Today Nvidia (Nasdaq:NVDA) is allowing us to lift the lid on GeForce RTX 4080 performance figures and this huge, expensive, but ultimately extremely powerful – the second Ada Lovelace architecture GPU to be released behind the RTX 4090 – will set you back a minimum of $1,199.
That’s a lot for a graphics card, but these kinds of prices aren’t new, even outside of crypto mining crazes. Even with a PC budget of $2,000, this won’t leave you with much for the rest of your gear, especially if you want to build a balances gaming PC.
In this GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition review, we’ll be comparing it to a bunch of other cards so if you do have a serious budget for your gaming PC or upgrade, you’ll know if it’s right for you.
The specifications are interesting because in a lot of ways the RTX 4080 is a lesser card than the likes of the RT 3090 Ti – a narrower memory bus, less memory, fewer Cuda cores – but trounces it with a massive 2.5GHz peak boost frequency, next generation Tensor and RT cores and an L2 cache ten times the size. There’s also DLSS 3.0 that for now is RTX 4000-only.
Is my case big enough?
This is a big graphics card and the same size as the RTX 4090 – at least in Founders Edition guise. it’s 5.4in wide, requires three PCI slots and plenty of clearance underneath for cooling. It’s also 12in long. Most standard cases will be fine, but it’s worth checking these requirements, especially with smaller cases.
The Nvidia RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 dimensions
Nvidia
Test system and benchmarks
The test system includes a Core i9-12900K CPU, 32GB of DDR5 memory, a Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 … [+] 1350W power supply and Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Apex motherboard
Antony Leather
The test system uses the Nvidia release driver for the RTX 4080 and the latest drivers as of November 10th 14th for other Nvidia and AMD cards along with a fully up to date version of Windows 11. I used an Intel Core i9-12900K, Asus ROG Strix Z690 Apex motherboard, Kingston 6,000MHz Fury DDR5 memory, a Kingston Fury Renegade SSD and Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1350W PSU.
Other GPUs were the RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti OC, courtesy of Palit in the form of its GameRock models and AMD RX 6950 XT
Palit’s GameRock RTX 3080 Ti
Palit
I started testing at 2,560 x 1,440 as the RTX 4080 makes no sense for 1080p gaming, and used a mixture of ray tracing/DXR tests, enabling DLSS mostly at the top of the resolution scale to show fps scaling.
Benchmarks
First up is Rainbow Six Extraction and at 1440p both new RTX 40 cards were outrageously fast, but the RTX 4090 had a significant lead over the RTX 4080. However, the latter was again much faster than the next best card, which was the AMD RX 6950 XT followed closely by the RTX 3090 Ti.
Stepping up to 4K below and the RTX 4080 was again a lot faster than any other card except the RTX 4090, which again enjoyed a huge advantage. Still, the RTX 3090 Ti was well and truly beaten by the new card which added more than 20fps to the minimum 99th percentile frame rate and also a 58 percent improvement over the RTX 3080.
Finally at 4K but with DLSS enabled in balanced mode, and again the RTX 4080 was much faster than the RTX 3090 Ti while the RTX 4090 was even faster, edging out a significant lead.
Next in Forza Horizon 5, which certainly favors AMD handing second and third place to RX 6900 GPUs, the RTX 4080 had a decidedly average minimum 99th percentile, but much more competitive average frame rate that was second overall.
Stepping up to 4K saw the RTX 4080 leapfrog the RX 6900 XT and would be the pick over the RX 6950 XT too given it offered a much higher average frame rate again. However, there wasn’t as big a difference between it and previous generation RTX cards as in other games.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a tricky game to net big increases in frame rates and at 1440p, there clearly seems to be bottlenecks in other parts of the system – this is where DLSS 3.0 can help which we’ll get to in a minute. Without it, there’s very little difference between the cards on test.
4K was a similar picture although with greater difference between the RTX 4080 and RTX 3080 -not really enough to warrant the upgrade costs though.
Adding in DLSS didn’t really help much seeing as bottlenecks were still hampering things, but a few frames were added mostly to the average frame rates in some cases.
