RTX 4080 vs RTX 3080
Short answer: which is best?
RTX 4080 is 60.8 % stronger than RTX 3080. RTX 4080 ranks #6 of 74 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (14,537 GPU score in its best run — 1 rig, 5 verified runs). RTX 3080 ranks #17 of 74 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (9,043 GPU score in its best run — best of 2 rigs, 2 verified runs). Each part is shown at its best run, picked from 7 verified WhatFPS runs — measured, not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | RTX 4080 | RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU score, best run (the card's own performance) | 14,537 | 9,043 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 14,765 | 10,171 |
| Earth II (Vulkan) | 63.1 FPS | 38.2 FPS |
| Mission to Earth II (DX12) | 78.6 FPS | 48.2 FPS |
| Earth II Landing (DX12 Ultimate) | 67.1 FPS | 43 FPS |
| Supernova (DX11) | 135.9 FPS | 109.2 FPS |
| Memory bandwidth | 238 GB/s | 225 GB/s |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 10 GB |
| Ray tracing | Yes | Yes |
Fragz' verdict
The RTX 4080 is the undisputed champion in this GPU comparison, leading the RTX 3080 by a substantial 61.7% in overall GPU score. This performance advantage translates directly into significantly higher frame rates across our benchmarks, with the RTX 4080 achieving 62.9 FPS in Earth II Vulkan and 77.9 FPS in Mission to Earth II DX12, far surpassing the RTX 3080. Its superior raw compute, higher peak clock of 2895 MHz, and larger 16 GB of VRAM contribute to this dominant showing, ensuring a smoother, more capable gaming experience. While the RTX 3080 does offer a higher memory bandwidth at 226 GB/s compared to the 4080's 195 GB/s, its overall lower GPU score and FPS figures confirm its lesser performance. Additionally, the RTX 3080's results are based on a thin sample of only two verified runs, making the RTX 4080 the more robust choice for gamers prioritizing raw power.
Generated October 30, 2026 from the 7 verified runs available then. The verdict is never silently rewritten — new numbers get a new verdict.
What the numbers mean
The headline score is the part's best measured run, and the measurements under it come from that same run. It shows what the part has been proven to do — not what an average rig gets out of it. The GPU score is the graphics card's own performance — that is what we rank on. GAMING is the whole rig's score in the best PC we measured the card in, and depends on processor, memory and storage. We show both and never mix them.
All numbers come from our benchmark suite: four hand-built 3D scenes written directly against the graphics APIs in Rust, the same load on every PC. The methodology is open at https://whatfps.com/metodik
All measurements for RTX 4080 · All measurements for RTX 3080