As a professional PC builder and a full-time fantasy nerd, I needed a new graphics card to play the latest Kingdom Come medieval-combat game with the best image quality, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 has risen to the call. I reviewed this graphics card earlier this year, handing it our Editors’ Choice laurels for its favorable price-for-performance ratio. After buying one back in June, it’s all mine, and I’ve been a happy gamer ever since.
Here’s how the RTX 5080 has handled some of my favorite PC games this year and why it should be on your short list for a high-end GPU going into the holiday shopping season. (And no, you should not get an RTX 5090.)
Why the RTX 5080 Is as High as You Should Go
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is the most powerful graphics card currently on the market that gamers should consider. Technically, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is more potent, but it’s also prohibitively expensive, costing twice as much as the RTX 5080 and not delivering nearly twice the performance. For the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090’s $1,999 asking price, you could easily buy an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 for $999 and all of the other parts you require to build a gaming PC.
Everyone will have different reasons for picking one Nvidia graphics card over another, and for me, performance was the leading factor that drove me to buy an RTX 5080, in concert with the 4K monitor I own. I already had an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, but I felt the need for more oomph to run a select few games that came out this year. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II was the big one, and I wanted to play it with the best possible image quality I could achieve. Alas, an upgrade to an 8K monitor was not in my budget, so that meant running the game at 4K with maxed-out settings (preferably without my PC sounding like a jet about to take off).
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The RTX 5080’s excellent performance and more alluring price (compared with the RTX 5090’s) make it a desirable option. If you are considering an RTX 5080, too, I should also mention the other details to check. You need to ensure that the graphics card you buy will fit inside your PC case and that you have a power supply that can support both the RTX 5080 and the rest of your system.
Nvidia recommends using a power supply rated 850 watts or more with the RTX 5080. Swapping graphics cards in my PC is a common enough task (I test these things for a living, after all) that I knew my desktop was both large enough and my power supply capable enough, so I didn’t spend much time considering these points personally. But if a GPU update is a rare thing for you, definitely pay attention.
I also didn’t need to take much time considering the RTX 5080’s pricing or performance, as I had already closely considered these factors when reviewing the RTX 5080 at launch, and made my peace with spending $1,000 for a video card. This really left my own performance targets as my only primary consideration. I also like to have parts that I can use for a long time, and the benchmark results from the RTX 5080 review were auspicious in this area. (My first desktop PC to truly be “mine” and not a shared family computer still sits beside my desk as a retro Windows XP/Windows 98 gaming PC.)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Whenever we tested the RTX 5080, it was clearly bottlenecked in a few tests by the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X that we use in our graphics card test bed. This is one of the fastest consumer processors in the world at the moment, and a CPU bottleneck still occurring strongly suggested that the RTX 5080 has some untapped potential that a faster processor down the road might be able to unlock. Even without that, though, the speed of the RTX 5080 is sufficient to make me feel sure that I won’t need another GPU upgrade for more than a few years.
Nvidia’s DLSS technology should further help extend the useful life of the RTX 5080 and other RTX graphics cards. Again, personal preference becomes a factor, as using DLSS or similar technologies can negatively impact latency and image quality. I prefer not to use DLSS if at all possible, but it can come in handy—particularly for frame generation.
Some may also view AI performance as a key selling point of the RTX 5080, but it is not for me. The AI hardware in the RTX 5080 is sufficient to drive DLSS on the occasions I use it, and that is the only use I intend to make of the AI hardware.
My Gaming Desktop Setup
My gaming desktop is currently configured with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor operating near stock settings. The MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard supports overclocking, but I’ve opted not to overclock the CPU for now. Instead, I have only adjusted its operating voltage with a -0.1v voltage offset, which slightly reduces power consumption and the CPU’s operating temperature.
