GeForce RTX 5080 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, AI & Machine Learning Comparison
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 wins 7 of 9 benchmarks, averaging 133.9% faster.
Both cards were measured first-party on our bench, same suite, same test rig.
What the numbers say
The gap is widest in Z-Image Turbo, where NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 leads by 297% (2.7 vs 10.725 images/min); the closest fight is Qwen3 4B (74% apart); VRAM decides part of this one: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 runs 7 of our 12 AI workloads while the other card runs 6, models that don't fit score zero.
Benchmark results head-to-head
| Benchmark | GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen3 4B tok/s | 215.89 | 375.6 | -43% |
| Llama 3.1 8B tok/s | 150.71 | 268.14 | -44% |
| Qwen2.5-Coder 14B tok/s | 81.97 | 149.75 | -45% |
| Qwen3 32B tok/s | 0 | 71.15 | n/a |
| Llama 3.3 70B tok/s | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| Stable Diffusion XL images/min | 8.86 | 21.08 | -58% |
| Z-Image Turbo images/min | 2.7 | 10.725 | -75% |
| FLUX.1 dev images/min | 0 | 2.036 | n/a |
| Qwen-Image-Edit images/min | 0 | 0 | n/a |
Whole-job comparison
How long each card takes to finish a complete pipeline, not just one model. GeForce RTX 5080 is faster on 0 of 1; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 on 1.
| Workflow | GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | Difference | Cost per run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full codebase review | 12.2 min | 6.7 min | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 1.83x faster | $0.027 vs $0.036 |
Renting by the hour, GeForce RTX 5080 finishes 1 of 1 cheaper. The quicker card is not automatically the cheaper way to get the work done.
Cost to rent
| Card | Per hour |
|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5080 | $0.135 |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | $0.321 |
GeForce RTX 5080 is 2.38x cheaper per hour. Cheapest on-demand rate we see across RunPod and Vast.
Specifications compared
| GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 16GB | 32GB |
| Transistors | 45,600M | 92,200M |
| Die size | 378 mm² | 750 mm² |
| Process node | 4 nm | 4 nm |
| Transistor density | 120.6 M/mm² | 122.9 M/mm² |
| Architecture | Blackwell (GB203) | Blackwell (GB202) |
| Memory bandwidth | 960 GB/s | 1792 GB/s |
| Boost clock | 2,617 MHz | 2,407 MHz |
| TDP | 360 W | 575 W |
| Launch MSRP | $999 | $1,999 |
| Release | 2025-01-30 | 2025-01-30 |
FAQ
- Which is better for ai & machine learning: GeForce RTX 5080 or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 performs better for ai & machine learning, winning 7 of 9 benchmarks in our suite with an average 133.9% advantage.
- What are the main hardware differences between GeForce RTX 5080 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
- GeForce RTX 5080 has 16GB VRAM and a 360W TDP, while NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has 32GB VRAM and a 575W TDP.
- Does VRAM matter more than speed between GeForce RTX 5080 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
- For AI, yes, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 fits 4 more of our 12 workloads than GeForce RTX 5080. A model that exceeds VRAM doesn't run slower, it doesn't run at all, so the card that fits the model wins that workload outright.
- Where is the biggest performance difference between GeForce RTX 5080 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
- Z-Image Turbo: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 leads by roughly 297% (2.7 vs 10.725 images/min) in our testing.
GeForce RTX 5080 full review · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 full review · All AI & Machine Learning rankings