| Technetbook Rating | |
|---|---|
| Rating Score | 7/10 |
| Stars | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
RTX 5080: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent 1440p Performance: Handles all tested games at high settings and high refresh rates.
- Good Cooling and Low Noise (Palit GameRock): The custom cooler on the Palit GameRock model provides effective cooling and quiet operation, with lower coil whine than the Founders Edition.
- DLSS 4 Support: Frame generation (when available) can provide a smoother and higher framerate experience, particularly in demanding games.
- High Frame Rates in Many Titles: Can easily reach high refresh rates (144Hz+) in many popular games at 1440p.
- Good Quality Image: DLSS, even at Quality settings, provides a good looking image.
- Ray Tracing Performance: Can handle ray tracing in many titles, especially when paired with DLSS.
- Factory Overclocked: The Palit GameRock model boasts a slight overclock over the Founders Edition.
Cons
- High Price: The RTX 5080 is expensive, particularly the Palit GameRock version, and is likely not worth the premium over the 4080 Super.
- Not a Huge Generational Leap: The performance increase over the RTX 4080 Super isn't as significant as expected for a new generation. The card performs similar to the 5090 at 4K, but this is at 1440p, demonstrating that it is not a huge leap over previous cards.
- Overpriced for 4K gaming: The 5080 does not seem to be a good value proposition for 4k gaming, where it should be performing way better.
- Not much difference from FE in performance: The Palit GameRock Model is only about 3% faster than the Founder's Edition.
- DLSS 4 dependency: While frame generation can improve smoothness, it may require it to hit the highest refresh rates in the most demanding titles, demonstrating that the raw power of the card alone may not be enough for a "next gen" experience.
- Path Tracing: While it technically can run Path Tracing, expect very low fps even at 1440p, requiring the usage of DLSS and frame generation, which may introduce artifacts and input lag.
- Some Games Still Unoptimized: Games like Black Myth Wukong and Spider-Man 2 can still experience stuttering and instability, regardless of the hardware.
- Inconsistent performance in some games: performance may vary, and not as solid as other titles.
- Potential CPU bottlenecks: In some titles at 1440p the CPU may become the bottleneck.
GeForce RTX 5080 1440p Gaming Review: Palit GameRock Tested
Today we're testing the GeForce RTX 5080 at 1440p. This is relevant since we have the Palit GameRock on hand. We are going to go through 19 different titles.
Palit GameRock versus Founders Edition: Key Differences
The Palit GameRock RTX 5080 arrives with a factory overclock, boosting 2627 MHz. This is somewhat higher than the 2617 MHz of the Founders Edition. It features a much bigger cooler, but it is fundamentally the same RTX 5080. The core specifications include 10,752 CUDA Cores, 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM, 960 GB/s of bandwidth, and a 256-bit memory bus. Pricing for this model is around $1,100, a premium over the Founders Edition. Does it merit the extra price? Let's examine the benchmarks.
Gaming Benchmarks at 1440p: Real-World Performance
Presented here are the results from our extensive gaming benchmark tests at 1440p resolution. We tested various settings and configurations, including ray tracing and DLSS.
Info
These Tests were performed on a system with a high-end CPU (Ryzen 7 9800X3D & 32GB DDR5 6000MH) to avoid bottlenecks.
Cyberpunk 2077
- 1440p Ultra (No Ray Tracing, No DLSS): 130-140 FPS, CPU bottleneck in some areas.
- 1440p Ray Tracing Ultra (Native Res): 70 FPS average, stable performance.
- 1440p Ray Tracing Ultra (DAA, Ray Reconstruction): High 60s with dips, improved image clarity.
- 1440p Ray Tracing Ultra (DLSS Quality): 100+ FPS with great image quality.
- 1440p Ray Tracing Ultra (DLSS 4x Frame Generation): 300+ FPS smooth experience with minimal input lag.
- 1440p Path Tracing (DLSS Quality, 4x Frame Gen): ~130FPS, playable but some input lag.
- 1440p Path Tracing (DAA): 40 FPS, very demanding.
Cyberpunk 2077 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
Red Dead Redemption 2
- 1440p Max Settings (No MSAA): Around 90 FPS, some dips in intensive areas.
