Asus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Strix LC Review
This is the best 3080Ti that money can get you today. Thanks to its liquid cooling system, the dimensions of the main card are compact, temperatures are kept low, and clocks are set high, having a significant lead over stock 3080 Tis.
The increased cooling capacity allows higher average GPU clock speeds over “normal” 3080Ti cards. In this review, I will compare it with a Saphire NITRO AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which is the best that AMD has to offer right now.
A Quick Look At The Specs
The RTX 3080 Ti uses the GA102 silicon, and it has 10240 cores and 112 ROPs.
GPU and Memory Clocks
Its core clock is set at 1365 MHz, and its boost clock is notably higher than the stock 1665 MHz, at 1830 MHz.
The memory clock is not increased at 1188 MHz, which is a shame. But GDDR6x memory runs hot, so it is wise not to push it hard. The card is equipped with 12 GB of memory, having a 384-bit bus width.
Board Power Limits
The default power limit is 400W, and it can go up to 450W. This is 100W more than the max power limit of the 6900 XT. On the other hand, the minimum power limit of the latter is way higher than Nvidia’s card.
GPU Temperature Limits
The maximum temperature limits are increased because of the enhanced cooling system.
Pricing
This card costs over 2000 dollars, and it will be tough to find one.
The Card
The card is attached to a radiator, which is prefilled. Build quality is excellent, and the card itself also has a fan to help it keep low temperatures in parts like the DC-DC converters. The backplate is metallic, while the cooler shroud is plastic. You need three slots and space for the 240 x 120 mm radiator to install the card. The radiator comes with two RGB fans. The pump-block is provided by Asetek and cools down the GPU and the memory chips through a special base. There is a switch on the card for selecting between two modes, Performance, and Quiet. I had it at performance, of course.
Weight, Length, and Width
The weight of the card with the radiator is increased, but the weight of the card alone is not that high at 1364 grams, so that it won’t put lots of strain on the PCIe slot. The card’s dimensions are compact, but you still need space for the radiator.
Available Ports
The card has three DP 1.4 ports and two HDMI 2.1.
It uses three 8-pin sockets for power input, and given that it can go up to 450W, I strongly advise you to use dedicated PCIe cables. There are also two 4-pin PWM fan headers for syncing the case fans with the graphics card fans. The fans won’t spin at low loads for minimized noise output.
Test System
I use a strong CPU to ensure that there will be a minimum bottleneck at HD resolutions. All games are installed onto a fast NVMe drive, and I get multiple readings from each game, from three up to six in some cases, and I use the average results. The PSU is powerful and of super-high quality to handle every VGA out there, and I always use the latest drivers.
Gaming Performance
In general, the RX 6900 XT gives the 3080 Ti a run for its money without RTX.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
AnvilNext 2.0 engine by Ubisoft using DX12. A good game engine offering nice graphics. This is an AMD-optimized game.
Control
The Northlight engine by Remedy Entertainment utilizes DirectX 12 (it also supports DirectX 11). It supports RTX and DLSS, which I don’t use in these tests.
Cyberpunk 2077
Red Engine by CD Projekt RED, supporting Direct X 12 and RTX.
Death Stranding
Decima Engine, in DirectX 12. It is not a heavy game, and I don’t find it exciting since your objective is to transport objects between locations.
DOOM Eternal
ID Tech 7 Engine by ID Software, using the Vulkan API. The game is highly optimized and has good graphics (and lots of enemies).
Far Cry 6
The newest Dunia engine uses DirectX 12. An exciting game for open-world and first-person shooter fanatics. It has RTX support, and it is more demanding than the previous Far Cry (5).
Forza Horizon 5
An open-world racing game. It uses the Turn 10 engine, and it has fantastic graphics.
God Of War
A PS5 exclusively finally arrived for PCs. It supports both DLSS and FSR.
Halo Infinite
It utilizes the new Slipspace Engine: good graphics and lots of fun.
Hitman 3
It uses the same Glacier Engine of the two previous Hitman titles. DX12 is used, and the game can highly stress strong systems if you max out the details and the resolution.
