The best RTX 3080 Graphics Cards? If you are wondering which is a good quality RTX 3080 to choose, on this page you will find different models and brands. Nvidia launched its new graphics card this year.
And it’s not just the Founders Edition models that are on the market. Personalized or so-called “Custom” cards from Asus, MSI or Gigabyte are also good alternatives.
The RTX 3080 is built around the Ampere GA102 GPU with 8,704 of its cores enabled. There are rumors of 20GB cards to come in the future, but for now, all cards come equipped with 10GB of GDDR6X memory.
With a 320bit bus, the 19Gbps memory means there’s up to 760 GB/s of bandwidth on tap. About the only downside of this generation is the steep power consumption demand. 350W+ under stock operation is a lot of power indeed.
The RTX 3080 is clearly fast and it improves upon many of the characteristics that were introduced with Turing generation cards. Ray tracing performance is improved, along with better AI performance, a new Deep Learning SuperSampling algorithm and something that really excites us, RTX I/O. Direct GPU to SSD access is something to watch out for in the future.
We were all set to review the Founders Edition in our previous issue, however COVID and the resulting lockdowns continue to wreak havoc with couriers and despite repeated efforts, our sample was stuck in Melbourne for over a week. But, that’s all in the past.
Here it is! It’s joined by the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio and the Asus ROG Strix RTX 3080 OC. These cards all have RTX 3080 written on the box but surprisingly they are quite different from one another. Which one you buy may come down to what’s available in stock at the time!
Is affordability your most important purchase consideration? How about silence above all else? Perhaps you want the fastest card you can get to max out a 4K monitor? These cards cover all bases.
There’s been a lot of internet chatter regarding some intermittent crashing issues, however, we had no issues on any of the three cards we tested. If it turns out that rushed designs were the reason, we’re quite sure that by the time stock levels stabilise, all retail cards will perform as expected.
The combination of driver and BIOS tweaks, along with rapidly updated capacitor implementations mean that this issue will likely fade quickly into the rear view mirror.
Which card will come out on top? We covered the MSI Gaming X Trio in our last issue and we love its cool and quiet operation and excellent performance, but does it differentiate itself enough over the cheaper 3080 cards? How about the Asus Strix? ROG cards are usually at the top of the pile when it comes to over-engineering and unique features, but this one carries a hefty price premium.
All the cards have their strengths and not too many weaknesses. It’s going to be an interesting battle. Let’s get to it!
List Best RTX 3080 Graphics Cards
Here are our top picks for the quality 3rd party best rtx 3080 graphics cards from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and other top brands.
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition (Best Overall RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 10G Gaming (Cheap RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- MSI RTX 3080 VENTUS 3X OC (Affordable RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio (Best MSI RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC (Best ASUS RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- ASUS TUF RTX 3080 10G Gaming (Best Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC 10G (Best Gigabyte RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
- GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 10GB AORUS XTREME
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING (Best EVGA RTX 3080 Graphics Card)
1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition
Founders Edition cards took a big step forward last generation thanks to the move to a dual axial fan design and away from blowers. The Nvidia Grforce RTX 3080 FE takes another step forward with a unique fan implementation and PCB design. One of the eye-catching design choices is the use of a new 12-pin power connector. The downside of this cable is the placement of the connector. It doesn’t lend itself to perfect cable management.
Physically the card is two slots only and its height doesn’t protrude above the PCIe bracket. This means it will remain compatible in the vast majority of cases, even compact ones that won’t accommodate huge RTX 3080 partner cards. It comes with the standard three DP 1.4a ports and a single HDMI 2.1 port. USB-C has been left out of this generation.
Performance wise, the card lags a little behind the partner cards, but a few frames here and there won’t be missed. It runs a bit hotter too. We recorded a peak temperature of 74c with the fan at 71 percent. At this speed it was definitely audible, but nothing to be alarmed over. It’s significantly better than Pascal generation blower coolers.
The RTX 3080 Founders Edition is a fantastic advert for the RTX 30 series. It’s very affordable, relatively compact and offers a stunning performance uplift. We hope stock continues to be available. It can’t match the outright performance or the cooling capabilities of the much larger partner cards, but at this price and with the performance on offer, such minor compromises are well worth the cost saving.
The Founders Edition is awesome value. We just hope it remains in the market.
