 8k resolution for gaming. The latest versions of the Nvidia Geforce RTX GPUs are likely to serve you better when talking about tackling games at an 8k resolution unless you want to purchase two cards to support your set-up and deliver optimal gameplay.

Parting Shot/Conclusion

The Nvidia RTX 3070 and 3080 are hallmark GPUs that boast extremely powerful processes and features that will allow you to play games at a higher resolution. As to which one is the right choice for you and your set-up, for that you’ll have to choose for yourself!

If you liked our article, we recommend you check out some of our others like how to remove stickers from your laptop, how to connect your Nintendo Switch to your laptop, or how to charge your laptop manually.