Metro Exodus
4A Engine utilizing the DirectX 12 API. The game supports Raytracing and DLSS, which I have deactivated for the following tests. It also includes a benchmark. Without DXR, it is not super taxing, despite the top-notch graphics, since the engine is well optimized. With DXR enabled and without DLSS, things change.
Resident Evil Village
RE engine, DX 12, and RTX support.
Red Dead Redemption
Vulcan engine, excellent graphics, and lots of action in this open-world game.
Shadow Of the Tomb Raider
It uses the Foundation engine, which takes advantage of DirectX 12, supporting both RTX and DLSS. I didn’t use any raytracing features in this game.
Raytracing Performance: Resident Evil Village, Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom, Far Cry 6 Metro Exodus
I run six games in three resolutions with RTX enabled. The 3080Ti shows its full potential with RTX enabled, having a significant lead of the 6900 XT in all titles but Far Cry 6.
Rendering Performance – Davinci Resolve
Nvidia is the rendering performance, king.
Operating Temperatures
Liquid cooling makes a difference! Temperatures are kept low in all usage scenarios.
Operating Noise – Fan Full Speed, 75% 50%
The 3080 Ti is noisier than the 6900 XT at full fan speed.
Operating Noise – Idle, Multimedia, Rendering, Gaming Furmark
The card is not as silent as the 6900 XT with the BIOS switch to performance. It is noisy, especially in gaming which matters the most. In rendering, the difference in noise output is low.
Coil Whine Noise
There is some coil whine noise, especially in games with no FPS limiter in the menus and start-up screens, but it is low, and with the card inside a chassis, I use a test bench; most likely, you won’t hear anything.
Power Consumption
Power consumption at idle, with a single and two monitors connected, is increased because of the energy that the cooling pump needs. With two monitors, AMD typically consumers more, though.
In multimedia, the card consumes notably less than the 6900 XT.
In rendering, gaming, and furmark, the 3080Ti is a power hog.
Surprisingly, the RX 6900 XT’s maximum power reading is higher than the one of the 3080 Ti.
Relative Performance with and without RTX, HD, QHD, and UHD
At HD and QHD, the 3080 Ti loses to the 6900 XT without RTX. At 4K, it manages to take the lead.
With RTX, the situation turns. The 3080 Ti shows its strength, taking a vast lead over the RX 6900 XT.
Performance Per Watt
The 6900 XT is way more efficient than the 3080 Ti without RTX. The situation turns with RTX enabled, but the difference is not as significant.
Overall Relative Performance and Performance per Watt with and without RTX
Without RTX, the 6900 XT is 3.13% faster overall, but it loses by a whopping 21.45% with RTX enabled.
The 6900 XT is way more efficient than the 3080 Ti without RTX. With RTX enabled, it loses, but the difference is not as significant as the previous case.
Overclocking
The overclock gain is low, at 4.83%.
I set the GPU boost clock at 2010MHz and the RAM at 1331MHz.
Temperatures are kept low, although I pushed the card.
Cooling System Performance
Ten minutes at Furmark with 30 and 35 dBA noise output, all cooling systems output precisely the same noise and can be directly compared.
The Asus card has a way more capable cooling system than the Saphire Nitro, and this is expected, of course.
Looking at the AVG GPU clocks always sheds more light on the cooling system’s evaluation.
Epilogue
The Asus ROG Strix LC RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC is among the fastest graphics cards money can get you today. It won’t be easy to find it, and you will need to empty your wallet, but if you enjoy RTX and want low temperatures, this is the card to get. On the other hand, if you don’t care much for pure RTX and have no problem with FSR, it would be better to invest in a 6900 XT and save money. It is more energy-efficient, but it has higher spikes, so you will need a good PSU with at least 850W capacity or even 1000W if you have a strong and energy-hungry CPU, like the Intel i9-12900K that I used.