Specifications
- 8,704 CUDA cores
- 1,440MHz Base Clock
- 1,710MHz Boost Clock
- 10GB GDDR6X 19Gbps memory
- 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth
- Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1;
- 1x 12-pin power connector
2. ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 10G Gaming
The ROG model represents the top range compared to the TUF. Concretely, this gives a more refined design and a more efficient heat dissipation. By default, it is clocked at 1710 MHz and 1740 MHz in OC mode.
The 19.5 Gbps memory clock allows a maximum bandwidth of 780 GB / s on all ASUS RTX 3080 models (20 GB / s more than the reference specifications). This applies to TUF and ROG STRIX series, including OC and non-OC models. As of now, ASUS has not communicated on its OC models.
The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 has been fundamentally improved to oblige the great new Ampere chips from NVIDIA and to convey the following influx of gaming execution development to the market. A new plan and more metal encompasses a gathering of Axial-tech fans.
Last gen’s uniform fan design has been usurped by another pivot plot and concentrated parts for focal and helper fans. Underneath the cutting edges, a bigger, more amazing heatsink is prepared for the most requesting warm loads.
The PCB has some new deceives up its sleeves, and even the backplate has gotten some presentation boosting changes. You’ve been sitting tight for the best in class in GPU plan – and this is it.
The warmth spreader draws heat up into heatpipes that bring it through a balance stack that fills an enormous 2.9-opening impression. Expanding the heatsink size contrasted with the last age gives more warm headroom to represent the new elite chipset.
The all new Nvidia Ampere engineering convey a definitive play, including progressed second era Ray Tracing Cores and third era Tensor Cores with more prominent throughput.
Specifications
- 10GB 320-Bit GDDR6X
- Core Clock 1440 MHz
- Boost Clock OC Mode: 1935 MHz
- Gaming Mode (Default): 1905 MHz
- 2 x HDMI 2.1 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a
- 8704 CUDA Cores
- PCI Express 4.0 x16
3. MSI RTX 3080 VENTUS 3X OC
MSI’s entry level for this GPU, specs are slightly above the Founders Edition. However, you will find the MSI software. Finally, the price is one of the most attractive in this comparison of the best RTX 3080s. Note, a 2x 8 PIN power connector is present.
The frequency is boosted to 1740 MHz (+ 1.8%) compared to the reference model Nvidia. The card is supplied with a 2x 8 PIN connector. To better understand the differences between the brand’s models, you can also consult the guide to find out which model of MSI RTX 3080 to choose.
Concretely, this gives a boosted frequency of 1,740 Mhz, against 1,710 Mhz for the reference card. For the memory, no surprise, the card has the classic 10 GB. On the consumption side, the TDP remains at 320 W. For the power supply, the card has two 8 PIN connectors and the recommended RTX 3080power supply is 750 W. The Backplate is made of graphene, a light, strong and above all highly conductive material. Despite the graphene plate, the MSI RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC weighs 1.370 Kg for a length of 305 mm (30.5 cm).
Note, the PCB is common with the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio. It incorporates a support to keep the card straight and prevent the card from bending under its weight. A second support can be attached to the case to support the underside of the card. With these two solutions, the board is very well supported and the PCB does not bend despite the weight. A very good thing for the longevity of the card.
Like all the brand’s cards, the Ventus 3X OC has the very good Dragon Center software. With the latter, you can see the information on your map, but also modify it and easily carry out optimizations.
4. MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio
The MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio is a step up from the Founders Edition. It’s much larger but that means lower noise levels and lower temperatures. Given the way Nvidia’s GPU boost algorithm works, this directly affects the performance of the card.
The MSI’s PCB is an improvement of the FE, but it’s the Asus that leads the way there. Does the PCB matter to a rank and file gamer? Perhaps not. It’s the cooler that sets the MSI apart. If you want a cool and quiet card, this is the one to buy out of the three we tested. The MSI includes the standard three DP 1.4a ports and a single HDMI 2.1 port.
The MSI consistently held boost clocks in the region of 1950MHz+. It makes a mockery of the official boost clock which is advertised as 1815MHz. At no stage did we see clocks drop that low. These clocks were well above what we saw from the FE but a little bit behind the aggressively clocked Strix. A brief OC test showed the MSI to be quite limited, likely due to power limitations rather than anything else.
At $1,469 the MSI Gaming X Trio is a definite jump in price over the FE, though it’s actually a relative bargain. It’s the TriFrozr cooler that really impresses us. If cool and quiet gaming is your priority, you won’t do much better than this. It’s not as ‘extreme’ as the Asus, but then it’s much better value. We’re excited to see if MSI comes out with a Lightning card. That would be something extreme indeed!
