RTX 5080 16 GB vs RTX 4090 24 GB for local AI
The RTX 4090 24 GB has 8 GB more memory, and that decides it for local AI: it runs a better file (or runs at all) for 32 of 49 models, and 43 run at 8-bit or better against 25.
RTX 5080 16 GB
- VRAM
- 16 GB
- Memory
- GDDR7
- Bandwidth
- 960 GB/s
- Architecture
- Blackwell
- FP8 compute
- Yes
- Launch price
- $999
VS
RTX 4090 24 GB
- VRAM
- 24 GB
- Memory
- GDDR6X
- Bandwidth
- 1008 GB/s
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- FP8 compute
- Yes
- Launch price
- $1,599
01Model by model
| Model | RTX 5080 16 GB | RTX 4090 24 GB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| image models | ||||
| FLUX.1 dev | Runs well FP8 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| FLUX.1 schnell | Runs well FP8 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| FLUX.1 Kontext | Runs well FP8 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| FLUX.1 Krea | Runs well FP8 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| FLUX.1 Fill | Runs well Q8_0 | Runs well Q8_0 | ||
| FLUX.2 dev | Offload only Q2_K | Runs Q4_K_M | ||
| FLUX.2 klein 9B | Runs well FP8 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| FLUX.2 klein 4B | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Krea 2 | Runs well FP8 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Qwen-Image | Runs Q4_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Qwen-Image-Edit | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Qwen-Image 2.1 | Runs well Q8_0 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Z-Image Turbo | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Z-Image | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Ideogram 4 | Runs Q4_1 | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Boogu-Image | Runs well FP8 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| ERNIE-Image | Runs well Q8_0 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| HiDream-O1 | Runs well FP8 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Mage-Flow | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Lumina 2.0 | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| HiDream-I1 Full | Runs Q5_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| HiDream-I1 | Runs Q5_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| SD 3.5 Large | Runs well Q8_0 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| SD 3.5 Medium | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Chroma1-HD | Runs well FP8 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| SDXL | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Illustrious / Pony | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| SD 1.5 | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| HunyuanImage 2.1 | Runs Q4_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| video models | ||||
| Wan 2.1 14B | Runs Q5_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan 2.1 1.3B | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Wan 2.1 I2V 480P | Runs Q4_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan 2.1 I2V 720P | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan VACE 14B | Tight Q3_K_S | Runs well Q8_0 | ||
| Wan 2.2 T2V | Runs Q5_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan 2.2 I2V | Runs Q5_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan 2.2 5B | Runs well 16-bit | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| Wan 2.2 Animate | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| Wan Animate 2 | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs well Q8_0 | ||
| Wan 2.2 S2V | Tight Q2_K | Runs well FP8 | ||
| SCAIL-2 | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs well FP8 | ||
| HunyuanVideo 13B | Runs Q6_K | Runs well FP8 | ||
| LTX-Video 13B | Runs Q6_K | Runs well FP8 | ||
| HunyuanVideo 1.5 | Runs well FP8 | Runs well 16-bit | ||
| LTX-2 | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs Q6_K | ||
| LTX-2.3 | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs Q6_K | ||
| LTX-2.5 | Tight Q2_K | Runs Q6_K | ||
| MiniMax H3 | Offload only Q4_K_M | Tight Q3_K_M | ||
| MiniMax H3 Pruned | Tight Q3_K_M | Runs Q6_K | ||
Highlighted: the GPU that runs a better file for that model. Launch prices are the maker’s original list prices, not today’s street prices. Calculated from real file sizes; how the numbers work.
02Score
25run well on RTX 5080 16 GB
43run well on RTX 4090 24 GB
0better on RTX 5080 16 GB
32better on RTX 4090 24 GB