A bit of background here. I remember trying to get my hands on the 12GB variant of the GeForce RTX 3080 for testing, which was a bit of a mess at the beginning of this year (2022). But given the current global chip shortage and the huge hype around cryptocurrencies (at the time), I would advise my friends to skip the 12GB variant and wait for the new series. So imagine my surprise when a new GeForce RTX 4080 (12GB) was announced during the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2022 event. But unlike the GeForce RTX 3080 (12GB), there were so many things wrong with this one.
WAIT – An RTX 4080 for $20?! – Geforce Now Ultimate Review
Once the stats were out, the controversy ensued. Eventually, on October 14, Nvidia said it would delay or cancel the release of the 12GB RTX 4080 due to concerns raised by its nomenclature, while the launch of the 16GB RTX 4080 remained unchanged. Many users were initially skeptical about getting a new RTX 4080. But after using the product for a while now, I can tell you that it is every bit the performance powerhouse we were hoping for. And it would be a shame to miss out on this great product due to the confusion created by its naming scheme.
In the words of NVIDIA: "The RTX 4080 12GB is a fantastic graphics card, but the name is wrong. Having two GPUs with the 4080 designations is confusing. So we hit the 'unlaunch' button on the 4080 12GB". Thankfully, the RTX 4080 16GB is finally here, and now there's no more confusion over the naming. You only get 1 variant, the 16GB variant. So if you're still on the fence about whether to buy this or wait, let me use this review to tell you why the RTX 4080 is a must-buy to satisfy all of today's AAA games.
The TL;DR version is that Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition is a powerful 4K GPU, but it’s also a bit pricey at $1199. Hardcore gamers will undoubtedly step up to the more powerful RTX 4090 at $1599 if they’re looking for the best on the market right now. Still, for $400 less, it’s a modern success and a strong challenger in this segment, and in my opinion offers good value compared to last year’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti which launched at the same $1199 price point.