The MSI Gaming X Trio is the card to get if you want to game in silence.
Specifications
- 8,704 CUDA cores
- 1,440MHz Base Clock
- 1,815MHz Boost Clock
- 10GB GDDR6X 19Gbps memory
- 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth
- Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1
- 3x 8-pin power connector
5. Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC
You can always trust Asus to push the envelope and it’s done it again here with the ROG Strix 3080 OC. It’s a genuine triple slot behemoth. The Asus features the most aggressive and over-specced PCB design of the tested cards, with no less than 22 phases! This is likely to be an overclockers favorite card.
There’s also dual BIOS and it comes equipped with an additional HDMI 2.1 port, so there’s two in addition to the three DP 1.4a ports.
The Strix was the fastest card in our test, not by a lot, but it was ahead of the pack. We saw it boost to over 2,000MHz at times, with temperatures never going above 65c. The cooler is clearly very strong and it appears Asus has designed it for cooling ability ahead of prioritising noise levels. It’s definitely not a loud card, but the MSI has the edge in terms of noise levels. Oh, if you love RGB lighting, you’ll love this.
The Asus can be considered the extreme card of the one we tested. It’s the most performance-oriented card and the most overclocker friendly. We hit 2,050MHz without increasing the power. Once properly tested tools come out, this design should shine. The Strix was also the biggest power consumer of the bunch, pulling up to 380W at stock. Summer in your house will be a bit hotter!
This is the card to buy if you want the best on the market right now. You’ll pay a steep price for it, but that’s flagship pricing. Whether it’s worth hundreds of dollars more is up to you and your bank balance.
The Strix is stunningly powerful, perhaps even overkill but overclockers will love it.
Specifications
- 8,704 CUDA cores
- 1,440MHz Base Clock
- 1,905MHz Boost Clock
- 10GB GDDR6X 19Gbps memory
- 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth
- Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x HDMI 2.1
- 3x 8-pin power connector
6. ASUS TUF RTX 3080 10G Gaming
The structure blocks for the world’s quickest, most productive GPU, the all-new Ampere SM presents to 2X the FP32 throughput and improved force proficiency.
Experience 2X the throughput of first gen RT Cores, in addition to simultaneous RT and concealing for an unheard of level of beam following execution.
Get up to 2X the throughput with auxiliary sparsity and progressed AI calculations, for example, DLSS. Presently with help for up to 8K resolution, these centers convey a monstrous lift in game execution and all-new AI abilities.
Pivotal Tech Fan Design has been recently tuned with a turned around focal fan bearing for less choppiness.
Military-grade Capacitors and other TUF segments improve toughness and execution.
Double Ball Fan Bearings can last up to twice the length sleeve bearing plans.
To get heat into the warmth sink exhibit productively, so it tends to be whisked away by the amazing hub tech fans, we utilize an assembling cycle that improves the surface perfection of the warmth spreader at the tiny level. The additional evenness takes into consideration better contact with the pass on for improved warm exchange.
Segments are chosen for TUF Gaming designs cards dependent on their sturdiness and execution. Notwithstanding top-rack gags and MOSFETs, capacitors that meet military-grade confirmation make the TUF stand tall among the opposition.
The segments are welded to the PCB utilizing our serious Auto-Extreme robotized fabricating measure. Smooth joints on the back of the PCB and the disposal of human mistakes guarantee every designs card meets our thorough determinations. At long last, to guarantee perfect execution when it tallies, the cards are exposed to an overwhelming 144-hour approval preliminary.
The underside of the card uncovers a large group of upgrades. A large portion of the back is wrapped in a defensive metal back plate that unmistakably includes a wide vent. The vent permits hot air to escape towards case exhaust fans as opposed to being reused once again into the GPU cooler.
Underneath the GPU, a section gives steady mounting pressure between the bite, the dust and warmth spreader. Hardened steel is utilized for the I/O section to ensure ports and give a safer mount. A strategically located Dual Bios switch permits customization of the card’s default execution profile without programming.
7. Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC 10G
The walk of outsider RTX 3080s proceeds. Each new illustration card carries with it new choices and it tends to be difficult to sort out which card is ideal for you. I’ve been going hands on with various outsider cards to discover precisely what separates them. Today, I’m taking a gander at the Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC 10G. It’s factory overclocked and comes outfitted with the organization’s new Windforce 3X cooling framework.
