UPDATE: This article is now updated, check out our updated version based on the official Ampere release, not leaks: RTX 3090 vs RTX 3080
There is a tremendous amount of speculation at the moment regarding the RTX 3000 series lineup by NVidia, with an endless discussion about when the new cards will be unveiled. While NVidia does normally keep things as secret as possible, there is always a way to find out small bits of info ahead of time, such as the all important spec.
A recent, now deleted leak by Chiakokhua, a supposed retired engineer that correctly predicted the new chipset designs from AMD two years ago, has revealed the specs for the new RTX 3000 line, kicking off endless comparisons with the older RTX 2000 series line.
However, the big new GPU that everyone is waiting for is the RTX 3080 Ti, and people are wondering just what the differences are between the RTX 3080 Ti and the current powerhouse, the RTX 2080 Ti.
Here are all the differences in spec, benchmark performances, and price comparisons between the RTX 3080 Ti vs. RTX 2080 Ti.
RTX 3080 Ti vs RTX 2080 Ti: Specification Comparison
Before comparing the specs of the two Ti GPUs, keep in mind that the only knowledge of Spec we have right now is from this (now deleted) tweet, so remember that the precise spec details might end up being different.
RTX 2080 Ti vs 2080 Ti: Anticipated Benchmark Performance
Trying to benchmark the performance of a GPU that isn’t out yet is pretty difficult, as besides the fact that the released spec is still mostly speculative; we don’t have any benchmarks to compare it to.
However, just by utilizing what we know of the teased spec, we can estimate how it will do using traditional benchmarks.
The RTX 3080 Ti represents an almost obscene upgrade from the RTX 2000 series, with other double the number of total GPU cores, as well as a marked improvement in both Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores.
Ray Tracing, the rendering technique whereby paths of light are made more realistic and gorgeous, is clearly going to be a major strength of this card. If you have ever been blown away by the sheer beauty and magnificence of a beam of light in a modern game, then get ready to have your mind blown all over again – it’s getting even better.
While we don’t know the base clock, the boost clock has also taken a huge jump forward, providing a roughly 12% increase in clock speed and ensuring that you will be able to run everything released up until this point.
Interestingly enough, it looks like the RTX 3080 Ti will be utilizing the same transistor size as the RTX 2000 and even RTX 1000 series of 7nm. This denotes the distance between the billions of transistors on the GPU itself.
Additionally, the RTX 3080 Ti seems to keep the same VRAM speed of the 2080 Ti, meaning that the total speed of memory retrieval is going to be about the same.
The key differences between the RTX 3080 Ti and the RTX 2080 Ti are thus going to be more about the total load the GPU can take, thanks to the massively increased number of cores. This means that you can expect the RTX 3080 Ti to not only be vastly superior in terms of being able to handle graphics in games, but it is also going to be a great deal faster and more efficient at using CUDA rendering for video editing.
RTX 3080 Ti vs 2080 Ti: Price Comparison
As of yet, there isn’t any hint about the price of the RTX 3080 Ti, though you can definitely expect it not to be cheap.
The current price of the RTX 2080 Ti stands at about $1200, so you can expect the RTX 3080 Ti to be priced either similarly or drastically higher.
What they might do is lower the price of the RTX 2080 Ti, and make the RTX 3080 Ti the new $1200 price point card, which would make the entire RTX 2000 series much more available monetarily speaking.
When Is The 3080 Ti Going to be Released?
The eternal question, of course, is when is the 3080 Ti actually going to be available to buy? Well, thanks to the hopefully trustworthy leak by Chiakokhua, we know the rough time period.
The RTX 3080 Ti is set to release sometime in Q4 of 2020, which means that, if you have the money available, you could pick up an RTX 3080 Ti before the end of the year. The other models in the 3000 line, including the RTX 3070 and the base RTX 3080, will both be available in Q3 of 2020.
So, if you simply cannot wait long enough for the RTX 3080 Ti, you can at least pick up the RTX 3080 in the meantime (once available in Q3, of course).
If you are looking to do a build now, however, and want to look for the best card (stock or aftermarket) for your PC build – here are some guides you might find useful.
- Best RTX 2080 Ti Aftermarket Cards
- Best RTX 2080 Super Aftermarket Cards
- Best RTX 2070 Super Aftermarket Cards
- Best RTX 2060 Super Aftermarket Cards
- Best Graphics Cards for Ryzen 9 3900X Builds
- Best Graphics Cards for Intel Core i9-9900K Builds