NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Review (2025): Still A 4K Gaming Powerhouse?

4K gaming is incredible, and everybody wants to do it. However, you may have heard that an RTX 5090 is required to complete it. Is that true? Could you buy something like the RTX 5080 and still play all your games at excellent frame rates at 4K?

RTX 5080 certainly held up well when I tested it, but there were a number of factors—especially at native 4K and even with DLSS—where it didn't quite reach the hundreds of frames that many gamers aim for.

So I've decided to test out several demanding games and figure out just how much we have to compromise to reach the frame rates you desire with an RTX 5080 at 4K.

Oblivion Remastered 4K Test

The first game on the list is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. This title is notoriously difficult to run at max settings. Here, you're playing the game absolutely maxed out at 4K, and getting around 46 frames per second in the city. 

To many of you, 46 fps might be unplayable—and for me, it definitely would be. You can technically play, but it's just not as smooth as you'd like; motion is very jittery.

For single-player games, you'd probably aim for a minimum of 90 fps. Let's see what needs to be adjusted. First, turn on DLSS. You know you'll need it. Start with DLSS on Balance mode, which effectively gives you a 1440p input with a 4K output. 

Some edges will look slightly softened compared to native 4K, but Balance DLSS often looks as good—if not better—than native 4K, depending on the game. With Balance DLSS enabled you jump up to around 76 fps. That's definitely playable, but it's still far from your 90 fps target.

Next, switch DLSS to Performance mode. You'll notice a more noticeable decrease in image quality versus native 4K, but it's not too bad—it's actually pretty close. With Performance DLSS, you hit just over 80 fps. You're getting closer, but still not locked at 90 fps.

At this point, you decide to enable frame generation. You acknowledge that some may not want to use it because it increases latency, but with NVIDIA Reflex—and soon Reflex 2—you find that when you can get at least 80 fps, the experience in single-player games is still very good.

You start with 2X frame generation. While the 50 series has 3X and 4X, you find the latency too high at those settings. Now, you see over 130 fps in the city. The latency feels good, and the motion looks really smooth.

Finally, you venture into the open world, where all the greenery generates a heavier GPU load than the city. Yet, even there, you're exceeding 90 fps, and latency still feels solid. The RTX 5080 is good enough to play Oblivion Remastered fully maxed out—including ray tracing—and you'll get a great single-player experience.

Tackling a Competitive Multiplayer Game

Next up is a competitive multiplayer title (referred to as "the finals"). You play this game a lot, and native 4K with absolute max settings isn't going to hit your 144 Hz or 165 Hz target. In this game, it's highly competitive: you need at least 144 fps, ideally 165 or higher, to avoid feeling sluggish and maintain a competitive edge.

At native 4K on Epic settings, you hover close to 90 fps. Clearly, that won't cut it. First, turn off RTX Global Illumination. The frame rate jumps slightly, but it's still close to 90 fps—far below the 165 fps you want. Next, turn on DLSS, starting with Balance mode. 

Now you're seeing around 120 fps. You could play online at 120 fps, but it still feels sluggish, and you're having trouble tracking opponents. You need to push it higher. Switch DLSS to Performance mode. You get between 120 and 140 fps, but that still isn't enough.

Time to switch to competitive settings. Keep Anti-Aliasing on Low, View Distance on Epic, Shadows on Medium, Post-Processing on Medium, Textures on Epic, Effects on Medium, Reflections on Low, Foliage on Low, and Global Illumination Resolution on Low. 

With these adjustments and DLSS Performance, you're hitting roughly 160 fps. That's right around the 165 Hz threshold, and it feels competitive.

To further reduce latency, lock your frame rate to 160 Hz. The frame rate holds fairly steady, with only minor dips here and there—good enough for a competitive setting. If you want even higher frame rates, switch to DLSS Ultra Performance. 

Now you're looking at around 175 fps or even 180 fps. The new NVIDIA Transformer DLSS model makes Ultra Performance look somewhere between 1440p and 4K when using TAA or DLSS, with only slight motion imperfections.

This game will also support frame generation in the near future once Reflex 2 is available. During hands-on time with Reflex 2 at CES, you saw it reduce latency by up to 10 ms. 

Since frame generation currently adds around 10 ms of input delay, Reflex 2 could allow you to use frame generation to push beyond 240 fps at 4K via upscaling, all while reducing latency. In any case, the RTX 5080 is more than capable of delivering high frame rates at 4K for competitive play when you dial in your settings.

Conquering Cyberpunk 2077

Finally, you examine Cyberpunk 2077 : Phantom Liberty—a title you love but runs extremely demanding. At native 4K with path tracing enabled, you're getting only 16–19 fps. That performance is unplayable, so let's adjust.

First, check that frame generation isn't on. It appears it wasn't since the frame rate is the same. Next, enable the new Transformer DLSS model (it's superior to the older convolutional upscaling). With DLSS Balance and path tracing on, you see roughly 40 fps. That's still below your 90 fps goal, but it's somewhat playable.

Switch DLSS to Performance mode. You hit around 50 fps. The magic number you need is roughly 80 FPS so that 2× frame generation can double it to nearly 160 fps, giving a high-quality image with decent latency. At 50 fps, it's still too low.

Now, you can either reduce path-tracing settings or change DLSS further. Even though Ultra Performance DLSS is an option, you'd prefer to maintain higher image fidelity in this game. Instead, you decide to reduce path-tracing settings. However, if you want path tracing, you need to use frame generation. 

Enable 2× frame generation and relaunch the game. Now you're hitting close to 100 fps. That's playable, though a bit sluggish. If you switch to 3× or 4× frame generation, you reach 130–140 fps or even 160–170 fps, but the increased latency makes the experience feel less responsive. You prefer sticking with 2×.

If you want more responsiveness, start reducing settings. First, disable path tracing. With regular ray tracing and 2× frame generation, you're around 130–140 fps —a great balance of visuals and responsiveness. If you need even snappier performance, disable ray tracing entirely. 

With 2× frame generation and no ray tracing, you're hitting around 170 fps, and it feels excellent. Finally, you can disable frame generation altogether along with ray tracing; you'll still be over 100 fps, which looks less smooth but feels exceptionally snappy.

Key Takeaways

You've seen that across three challenging titles—The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a competitive multiplayer game, and Cyberpunk 2077:Phantom Liberty—the RTX 5080 can deliver excellent 4K performance with only minor compromises.

You may not always enjoy native 4K at ultra settings, but with DLSS, frame generation, and strategic setting adjustments, you can achieve smooth, high-frame-rate experiences. If you're curious whether the 5080 is truly good enough for 4K gaming, the answer is a resounding yes.

Also, check our other hardware articles:

• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Review: Setting The Standard For 2025 Gaming CPU
• Amazon Luna 2025 Review: Is Prime Gaming's Cloud Service Your Go-To For Casual Fun?
• AMD RX 9070 XT Review: AMD's RDNA 4 Champion for 1440p Gaming
• GeForce Now Ultimate: Ditching Your Gaming PC For Cloud RTX 4080 Power?
• GeForce RTX 5090 Unleashed: Is NVIDIA's New Flagship the Ultimate 4K Gaming GPU?