(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)
I’ve made a similar change to the system RAM. The Corsair Vengeance RAM kit I’m using has two 24GB sticks of DDR5 that can clock up to 8,200MHz, but with an operating voltage of 1.4V. I have turned this down to 1.35V for similar benefits as the reduction in voltage on the CPU. These slight voltage tweaks do not undermine performance and may help to further extend the life of the components.
Naturally, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is also part of this system, connected to a 50-inch 4K TV with a 60Hz refresh rate that I prefer to use as a monitor. I have tried higher-refresh-rate monitors in the past, and while I see the appeal of higher refresh rates for twitch-fast games, I value better image quality more. The large screen helps games feel more immersive, as more of my field of vision is filled by the display. I’ve looked at large monitors that have higher refresh rates (such as Dell’s Alienware 55), but I doubt I’d get enough benefit from such a monitor to outweigh its cost. Plus, I’d likely have to reduce image quality to leverage the Alienware 55’s 120Hz refresh rate and stay playing at 4K, which I’d prefer not to do.
The model of RTX 5080 that I ultimately obtained was a $999 Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition. This wouldn’t have been my first choice, as I generally believe most similarly priced models by Nvidia’s board partners will provide slightly better thermal performance. Such cards were hard to find for a time, though, or were inflated too far beyond $999 for roughly the same specs as Nvidia’s Founders Edition card. Also, the highly overclocked board-partner versions of the RTX 5080 that were in stock cost an even bigger premium that I considered outweighed the potential benefits. Given the available choices, I ultimately bought a Founders Edition card.
My Gaming Experiences So Far
I choose graphics settings to maximize image quality at the expense of higher frame rates. I have no interest in running games at more than 60 frames per second (fps), but I typically try to maintain a refresh rate as close to 60fps as possible. I usually use V-Sync to help achieve this goal and keep the graphics card from running too fast unnecessarily. Doing so provides no benefit and would only increase power consumption and heat generation.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II was the most demanding game I’ve run on the RTX 5080 so far, and it was the key reason I bought the card in the first place. The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance launched back in 2018 and was a challenge for my RTX 3080 Ti to run at 4K at peak settings. This caused frame rates to drop occasionally from 60fps, but the game remained playable. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is, unsurprisingly, more demanding, but it plays reasonably smoothly on the RTX 5080.
(Credit: Warhorse Studios)
Running the game at 4K with maxed settings, the RTX 5080 can maintain a frame rate of 40fps to 60fps. I attempted to get a more consistent 60fps by adjusting the settings down some, but this required turning the settings down more than I expected, from experimental to high settings in some places. Alternatively, if I enable DLSS 4, the game maintains 60fps with maxed-out settings at 4K without any issues. I don’t see much difference in the image quality from having DLSS enabled, likely in part due to my use of V-Sync—fewer artificial frames are being generated, only enough to maintain 60fps.
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Ghostwire: Tokyo
I played through Ghostwire: Tokyo in 2023 and loved every minute, but my graphics card hated it. This game was released in 2022 with some truly stunning graphics that had my RTX 3080 Ti running hot and fast. It struggled to maintain 60fps with max settings at 4K, and here, too, I was forced into using DLSS, though this time it was just DLSS 2. (The RTX 3080 Ti doesn’t support DLSS 3 or DLSS 4.) I could see a slight reduction in image quality from using DLSS, but the smoother frame rate was well worth the trade-off, particularly during fast-paced fights.
(Credit: Tango Gameworks)
Running the game with DLSS 2 enabled, the frame rate stayed much closer to 60fps but still dropped slightly in intense scenes. I’ve been thinking about replaying this game, as it was such an enjoyable experience. So I loaded up an old save file to see how well the RTX 5080 can run the game in a typical sequence.
No surprise: The RTX 5080 ran the game with ease. Starting with V-Sync enabled, the resolution set to 4K, graphics settings maxed out, and DLSS off, the RTX 5080 ran it flawlessly while maintaining 60fps. I turned on MSI Afterburner to track hardware usage info, and I could see that GPU usage hovered between 90% and 100%. Disabling V-Sync only enabled frames to rise to about 70fps, but I never saw the frame rate drop below 60fps. Higher frame rates are probably possible with a faster CPU here, but this is already a notable improvement over the RTX 3080 Ti.