Who should buy this card? Gamers with 4K monitors or gamers with high refresh rate monitors need to exploit them fully. If you are an RTX-freak, then this product is definitely for you. Temperatures are kept low under all conditions, in both GPU and RAM, since the cooling system does a terrific job. The major downside is the huge price increase over other 3080Tis. I don’t believe that the addition of the LC system should drive the price so high.
- High performance, as fast if not faster than a stock 3090
- Not huge dimensions
- Good build quality, including a metallic backplate
- Low temperatures
- Two BIOS modes, quiet and performance
- Fan stop feature
- Headers for case fans
- Increased power limit
- 12 GB of VRAM
- Two HDMI 2.1 and three DP 1.4
- 8-nanometer lithography
- PCI-Express 4.0
- Super expensive
- Hard to find one
- In performance mode, it is noisy
- Not so energy efficient
- It requires additional space to install the radiator
- Increased power consumption at idle and with two monitors connected
Disclaimer: This article is crmaris review on 3080ti. I only edited it to be an article for the site. All the props goes to Aris. You can watch the full YouTube video, here.
Asus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 12GB GDDR6X, TUF Gaming OC
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- GPU model: GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
- GPU core frequency: 1755 MHz
- Power sockets: 2x 8-pin
- RAM: 12 GB
- Memory type: GDDR6X
- Cooling: High-End Cooler
We offer to buy the graphics card Asus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 12 GB GDDR6X RAM.
TheNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card was launched in June 2021. With this video card, NVIDIA’s plan was to reduce the large price and power step between the RTX 3080 and the most powerful Ampere model, the RTX 3090. However, the result turned out better than expected: despite twice the amount of memory. 12 GB. GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
in PC games, the reported performance is only 2-3% behind RTX 3090.
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Ampere architecture, 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 8 nanometer process technology allow GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
to rank a respectable second among all GeForce RTX 30 Series and Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics cards.
Watch a video that compares the performance of the most popular PC gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards side-by-side with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 models in the currently popular 2K (1440p) and demanding 4K resolutions.
The near RTX 3090-like performance of the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti enables the highest resolution and quality gaming on any PC game currently out or even coming in the next few years, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Borderlands 3, Death Stranding, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Watch Dogs: Legion, Dirt 5, Assassin’s Creed: Vallhalla, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Cold War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc.Redemption, Deadly Deadly.
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti for professional work
The new GeForce RTX 3080 Ti technologies and impressive 10240 CUDA core count make a huge contribution not only in PC games, but also in the most demanding video processing applications DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and 3D rendering tools V-Ray Next, Octane, RedShift, etc. Here’s a look at some of the performance tests that GeForce RTX 3080 Ti performance against other NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series cards.
System requirements
To use the full power potential of Asus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, we recommend installing it in a PC equipped with a 10th generation or newer Intel Core i7 / Core i9 processor or AMD 5000 series Ryzen 7 / Ryzen 9 processor along with a quality power supply that delivers at least 750W of power.
NVIDIA DLSS 2.0
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a revolutionary rendering technology that boosts graphics card performance (FPS) by 1.5 times or more while maintaining outstanding image quality, using artificial intelligence (AI) and RTX Tensor cores. DLSS delivers the power boost you need to boost your games’ graphics settings and resolution for a breathtaking visual experience. The AI revolution has reached PC gaming!
Discover new horizons of creativity
Take the quality of your work projects to the next level with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti video card that brings AI overclocking to the best creative applications. This is powered by the NVIDIA Studio platform with tailored drivers and exclusive tools that let you get things done in record time. Whether you’re rendering complex 3D scenes, processing 4K video or streaming online at the highest quality, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card delivers the level of performance you need to unleash your creativity without limits.
Play like a pro
Be the centre of attention with incredible graphics and smooth, jitter-free online streaming. Next-generation encoding and decoding at thehardware level lets you showcase your best moments in exquisite quality. All-new NVIDIA Broadcast software takes your live broadcasts to the next level with powerful AI capabilities that improve audio and video quality with effects like virtual backgrounds, auto-frame for webcam and microphone noise removal. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti video card will give you high performance and your viewers the best picture quality!
