Is it worth upgrading?
A newer card winning every row of a comparison table does not make it worth buying. This works out how much faster it actually is at your resolution, what that improvement costs per percentage point, and whether a cheaper card would get you most of the way there.
Both cards have to be ones CompareYourGPU tracks. The database currently covers current and recent desktop cards, so if you are coming from something older it may not be listed yet. See what is covered.
RTX 4080 → RTX 5090 at 1440p
Worth considering, but you are paying a premium
Marginal- Performance gain
- +49.3%
- Estimated, native
- Measured cross-check
- Not tested
- Upgrade cost
- $6,592
- Price of the new card
- Cost per 1% gained
- $134
What you gain
- In favour: Estimated 49.3% more performance at 1440p.
- In favour: Estimated frame rate moves from roughly 120-175 FPS to 180-260 FPS.
- In favour: 16 GB more memory.
- In favour: Adds DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation.
- In favour: Works out at about $133.7 per percentage point of performance gained.
What it costs you
- Caution: Board power rises by 255 W, from 320 W to 575 W. Check your power supply before ordering.
- Caution: At $133.7 per percentage point this is above the $25 CompareYourGPU treats as poor value for an upgrade.
The two cards side by side
| Measure | RTX 4080 | RTX 5090 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated FPS at 1440p | 120-175 | 180-260 | +49.3% |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | +16 GB |
| Board power | 320 W | 575 W | +255 W |
| Ray tracing index | Data unavailable | 100 | — |
| Price on record | $1,199 | $6,592 | +$5,393 |
| Launched | November 16, 2022 | January 30, 2025 | 2.2 years apart |
Where these numbers come from
- Performance gain: CompareYourGPU estimated index, native resolution, no upscaling.
- VRAM, board power and features: manufacturer specifications.
- Prices: a mix of verified street prices and launch MSRP, which are not directly comparable.
- The cost of the upgrade is the price of the new card. CompareYourGPU does not model what your current card might sell for.