Recommended by Our Editors
Now, playing Ghostwire: Tokyo again with the RTX 5080, I can have DLSS off for slightly better image quality, or run with DLSS on, to help reduce the GPU’s workload. Either way, I can already tell that the RTX 5080 is running cooler and quieter than my RTX 3080 Ti; my home office no longer gets uncomfortably warm while the game is running.
Resident Evil 2: Remake
Another game that I’d been meaning to revisit is Resident Evil 2: Remake. This game was released in 2019 but still stresses out modern hardware. When this game was released, I was rocking an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 that ran well, but it had no chance with maxed settings at 4K, like I wanted. The RTX 3080 Ti I had between the GTX 970 and the RTX 5080 probably could have run this game well enough for me, but there’s little doubt the RTX 5080 can run it even better.
(Credit: Capcom)
Testing this game was slightly more complicated than disabling V-Sync. The game has a field for setting an internal max frame rate of up to 120fps. You can go higher than that by switching this field to “variable,” which enables it to exceed 120fps. Doing so enabled the game to run at about 170fps with the RTX 5080 using topped-out graphics settings. But this introduced noticeable flicker, so I changed this field back to 120fps.
To push the RTX 5080 harder, I instead tweaked this game’s image-quality setting, which starts at 100% by default, but can go as high as 200%. The game balked when I attempted to see how high this setting could go; I didn’t make it past 180%. Backing down to 120%, the game looked excellent and ran flawlessly while maintaining 120fps. GPU usage hovered between 90% and 100% of capacity. Playing through the game’s “The 4th Survivor” mode using these settings was a super-satisfying experience.
The RTX 5080 Is Excellent…But How Long Will It Last Me?
I haven’t had the time yet to play as many games on my new gaming desktop as I’d like, but I’ve had an outstanding gaming experience on the ones I have played. I’ve also been pleased with the way the system has been running. Watching the operating temperature of the RTX 5080 during these tests, it never exceeded 80 degrees C and typically stayed closer to 70 degrees C while under a heavy load. At the same time, the graphics card remained relatively quiet.
This means that not only do my games run better now, but my gaming desktop also doesn’t make my office uncomfortably warm when I play games. It’s also quieter, which is a welcome bonus. The only question remaining is how long the RTX 5080 will work for me.
At this point, I’ll certainly be sticking with it for at least the next several years. It is an investment-grade card, after all.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The next time I upgrade, it’ll likely be because I once again find a game I cannot run with the graphics settings I am after. As I game at 4K, this typically takes only about two or three years, but DLSS and, in particular, its frame-generation abilities are likely to extend this. I prefer not to use these technologies if I can avoid it, but I’ve found turning on DLSS, in most cases, to be preferable to reducing other graphics settings. I also expect to upgrade my CPU long before I begin to consider another graphics card, which could help further postpone a GPU upgrade.
If you like to game at high resolutions and high refresh rates, your calculus might be a little different. But even then, if you opt for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, you probably won’t need to upgrade for quite some time. Plus, at the moment, there isn’t much higher you can go for gaming, and the value trade-off just isn’t there for most folks.
About Our Expert
Michael Justin Allen Sexton
Senior Writer, Hardware
Experience
I have been interested in science and technology for as long as I can remember, spurred on by a fondness for video games. I learned to work in Windows and manipulate files to get buggy games to work, and I learned to build and upgrade PCs for better performance.
In my role at PCMag for the past four years, I’ve deeply enjoyed the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise. Before PCMag, I wrote for Tom’s Hardware for three years, where I covered tech news, deals, and wrote some hands-on reviews. After working as a PCMag contributor for a time reviewing desktops, PC cases, budget processors, and motherboards, I now focus on testing and reviewing processors and graphics cards and sharing my insights on the industry.
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