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You may be wondering which one of these to pick and the question is RTX 3080 better than PS5? Both of these came out at the end of 2020, with the 3080 out in September whilst the Playstation in November. Not a lot of difference in release but it may have caused some hard decisions to be made.
There are some fundamental differences between the two of course. Being from different manufacturers leads to different architectures and so ends up with different optimizations and how they work. Therefore direct comparisons can be a bit hard to line up against each other.
Sony PS5 Disc Edition
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition 12GB
Pros
Great build quality and design
Out of the box overclock with great performance
Great cooling to keeep up performance with extra on top
Architecture
There are some core disparities between the two choices. First off one is an integrated graphics processor in the PS5 whilst the 3080 is a discrete graphics processor. They will have different strengths and power. Especially with the variance in operating systems, they utilize they are optimized differently.
With that, we look at how they are made. The 3080 is an Nvidia Ampere graphics processor, specifically the GA102-200. Created with Samsungs 8nm process to create a 628mm² processor with 28.3 billion transistors. Whilst the PS5 is an AMD Oberon graphics processor, with the CXD90044GB. The RDNA 2.0 GPU is made with TSMCs 7nm process creating a die 308mm² in size. Although the transistor count is unknown as the specifications aren’t public knowledge.
Specifications
Looking at some more comparable parts there are some more standard parts we can compare. The likes of memory and frequency give a basic understanding of how they run.
| RTX 3080 | PS5 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GA102-200 | CXD90044GB |
| Shaders | 8,704 | 2,304 |
| TMUs | 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 | 1,440 MHz base, 1,710 MHz boost | 2,233 MHz |
| TDP | 320 W | 180 W |
Now we see what that entails in the different departments.
Video memory
The VRAM of a graphics card is used as a frame buffer or pixel store. Loading the scenes of a game requires the pixels to be stored somewhere. And so the video RAM is utilized for that. Higher capacities enabling bigger resolutions to work better. As well as bandwidths enabling smoother experiences.
Between the two there are some differences in solutions. With the 3080 having 10 GB of GDDR6X memory. Across a 320-bit bus and clocked at 19 Gbps it gives it a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Whilst the PS5 uses 16 GB of GDDR6, opting 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 readout of how quickly the silicon crystals in the die oscillate. Which is the way it processes instructions and creates the graphics you see. It is a factor for overclocking on desktop GPUs to squeeze out the extra performance it.
Unlike discrete graphics cards, the integrated PS5 chip only has one clock speed. It is at a speedy 2,233 MHz. Compared to the base clock of 1,440 MHz and a boost clock of 1,710 MHz. Showing how AMD is able to run its chips faster.
TDP
Thermal design power is the total amount of energy the board will consume at max utilization. It gives you an idea of how much you may need to dish out for electricity and how much heat it will give off. There is a significant difference between the two with the PS5 only 180 W whilst the 3080 chugs up 320 W. Clearly you can see how efficient the console ecosystem is. Although they can sound like jets trying to cool themselves too.
Performance
From the specifications, we can gauge the theoretical performance of the two GPUs. The PS5 aims for a 10.29 TFLOPS FP32 float performance. As well as a 643.1 GFLOPS FP64 double performance. Whilst the 3080 has a supposed performance of 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 float performance, and a 465.1 GFLOPS FP64 double performance.
In gaming, the PS5 can achieve either a 4k 60 FPS or lower resolution 120 FPS performance mode. High achievement for the integrated graphics found in it. Whilst the 3080 can easily achieve 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
One big factor to consider is the price of the two GPUs. The PS5 had a launch price of $499 or $399 for the digital edition. Whilst the 3080 has an MSRP of $699 or $799, between $200-400 more. Although the price of that doesn’t include the whole system to run everything you need.
Sony PS5 Digital Edition
ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 OC
Pros
Excellent cooling outperforming other solutions
great build quality to support its bigger size
Plenty of headroom for overclocking
Quiet and powerful performance
Cons
Much more expensive over other custom solutions
Color scheme not to everyones tastes
Is RTX 3080 better than PS5?
Overall on raw performance, the RTX 3080 is better. But it does cost quite a bit more, and you don’t get the full package like in a console. It requires a lot more hardware and spending. Whilst the console offers a lot more convenience and plug-and-play for much cheaper even though it might not quite hit the performance level.
Although there is some more to it. Consoles are more limited in what you can achieve with them. As PCs are a lot more open and flexible and you can do much more than game and stream. Although Sony does have some good exclusives to bring you over however they are slowly coming to PC too so even that advantage may fade.