GeForce Experience
Capture and share video and screenshots, or livestream to friends. Update drivers and optimise game settings. GeForce Experience does it all. It’s an integral part of your GeForce graphics card.
NVIDIA G-SYNC
Enjoy smooth, refresh-free gameplay with up to 360Hz refresh rate, HDR and more. GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card combined with a G-SYNC monitor is the ultimate combination for passionate gamers.
NVIDIA Ansel
Turn your screenshots into works of art and impress your friends with the powerful Ansel Photo Mode, which captures 360-degree HDR photos at ultra-high resolution.
Virtual reality
The GeForce emblem indicates that this graphics card is powerful enough to be compatible with the latest VR (Virtual Reality) devices such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (SteamVR), etc.
GPU or the video card processor. This parameter determines whether the video card model is AMD Radeon or FirePro, NVIDIA GeForce or Quadro.
This is the main performance indicator of the graphics card because it indicates the model of this card. The performance of cards of the same model is very similar and usually very different from the cards of another model.
The main difference is the manufacturer. NVidia produces GeForce series cards and AMD produces Radeon series cards. There are considerable differences between both series, GeForce cards have more successful (more stable) drivers, which improve the compatibility of these cards with games and operating systems reducing the image defect (artefact) and the cases of “hanging” to the minimum. Radeon cards usually are cheaper and consume less energy (they are technologically superior), however there might be problems with drivers and the support of games.
The choice between Radeon or GeForce series is the question of preference, similar to the choice between AMD or Intel CPU, and not always there is 100% rational justification behind it, therefore we recommend to base your selection criteria just on the games that you want to play in the near future and to find a video review in YouTube (the graphic card model the game title) that will demonstrate exactly how the particular card handles the relevant game. The result will be obvious and usually quite close to what you get when you buy the particular or similar model card.
For making the choice easier for our customers Dateks.lv has marked the graphic cards (models) that are the best choice for playing all the newest games at a reasonable quality level with a green tick “recommended”.
GPU speed or the graphic drive speed (MHz) indicates the clock frequency at which the most important component of the video card, i.e. the video processor, operates. The higher the drive speed, the more powerful the video card. The performance of the video card is also determined by the memory volume, type, bits and the drive model, therefore you should verify the capacity compliance of the other components upon buying a video card with a powerful drive.
The RAM capacity of the video card. This is an important parameter if you want to play games of high resolution or work with a high resolution monitor. A higher memory capacity means better performance and the support to higher resolution.
Currently 1GB is the optimum capacity of the video memory.
The type of the RAM of the video card determines the operation speed of the video card. The currently available video cards have DDRII, GDDRIII or GDDR4 memory. GDDR4 memory is the fastest memory type.
The number of bits of the video card RAM determine what amount of information the video card memory can handle within a single clock cycle. A higher number of bits indicates higher performance of the video card.
Two types of cooling are available, i.e. a radiator and a ventilator. The radiator based cooling is implemented without any moving parts (ventilator), therefore the video card does not emit any noise. The ventilator based cooling is more efficient, however, the video card emits certain noise during the computer operation.
HDMI is the digital image and sound transmission standard that allows to connect a TV set, monitor or projector supporting HDMI to the computer via the HDMI cable.
DisplayPort digital connection for the transmission of the image and sound via a single wire at a high quality level. Contrary to the HDMI, this connection allows to connect several external monitors to the computer via a single connector.
D-SUB is the classic (analogous) connection plug of monitors, projectors and other external video devices. This standard is gradually disappearing from the market leaving the space for much higher quality HDMI or DisplayPort (digitālajiem) plugs.
Asus rtx 3080 ti
Product: Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Type: Graphics Card Price: ~ 3,499 AUD Availability: Now
With the recent release of the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti we took the Founders Edition for a spin and marvelled at how it got close to GeForce RTX 3090 performance. So much so that the couple of frames difference meant that it was for all intents and purposes a RTX 3090 but with 12GB of memory instead of 24GB. A decent prospect, on the account of the VRAM-heavy RTX 3090 being more of a card for professionals and those that spend their evenings editing videos or rendering, err, renders.
