RTX 5080 vs RTX 3080 Ti
Short answer: which is best?
RTX 5080 is 60.6 % stronger than RTX 3080 Ti. RTX 5080 ranks #3 of 59 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (16,640 GPU score over 3 verified runs). RTX 3080 Ti ranks #13 of 59 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (10,358 GPU score over 7 verified runs). The numbers are measured in 10 verified WhatFPS runs — not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | RTX 5080 | RTX 3080 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| GPU score (the card's own performance) | 16,640 | 10,358 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 15,624 | 11,289 |
| Earth II (Vulkan) | 74.3 FPS | 43 FPS |
| Mission to Earth II (DX12) | 86.2 FPS | 55.2 FPS |
| Earth II Landing (DX12 Ultimate) | 77.7 FPS | 49.8 FPS |
| Supernova (DX11) | 129.1 FPS | 107.7 FPS |
| Memory bandwidth | 360 GB/s | 291 GB/s |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Ray tracing | Yes | Yes |
Fragz' verdict
The RTX 5080 clearly takes the lead over the RTX 3080 Ti, boasting a 66% higher GPU score based on our measurements. This translates to significantly higher frame rates across our benchmarks, with the RTX 5080 hitting 73.6 FPS in Earth II (Vulkan) and 91.7 FPS in Mission to Earth II (DX12), compared to the RTX 3080 Ti's 42.4 FPS and 53.7 FPS respectively. Its superior performance is backed by a higher ALU index of 800230, a peak clock of 3000 MHz, and 16 GB of VRAM. However, it's important to note that the RTX 5080's data comes from a thin sample of only two verified runs, so actual performance could vary slightly. For gamers on a tighter budget, the RTX 3080 Ti, despite its lower scores, remains a solid performer with 12 GB of VRAM and full support for ray tracing, mesh shaders, and VRS, making it a viable option if the raw power of the RTX 5080 isn't strictly needed.
Generated September 22, 2026 from the 10 verified runs available then. The verdict is never silently rewritten — new numbers get a new verdict.
What the numbers mean
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 5080 · All measurements for RTX 3080 Ti