RTX 5090 vs RTX 4080
Short answer: which is best?
RTX 5090 is 95.3 % stronger than RTX 4080. RTX 5090 ranks #1 of 43 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (28,359 GPU score over 5 verified runs). RTX 4080 ranks #5 of 43 measured graphics cards at WhatFPS (14,521 GPU score over 5 verified runs). The numbers are measured in 10 verified WhatFPS runs — not estimated, not self-reported.
Measured comparison
| Metric | RTX 5090 | RTX 4080 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU score (the card's own performance) | 28,359 | 14,521 |
| Best rig (GAMING — whole PC) | 21,848 | 14,765 |
| Earth II (Vulkan) | 132.6 FPS | 62.9 FPS |
| Mission to Earth II (DX12) | 171.1 FPS | 77.9 FPS |
| Earth II Landing (DX12 Ultimate) | 112.4 FPS | 67.3 FPS |
| Supernova (DX11) | 112.8 FPS | 106.1 FPS |
| Memory bandwidth | 662 GB/s | 195 GB/s |
| VRAM | 31 GB | 16 GB |
| Ray tracing | Yes | Yes |
Fragz' verdict
The RTX 5090 is the undeniable champion in this showdown, outperforming the RTX 4080 by a massive 93% in overall GPU score. This translates directly to a superior gaming experience, with the 5090 hitting 132.6 FPS in Earth II (Vulkan) and 171.1 FPS in Mission to Earth II (DX12), compared to the RTX 4080's 62.9 FPS and 77.9 FPS respectively. It also features a significantly higher raw compute with an ALU index of 1023444, vastly more memory bandwidth at 662 GB/s, and a generous 31 GB of VRAM, allowing it to handle future titles with ease. While the RTX 4080 is still a capable card, ranking 4th out of 43, the RTX 5090 represents a substantial generational leap for gamers seeking top-tier performance.
Generated September 15, 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 5090 · All measurements for RTX 4080