For straight up gaming, especially for those pushing 4K or an ultrawide resolution that sits above 1440p, there’s not really a lot out there that can match the RTX 3080 Ti. Seeing as it takes the ‘Ampere Flagship’ crown off of the GeForce RTX 3080, that sort of unmatched high-end performance is what you’d expect. But, when it came to the Founders Edition we did notice that it ran a little warmer than the non-Ti RTX 3080, so we began to wonder if that would be the case with partner cards like the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC.
A card that is physically beefy, sturdy, stylish, and formidable. An offering from Asus that adds its own top-of-the-line flagship ROG STRIX cooling and finish to the flagship RTX 3080 Ti. The OC of the name adds an additional 8-pin connector for even more power for the already power-hungry RTX 3080 Ti, something that opens the door to pushing clock speeds higher than the already boosted out-of-the-box settings.
Now, what does that mean when stacked up against the Founders Edition? Well, without any tinkering that’s similar performance at a much cooler temp.
Of Numbers and Heat Sinks
With three fans and an almost three-slot thickness, the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is an all-round beast of a GPU. in stature and underlying technology. There’s quite a bit of metal in the build too, which adds to the premium feel. The large heat sink allows for the OC action to do its thing, in addition to temps sitting mostly in the high-60s range.- unless you push the clock speeds. It’s a premium GPU that has been refined over previous models, taking into account the benefits that come from going ‘Ti’.
- Architecture (GPU): Ampere
- CUDA Cores: 10240
- RT Cores: 80 (2nd Gen)
- Tensor Cores: 320 (3rd Gen)
- GPU Boost Clock: OC mode: 1845 MHz, Gaming mode: 1815 MHz
- Memory Capacity: 12GB GDDR6X
- Memory Interface/Speed: 384-bit/19 Gbps
- TDP: 350W (non-OC)
Compared to the baseline RTX 3080 the improvements see a roughly 18% increase across the board, from the number of CUDA Cores, to the memory capacity, and interface. Translation, the Ti model is noticeably more powerful than the non-Ti edition.- with this Asus ROG STRIX edition pushing faster out-of-the-box clock speeds than the Founders Edition model, alongside beefier and more impressive cooling.
Physically beefy, sturdy, stylish, and formidable. An offering from Asus that adds its own top-of-the-line flagship ROG STRIX cooling and finish to the flagship GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.
The TDP of 350W listed above refers to the non-OC running of this GPU, where under load we saw the RTX 3080 Ti’s power draw exceed this by a considerable margin.- that is 400W when overclocked. This makes Asus’s 850W power supply recommendation something that we’d definitely agree with, especially when it’s so easy to overclock with Asus’s own GPU Tweak II software. A hassle-free boost to performance, though one that comes with higher temps and higher fan noise. And the jump to 400W.
Like with all RTX 3080 Ti models the 12GB of super-fast GDDR6X VRAM does make this version of the RTX 3080 feel better suited to 4K gaming in the long-run, where the additional capacity and boost in speed comes in handy. And then some, because the 4K capabilities of the beefier cards in the RTX 30 series are all impressive. Which can be attributed to NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture.
An Ampere Primer
The below is a summary of the RTX 30 Series technology, applicable to all GeForce RTX 3080 Ti models. An Ampere primer if you will.
A sizable portion of games currently in development for PC and consoles, from indies to AAA high-end titles, will be driven by resolution, frame-rate, and cutting-edge effects like real-time ray-tracing. The latter is already here, first brought to the scene in 2018 with the GeForce RTX 20 series. The original ‘RTX On’, NVIDIA made that tech-dream of real-time ray-tracing a reality. Something that, with the arrival of affordable RTX-powered gaming laptops and consoles like the Xbox Series S, has become mainstream.
Like with all RTX 3080 Ti models the 12GB of super-fast GDDR6X VRAM does make this version of the RTX 3080 feel better suited to 4K gaming in the long-run, where the additional capacity and boost in speed comes in handy.
