Release date?
The current expectation is that we will see the RTX 50-series revealed at CES 2025. The show itself happens at the start of January, but I would still expect the RTX 5090 to launch first that month with the RTX 5080 around a month later. But equally I could see Nvidia unveiling the RTX 5080 ahead of CES alongside the RTX 5090, but even then I doubt we’d be seeing the second-tier Blackwell card released in 2024.
Specs?
This has been the most controversial thing about the rumoured specs; the GPU make up of the RTX 5080. The RTX 5080 specs look remarkably like those of the RTX 4080, and you’ve got to be hoping that Blackwell architecture is able to deliver something special when it comes to gaming frame rates, because this doesn’t look special. Especially the spec speculation around the 256-bit bus and just 16 GB VRAM.
Price?
The original RTX 4080 launched at a ludicrous $1,200. A price so ludicrous, in fact, that I had to just go look it up again to make sure I was remembering it right. That changed with the RTX 4080 Super after significant backlash over the first card’s pricing, and that came out at $999. Honestly, I can’t see the RTX 5080 coming out at anything above the $999 sticker price, especially not with those rumoured specs.
