The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 are both high-performance graphics cards, but they differ significantly in terms of memory bandwidth.
The RX 9070 XT features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory running at a speed of 20 Gbps across a 256-bit bus, which results in a memory bandwidth of 640 GB/s[1][2]. This configuration is typical for AMD's RDNA 4 architecture, focusing on efficient performance while maintaining a moderate power draw.
In contrast, the RTX 5080 is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, which operates at a higher speed of 32 Gbps (though some reports suggest it might be 30 Gbps for certain configurations)[3][5]. Regardless, with a 256-bit bus, the RTX 5080 achieves a significantly higher memory bandwidth of 960 GB/s, thanks to the faster GDDR7 memory[3][5]. This superior bandwidth is crucial for handling demanding applications and games that require rapid data transfer.
Overall, the RTX 5080's memory bandwidth is approximately 50% higher than that of the RX 9070 XT, which can provide a performance advantage in scenarios where memory bandwidth is a bottleneck. However, the RX 9070 XT is priced more competitively, making it a more accessible option for many users[4][6].
Citations:[1] https://www.club386.com/amd-reveals-radeon-rx-9070-series-gpu-specs-and-performance-launches-march-6/
[2] https://www.techpowerup.com/333171/complete-specifications-of-amd-radeon-rx-9070-and-rx-9070-xt-leaked
[3] https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/geforce-rtx-5080-guide
[4] https://www.pcguide.com/gpu/rx-9070-xt-vs-rtx-5080/
[5] https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/nvidia-rtx-5080-allegedly-adopts-faster-30-gbps-gddr7-modules-delivering-960-gb-s-of-bandwidth-the-remaining-blackwell-lineup-is-expected-to-stick-with-slower-28-gbps-memory
[6] https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/rtx-5080-vs-9070-xt/
[7] https://www.technetbooks.com/2025/02/amd-radeon-rx-9070-xt-rx-9070-gpus.html
[8] https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5080/
[9] https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/rtx-5080-vs-rt-5070-ti/