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You might be wondering which one to choose and the question is RTX 3080 better than PS5? Both were released in late 2020, with the 3080 in September while the Playstation in November. Not much difference in the version, but it may have resulted in some tough decisions being made.
There are of course fundamental differences between the two. Being from different manufacturers leads to different architectures and therefore results in different optimizations and how they work. Therefore, direct comparisons can be a bit difficult to line up against each other.
Sony PS5 Disc Edition
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition 12GB
Advantages
Great build quality and design
Out-of-the-box overclock with excellent performance
Excellent cooling to maintain performance with extra on top
Architecture
There are fundamental disparities between the two choices. The former is an integrated GPU in the PS5 while the 3080 is a discrete GPU. They will have different strengths and powers. Especially with the variance of operating systems they use they are optimized differently.
With this we look at how they are made. The 3080 is an Nvidia Ampere GPU, specifically the GA102-200. Created with Samsung’s 8nm process to create a 628mm² processor with 28.3 billion transistors. While the PS5 is an AMD Oberon GPU, with the CXD90044GB. The RDNA 2.0 GPU is manufactured with the TSMC 7nm process creating a 308mm² chip. Although the number of transistors is unknown as the specs are not publicly known.
Features
Looking at some more comparable parts, there are more standard parts that we can compare. Memory and frequency tastes give a basic understanding of how they work.
| RTX-3080 | PS5 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPUs | GA102-200 | CXD90044GB |
| Shaders | 8,704 | 2,304 |
| TMU | 272 | 144 |
| VRAM | 10/12 GB GDDR6X | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 320 bit | 256 bit |
| Memory clock | 19 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 760.3 GB/s | 448 GB/s |
| GPU Clock | 1440 MHz base, 1710 MHz boost | 2233MHz |
| PDT | 320W | 180W |
We now see what this means in the different departments.
Video memory
The VRAM of a graphics card is used as an image buffer or pixel store. Loading a game’s scenes requires the pixels to be stored somewhere. And so video RAM is used for that. Higher capacities allowing larger resolutions to work better. As well as bandwidths allowing for smoother experiences.
Between the two, there are some differences in the solutions. With the 3080 having 10 GB of GDDR6X memory. On a 320-bit bus and clocked at 19 Gbps, it offers a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. While the PS5 uses 16GB of GDDR6, opt for more capacity instead. With a 256-bit bus clocked at 14 Gbps, it has a bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
Frequency
The GPU clock is a reading of the oscillation speed of the silicon crystals in the die. This is how it processes instructions and creates the graphics you see. It’s a factor in overclocking on desktop GPUs to squeeze out the extra performance.
Unlike discrete graphics cards, the integrated PS5 chip only has one clock speed. It is at a fast speed of 2233 MHz. Compared to the base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. Showing how AMD is able to make its chips run faster.
PDT
The design thermal power is the total amount of power the board will consume at its maximum usage. This gives you an idea of ​​how much electricity you might need and how much heat it will give off. There is a significant difference between the two with the PS5 only 180W while the 3080 consumes 320W. You can clearly see how efficient the console ecosystem is. Although they may look like jets trying to cool down too.
Performance
From the specs, we can assess the theoretical performance of both GPUs. The PS5 is aiming for a floating performance of 10.29 TFLOPS FP32. As well as a dual performance 643.1 GFLOPS FP64. While the 3080 has a supposed performance of 29.77 TFLOPS FP32, and a double performance of 465.1 GFLOPS FP64.
In games, the PS5 can hit a 4k 60 FPS performance mode or a lower 120 FPS. High achievement for the integrated graphics on it. Whereas the 3080 can easily hit 90 FPS at 4K with a much higher 1440p frame rate and easily above 180 FPS at 1080p. So it can outperform the console in most applications, but there are still other factors to consider.
Price
An important factor to consider is the price of the two GPUs. The PS5 had a launch price of $499 or $399 for the digital edition. While the 3080 has an MSRP of $699 or $799, between $200 and $400 more. Although the price of this does not include the whole system to run everything you need.
Sony PS5 digital edition
ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 OC
Advantages
Excellent cooling surpassing other solutions
great build quality to support its larger size
Plenty of headroom for overclocking
Quiet and powerful performance
The inconvenients
Much more expensive than other custom solutions
Color palette not to everyone’s taste
Is the RTX 3080 better than the PS5?
Overall, on raw performance, the RTX 3080 is better. But it costs a bit more and you don’t get the full package like in a console. It requires much more material and expense. While the console offers a lot more convenience and plug-and-play for a lot less, although it may not quite hit the level of performance.
Although there is a little more. Consoles are more limited in what you can achieve with them. Since PCs are much more open and flexible, you can do so much more than just play and stream. While Sony has some great exclusives to give you, they’re slowly coming to PC too, so even that advantage may be wearing off.
