GeForce on Sale: PNY RTX 5080 or MSI RTX 5070? Blackwell Compared, €1,289 vs €599.99
With the launch of the Blackwell architecture, NVIDIA has redesigned its entire desktop range by introducing DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, new fifth generation RT Cores, and native PCIe 5.0 support across all models. Right now, Amazon has two of the most interesting cards from the series on sale: the PNY GeForce RTX 5080 16GB OC Triple Fan for €1,289 and the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Shadow 2X OC for €599.99. The price difference is clear, but so are the performance differences: in both cases, these are very competitive prices considering the current market trends.
PNY GeForce RTX 5080 16GB OC Triple Fan
- Price: €1,289 (down from €1,459)
On an architectural level, the RTX 5080 features 9,728 CUDA Cores compared to the 6,144 in the RTX 5070, with a computing power of 56.34 TFLOPS compared to the 30.84 TFLOPS of the lower model, almost double. The memory is 16 GB GDDR7 at 30 Gbps on a 256-bit bus for the 5080, against 12 GB GDDR7 at 28 Gbps on a 192-bit bus for the 5070: this difference translates into significantly higher bandwidth and more efficient handling of high-resolution textures, essential in modern games with 4K assets and advanced ray tracing. However, the TDP rises from 250W of the 5070 to 360W of the 5080: anyone upgrading from a previous generation will need to check that their power supply has sufficient headroom.
The PNY RTX 5080 16GB OC Triple Fan employs a three-fan cooling system with factory overclocking designed to maintain low temperatures even under prolonged load such as in cases of intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or local AI inference with LLM models. The card supports DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, which can multiply the artificially generated frames up to 8x compared to native rendering, and the new Gen 5 RT Cores for managing real-time ray tracing lighting. The video outputs include HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1b, supporting up to 8K@60Hz or multiple simultaneous 4K@165Hz monitors.
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Shadow 2X OC
- Price: €599.99 (down from €659)
The MSI RTX 5070 12G Shadow 2X OC stands out for its compact form factor: it is certified SFF Ready (Small Form Factor), compatible with mini-tower cases that require shorter graphics cards, a not trivial detail for those building a compact PC or upgrading a system with limited internal space. The MSI dual-fan TORX 5.0 cooling system ensures efficient thermal management despite the small size. The outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, with support for multi-monitor setups and a maximum resolution of 7680×4320 pixels. The factory boost frequency is 2,512 MHz in standard mode, elevated to higher values in OC mode via the MSI BIOS. At €599.99, it is currently one of the best entry points into the Blackwell architecture for those primarily gaming at 1080p and 1440p or not having a 4K display.