The ray tracing performance of the RTX 4080 was on full display here in Metro Exodus and here the average frame rates again impressed the most, streaking off into the distance with the RTX 4090 having more of a lead on the minimum 99th percentile over the RTX 4080. There were some significant gains for the RTX 4080 over previous generation cards too
At 4K the RTX 4090 edged a bigger lead, but the RTX 4080 was still significantly faster than other cards, with a 21 percent lead over the RTX 3090 Ti’s minimum 99th percentile.
With DLSS added into the equation it was a similar story, edging out the RTX 3090 Ti with some significant leads, especially with the average frame rate, while the RTX 4090 was much faster on the minimum 99th percentile.
AMD has improved its stance with DXR enabled in Watch Dogs, but still has some work to do as the RTX 3080 was still quicker than both RX 6000 cards. This meant they were easy targets for the RTX 4080, which was far quicker than anything except the RTX 4090 and again enjoying a 21 percent lead over the RTX 3090 Ti’s minimum 99th percentile – the same as in Metro Exodus at the same resolution.
At 4K it was again an impressive showing, this time hitting a 34 percent lead over the RTX 3090 Ti and 72 percent over the RTX 3080, again with the RTX 4090 giving everything a bloody nose.
Adding in DLSS and we have yet more impressive numbers compared to the RTX 3090 Ti and strangely here the RTX 4090 lost a lot of its lead. If you needed a benchmark to warrant the extra outlay over the RTX 3080, this is probably it, with the RTX 4080 enjoying a 76 percent performance gain.
Halo Infinite’s campaign mode wasn’t the picture of consistency, but offered an insight into this popular game’s performance and was another title to see the RTX 4080 benefit more with the average frame rate than the minimum 99th percentile.
At 4K it was even more the case with those average frame rates and also the RTX 4090’s prowess here is quite clear too. There was a 33 percent boost to the average frame rate over the RTX 3090 Ti, but only a handful of frames on the minimum 99th percentile.
DLSS has established itself as a highly useful and worthwhile feature and in Flight Simulator, frate rates are king, especially if you’re more concerned about responsiveness than anything else. With DLSS 3.0, as discussed in the RTX 4090 review, games like this that are bottlenecked by other areas of the system benefit massively. Here, a different benchmark to the one above due to the limited nature of the Nvidia beta that enables DLSS 3.0, although this should be a native feature as you read this courtesy of the new 40th Anniversary Update package.
This is the way to get big frame rate improvements in Flight Simulator, nearly doubling the performance to not using DLSS at all and even at 4K you’re getting frame rates that will cater for most high refresh rate monitors too.
Cyberpunk 2077 was no exception, with the RTX 4080 with DLSS 3.0 actually beating the RTX 4090 with DLSS 2.0 and trebling the performance of the standard RTX 4090 benchmark.
Power consumption is high, but actually less than the RTX 3080 and far less than the RTX 3090, so in terms of bang for your watt, the RTX 4080 packs a punch and likely won’t need a power supply upgrade.
Temperatures usually hovered around 60°C, and with the power draw above you’d kind of hope to see such low gaming temperatures given the absolutely enormous cooler. In fact, I’d sooner see a smaller cooler and add 10°C to that temperature.
Conclusions
If anything the RTX 4080 has reaffirmed what a monstrously fast graphics card the RTX 4090 is, with it enjoying lofty leads in a lot of games. However, the RTX 4080 was also quicker than anticipated, sticking close to the flagship in a lot of benchmarks and often enjoying huge leads over the RTX 3090 Ti, leaving a huge gulf between it and the RTX 3080.
Nvidia’s RTX 4080
Antony Leather
There isn’t much left to say other than this is a huge, powerful and extremely expensive way to add a graphics card to your gaming PC, but with the addition of a reasonably quiet cooler, low temperatures and a potentially very useful feature in DLSS 3.0, the RTX 4080 certainly won’t disappoint if you can afford it. Of course, it’s also worth waiting to see what AMD has in store with its RTX 7900 XTX that’s released soon.
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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
