Nvidia RTX 5080 expected specs, launch window, price, and more

The Nvidia RTX 5080 is one of the few rumored cards expected to launch early next year (2025) as part of the Blackwell lineup. Following previous trends, the 90- and 80-class offerings have always been the first to be released, followed by the more affordable 70-, 60-, and 50-class cards. Current leaks also point to a similar launch pattern for the 50 series lineup, with industry insiders claiming a reveal period in early January 2025.

In this article, we have compiled all the leaks you need to know about Nvidia's upcoming 4K gaming GPU.

Note: Some information in this article is based on leaks and is subject to change. Readers should take it with a grain of salt.

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Expected specs of the Nvidia RTX 5080

Leaks have already given us a good look at what to expect with the 5080 (Image via Nvidia)

The RTX 5080 will likely be an overhaul in terms of rasterization and ray tracing performance. The new architecture powering the card is expected to bring further improvements in performance-per-dollar ratios and raw rasterization capabilities, enabling the high-end offerings to play the latest games at even higher framerates compared to the last generation.

Current leaks suggest the 80-class card will be powered by the GB203 graphics chip, which will be one step below the GB202 that's rumored to power the 5090.

Currently, there's a debate regarding the VRAM capacity. While some leaks have hinted that the upcoming GPU will be paired with a similar 16 GB buffer, a few others point to an upgrade to 24 GB. However, most sources confirm a PCIe 5.0-based GDDR7 interface for the video memory.

Another detail found on the internet is a purported boost to 400W TDP for the RTX 5080. For some context, the 4080 was a 320W card. However, industry insiders seem confident Nvidia will push the boundaries of power usage this upcoming generation, with even the cheaper RTX 5070 Ti pushing for a 350W budget.

This is what we know about the potential specs of the RTX 5080 so far:

	Nvidia RTX 5080
Graphics chip	GB203
CUDA cores	10,752
TDP	400W
VRAM	16 GB/24 GB
VRAM type	256-bit GDDR7

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When is the RTX 5080 expected to launch?

The first wave of RTX 50 series video cards is expected to have the 5080 on board. For now, the community expects Team Green to talk about the next generation at CES 2025. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote speech has already been confirmed for January 6, 2025, at 6.30 PM Pacific Time. The billionaire might choose to introduce the GPUs to a live audience in Las Vegas during the event.

Availability of the cards could begin at a later date, probably sometime around late January or early February 2025. This is just our speculation; more accurate details will be updated as more concrete information becomes available.

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What is the expected price of the RTX 5080?

The RTX 5080 might be introduced in early January (Image via MSI)

The pricing of the 5080 is debatable, given that no official information or concrete leaks are available yet. That said, the 80 class faced quite a lot of drama in the last generation. Initially, the company had introduced the 4080 16 GB for $1,199, and a 4080 12 GB was showcased at $899. Following massive backlash, the latter was "unlaunched" and reintroduced as the 4070 Ti Super for $799.

Moreover, Nvidia decided to kill off the 4080 16 GB within a year of its launch, and replaced it with a slightly more capable 4080 Super at a slashed $999 price tag.

The company might choose to avoid such a scenario with this upcoming generation, with a more well-thought-out approach to pricing and market placement. Our guess is a figure between $999 and $1,199 for the next-generation GPU.

A pricing leak for the 5090 and the 5080 recently popped up at a Chinese store. The latter was found listed at 9,999 RMB, which translates to $1,370. This price has a 13% tax factored in, which brings the expected MSRP close to $1,000.

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What is the expected performance of the RTX 5080?

Performance-wise, the 5080 will likely be a 4K gaming powerhouse, similar to the 80-class offerings that have come before it. Looking at previous trends, the 4080 managed to outperform the earlier generation's flagship, 3090, by a massive 20-25%. Given the specs bump suggested by the leaks and the expected gen-on-gen improvements, the RTX 5080 could pull off a similar feat.

If our expectations come true, we are looking at RTX 4090-level performance for about half the price, given most decent variants of the flagship sell for around $1800-2000. That said, the 80-class offering will still be one of the most expensive GPUs in the market, only accessible to premium gaming PC builds.