From NVIDIA’s side, being first to implement ray-tracing also meant being on the cutting edge from the get-go, and at the forefront of in-game performance. Additional hardware in the form of RT Cores were brought into the picture to take some of the taxing computation off of GPU processors. To ensure that games ran at the coveted 60-fps, Tensor Cores were added into the mix.- building on NVIDIA’s expertise in the field of AI to drive rendering with DLSS.
Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and more.- DLSS is one of the most impressive technical feats we’ve seen in a long time. With or without ray-tracing, it provides a generational leap in performance without sacrificing visual quality. Ampere features second generation RT Cores (NVIDIA’s dedicated ray-tracing hardware) and third-generation Tensor Cores (the AI stuff that makes DLSS the perfect match for hardware intensive ray-tracing in addition to simply boosting performance).
There’s also the new custom Samsung 8nm process and a chipset that radically re-designs the Streaming Multiprocessor (SM) to effectively double the concurrent calculations and what have you. To get technical we’re talking about FP32 and INT32 operations, two things that are, err, things. Topping it all off is the introduction of HDMI 2.1 support and a PCIe Gen 4 interface leading to better CPU utilisation and faster loading times.
That said, one of the big draws that comes from NVIDIA’s latest GPU architecture lies beyond raw performance, and that’s applicable whether you’re talking about the RTX 3060 or the new RTX 3080 Ti. Both DLSS and hardware-driven real-time ray-tracing are game changers, DirectX 12 features like Variable Rate Shading and Mesh Shaders too. AI-based video production tools for creators, full Adobe integration, RTX Broadcast which can turn any space into a streaming setup with AI powered voice and visual controls.
Game Performance
And so we get to it, the numbers. The meat in the GPU review sandwich. The frames-per-second, the detail settings and sliders pushed to ‘Ultra’ maximum levels, the resolution cranked. And all manner of games known for pushing systems to their limit fired up.
But first, a look at our testing setup.
- GPU: Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
- Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 UNIFY
- Memory: HyperX FURY DDR4 RGB (32GB at 3600 MHz)
And now, the first batch of results.
These results cover what you might call ‘rasterised’ performance, that is titles without DLSS or hardware accelerated real-time ray-tracing (scroll down for those numbers). Just straight hardware grunt pushing as many frames as possible, with the optimisation left mostly to game developers, engines, and driver support.
4K is where we’ll begin as it paints the clearest picture of the RTX 3080 Ti’s capabilities.- and that is as a 4K powerhouse, where just about every game can hit well above 60-fps. DOOM Eternal continues to stun, turning in a 168.2 fps average at 4K, a 1.7 times increase over the RTX 2080 Ti and a 15% increase over the baseline RTX 3080.
4K is where we’ll begin as it paints the clearest picture of the RTX 3080 Ti’s capabilities.- and that is as a 4K powerhouse, where just about every game can hit well above 60-fps.
Thanks to DOOM Eternal’s recent ray-tracing and DLSS update, we were able to test it out in 4K with ray-tracing enabled and DLSS set to Quality on the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC. Playing through the entire Phobos level the frame-rate sat comfortably in triple-digits, hovering around 150-fps for the most part. Which is, yeah, pretty amazing. Head here to see it in action.
On the opposite end of the spectrum Assassin’s Creed Valhalla sat at just under 60-fps in 4K, but that’s with that game’s super-demanding Ultra High settings. And even though it’s incredibly taxing to render a native 4K image thanks to the sheer number of pixels compared to even a 1440p image, it’s here where the RTX 3080 Ti probably impresses the most. The drop-off in performance when going from 1440p to 4K sits at around 25%.- making this GPU kind of perfect for all of the ultrawide displays that sit in that in-between range.
It’s also worth noting that with a few titles we found that even at 1440p the GPU usage wasn’t hitting 100%. The Division 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Far Cry New Dawn. a similar situation we had when we reviewed the Founders Edition.
With the various 3D Mark tests above, which cover a wide range of resolutions and DX11 or DX12 or even RTX scenarios, the picture that emerged.- in terms of the RTX 3080 Ti’s place in the 30-Series line-up.- was fairly straightforward. And in line with the in-game performance we saw.