Red Dead Redemption 2 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
Counter-Strike 2
- 1440p Very High (4x MSAA): Very smooth, performs as expected.
Spider-Man 2
- 1440p DAA Max Settings (No Ray Tracing): Frame time spikes and microstuttering. Minor CPU bottlenecking.
- 1440p DAA Max Settings (Frame Gen): Improved smoothness with frame generation.
- 1440p Max Ray Tracing: 70+ FPS, lower frame times.
- 1440p Max Ray Tracing (DLSS Quality + Frame Gen): 120+ FPS with improved smoothness.
Spider-Man 2 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
Stalker 2
- 1440p Epic Settings (DAA): 70-80 FPS, dips in some areas.
- 1440p Epic Settings (DLSS 4x Frame Gen): 200+ FPS smooth gameplay after DLSS override.
Stalker 2 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
Black Myth Wukong
- 1440p Cinematic Settings (DAA No Ray Tracing): 60+ FPS with stutters.
- 1440p Cinematic Settings: 100+ FPS, minor stutters.
- 1440p Cinematic Maxed Ray Tracing (Native): Not playable.
- 1440p Cinematic Maxed Ray Tracing (67% Resolution Scale + Frame Gen): Much improved.
Black Myth Wukong 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
Forza Horizon 5
- 1440p TAA Max Settings: Above 200+ FPS, buttery smooth, no stuttering.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- 1440p Ultra Textures, Max Settings, Native: Around 40FPS with path tracing on.
- 1440p Ultra Textures, Max Settings, DLSS Quality: Around 60FPS with path tracing on.
- 1440p Ultra Textures, Max Settings, DLSS Quality and Frame Gen: About 100 FPS.
- 1440p Ultra Textures, Max Settings, No Path Tracing: 150+ FPS, pop-in fixed with command.
Battlefield 2042
- 1440p Ultra Settings (NO DLSS): Constant 200+ FPS.
Horizon Forbidden West
- 1440p DAA Highest Settings: 100-120 FPS, Smooth.
- 1440p Low Settings: 300 FPS.
Alan Wake 2
- 1440p DAA Max Settings (No Ray Tracing): 70+ FPS.
- 1440p DAA Max Settings (Four times FG): Smooth experience.
- 1440p DAA Max Path Tracing (Native): 30 FPS.
- 1440p DAA Max Path Tracing (DLSS Quality + 4x Frame Gen): Good experience with playable framerates.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6
- 1440p Extreme Settings (NIS Sharpening): 150+ FPS, some stuttering noticed in frame time graph.
God of War Ragnarok
- 1440p DAA Ultra Settings: 150+ FPS, butter smooth gameplay.
Fortnite
- 1440p Maxed Settings, DX12, Lumen : 80+ FPS.
- 1440p Maxed Settings, DX12, DLSS Quality, Lumen : Good performance, some stuttering.
- 1440p Maxed Settings, DX12, No Lumen : Solid Performance.
- 1440p Maxed Settings, DX12, DLSS Quality, No Lumen: 200+ FPS, butter smooth high refresh rate gameplay.
Fortnite 1440p benchmarks on RTX 5080
RTX 5080 for 1440p Gaming?
After extensive testing, here are the key takeaways for the Palit GameRock RTX 5080:
Cooling and Noise: The cooler on the Palit GameRock is very good. It offers low temperatures and minimal coil whine, better than the Founders Edition.
Performance: The factory-overclock gives a slight 3% edge over the FE. At 1440p, the 5080 handles every game, even with ray tracing.
1440p Prowess: At 1440p, it is a monster for high refresh rates. This reflects the capability of the 5090 at 4K.
4K Performance: While great at 1440p, the 5080 is not the best for 4K gamers. It's not a huge improvement over the 4080 for 4K.
Value: The $1,100 price tag is steep. Similar performance can be found in previous generation cards. This card's performance feel more like a 4080 Super.
The RTX 5080 is a very good GPU for 1440p gaming, showing extremely good results. However, the price is excessive. Consider a 4080 Super or other options unless you find this at a very reasonable price.
Thanks for reading this massive review.
