NVIDIA RTX 5080

Every number, explained

GPU memory

16 GB GDDR7

GPU memory is the workbench — the whole model must fit here or it doesn't run at all. Regular RAM cannot substitute: it sits on a link far too slow for the GPU, which would spend nearly all its time waiting instead of computing.

Memory bandwidth

960 GB/s TODO: verify

How fast the GPU re-reads the model from its own memory. To generate every single word, the GPU re-reads the ENTIRE model — all of it, every word. So faster memory means faster answers: double the bandwidth and the model talks roughly twice as fast.

Power draw

360 W — about 0.3 of one home's constant draw (a home draws ~1,200 W around the clock); one day (8.64 kWh) drains about 0.1 EV battery (an EV battery holds ~90 kWh).

Electricity burned every second the machine runs — this is a real monthly bill, not a spec-sheet footnote. We translate it below into homes and electric-car batteries so you can feel the size of it.

Form factor

Desktop PCIe card (fits a normal PC)

The CPU is the traffic director — it does almost none of the AI math. Don't overspend here; the GPU does the work.

Price

~$1,199 (MSRP $999) TODO: verify

Street price fluctuates — verify.

What it's for: The affordable Blackwell gaming card — 16 GB runs ~13B-parameter models; the easy way into local AI.