The Eagle separates itself directly as it so happens. It’s close in size to the RTX 3080 Founders Edition at 12.5 inches long and 5 inches wide, however it’s unassuming contrasted with most other outsider cards I’ve seen.
I’m not an enormous aficionado of its square shaped plan, favoring a touch more glimmer for such an expensive segment, yet on the off chance that you like to keep things straightforward, this is a decent choice that won’t divert you mid-coordinate. There’s a dash of adjustable RGB over the middle fan, yet it’s repressed enough that you may not see it without a vertical mount.
Like each RTX 3080, the Eagle is an expansion of Nvidia’s reference plan It includes a similar improved RTX framework and multiplied CUDA center tally and 10GB of GDDR6X memory, timed to 19GHz.
Running on a 320-piece transport, that brings the all out transfer speed up to an amazing 760 GB/s. Contrasted with the reference spec, it includes a 45MHz overclock, bringing the out-of-box help speed to 1755MHz. Try not to let that fool you, however: with Nvidia’s GPU Boost innovation, the Eagle regularly tickers itself up to simply over 1900MHz with no changes at all, offering additional exhibition over the default clock may show.
It’s likewise PCI-E 4.0 viable, so you can without much of a stretch pair it with either Ryzen or Intel assembles.
With no value premium over the RTX 3080 Founders Edition, the Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC offers marginally better thermals and a one of a kind plan with negligible RGB. It isn’t the quickest RTX 3080 I’ve tried, and at times even falls somewhat behind in general FPS, however like all RTX 3080s, stays brilliant for 4K gaming.
8. GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 10GB AORUS XTREME
Gigabyte’s AORUS Xtreme will rule the graphic cards market once more; why? We should talk!
The AORUS Xtreme is utilizing an extraordinary sharp edge plan with wind hook and the new substitute turning to diminish the warmth pressure from the extra heatsink territory.
The all-inclusive heatsink configuration additionally assists with adding additional cooling by permitting the wind current to go through it in a suitable way, which will decrease the general GPU temperature by a critical edge.
At that point, there is a twofold metal roller structure for preferable warmth perseverance over previously. There is a 3D dynamic fan that will give a quality semi-uninvolved cooling. The 3D fan is interesting to such an extent that it will kill consequently when there is no high burden or high gaming resources are running.
GIGABYTE’s AORUS XTREME additionally includes 3x eight-pin power connectors, 3 HDMI 2.1 with three presentation port 1.4a. You can likewise get 4-years of guarantee by means of enlistment.
The most convincing element I like in the AORUS Xtreme is the 3D dynamic fan with the on and off element. One can’t deny the real exhibition in the warmth sinking zones and how they figured out how to add additional warmth sinking.
Some other basic things are the twofold bearing structure to decrease the general temp and toughness. The plan looks delightful as well. The fans got some genuine bends and cutting edges while there are sufficient ports accessible on the card too.
9. EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING
The EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 conveys the phenomenal exhibition that gamers hunger for 4K goal gaming, fueled by the NVIDIA Ampere design.
It’s worked with upgraded RT Cores and Tensor Cores, new streaming multiprocessors, and superfast G6X memory for a stunning gaming experience. Joined with the up and coming age of configuration, cooling, and overclocking with EVGA Precision X1, the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Series presents another definition in extreme execution.
The best illustrations convey the smoothest, most vivid encounters in VR.
Get smooth, without tear ongoing interaction at invigorate rates up to 360 Hz, in addition to HDR and then some. This is a definitive gaming show and the go-to gear for fan gamers.
Transform your screen captures into workmanship with this ground-breaking in-game photograph mode that catches 360, HDR, and photographs.
Conclusion
Each time a card is dispatched, individuals begin discussing it a great deal with 1000s of inquiries and disarray. When I was gathering the information for this purchasing guide, I saw an impressive number of individuals on the seller’s sites to snatch these cards without knowing the nuts and bolts and highlights they are advertising.
That is the reason I composed this entire purchasing manual for assist you with getting the best RTX 3080 at a moderate cost with great looks and progressed cooling frameworks.
For me, each card has the right to be the best among all, however for your assistance to handle the disarray you got in your psyche, I will propose 3-4 primary highlights that you should look prior to choosing. The main is the cooling; number 2 is the looks, number 3 is the one having great execution, and ultimately, each of the three things at a reasonable financial plan.
I will add more updates, declarations, and new valuable things now and again that you truly need to find out about this arrangement till at that point, make the most of your gaming life!
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