Compared to the standard RTX 3080 the performance bump here sits in the region of 10-15% and compared to the RTX 3090 the difference separating the two is a fairly unnoticeable 2%. In favour of the bulkier RTX 3090. Compared to the RTX 3080 the increase in performance isn’t monumental, though when stacked up next to last-gen’s RTX 2080 Ti it most certainly is a massive jump.
And finally, compared to the Founders Edition this Asus model mostly turned in slightly higher performance whilst running cooler to boot.
Ray Tracing and DLSS
It took a little while but real-time ray-tracing is finally “a thing”. Especially when it comes to the AAA games we play. From Cyberpunk 2077 through to Metro Exodus, Control, Call of Duty, and more. And with that DLSS has become the secret sauce to pushing ray-tracing at high-resolutions. A generational leap on top of an existing leap.
Through dedicated hardware and advanced AI, image upscaling is given the sci-fi treatment with DLSS. The difference between a natively rendered image and the DLSS ‘Quality’ setting is often negligible. In fact, sometimes the DLSS image features a more detailed image. Both DOOM Eternal and Death Stranding are great examples of that, with DLSS enabled performance jumps by around 30-fps over the native presentation alongside the crisper image.
Metro Exodus (which proved to be one of the best first-uses of the tech) and its new Enhanced Edition showcases the advancements made in a single update. Not only does it implement the latest version of DLSS but it overhauls the ray-tracing to deliver one of the most detailed and impressively lit game-worlds to date. Compared to the RTX 2080 Ti, DLSS and RTX performance with the RTX 3080 Ti is incredible and still sits in the range of the RTX 3090.
Loading Results.
The Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is without a doubt a high-end premium GPU, from its built quality to overall size, cooling, and features. The stylish RGB strip and angular design is not only something that stands out, but pretty much tells you right away that you’re looking at a serious gaming rig.
The Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is without a doubt a high-end premium GPU, from its built quality to overall size, cooling, and features.
At default Gaming or even Silent settings, the overall performance of the card is quiet and cool.- though when you do start overclocking the fans make their presence known alongside the card’s carbon footprint. Yeah, we were a little surprised to see the power usage creep up to 400W when overclocked. though we’d wager that the overall power of the RTX 3080 Ti is that those extra couple of frames aren’t really worth it for now. At least not in the majority of titles where the already triple digit performance bump wouldn’t even be noticeable.
Which brings us to the question of value compared to the current line-up of RTX 30 Series graphics cards, something that is reasonably hard to answer when you look at price-points. Taking a look at the current GPU market across all cards (including those from AMD) and you’d be hard pressed to see any sort of consistency. Or reality for that matter. And on that note the best way to view the RTX 3080 Ti.- at least for this review.- comes down to its impressive performance and RTX features like DLSS. RTX 3090-like grunt in a package that is, well, more appealing to gamers.
Best GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Cards Available – Which One To Get?
It’s Q4, and some of the graphics cards’ pricing has improved while some didn’t. We have seen RTX 3090 Ti selling for MSRP, but I think the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is still (one of) the best for the high-end graphics card. Although, some of the best RTX 3080 (non-Ti) are alright too. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a cheaper version of the RTX 3090. Currently, the RTX 4090 cards sell above 2,000, which is beyond its MSRP, unfortunately. So, if you are in the market wondering which RTX 3080 Ti you should get, we listed here some of the best RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards in the market.
UPDATE 2/15/2023: I thought that the RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards would be discounted by now. However, when I check the current market prices, these RTX 3080 Ti are still selling at above 1,000 USD. However, some retailers are selling it for below thousand dollars. If that’s the case, consider the latest RTX 4080 instead. The RTX 4080 is even faster than the previous flagship RTX 3090 Ti. Check out some of the best RTX 4080 graphics cards here.
UPDATE: Note that as of September 17, 2022, EVGA has announced that they will no longer work with NVIDIA, ending the partnership immediately. They will continue to support and sell the RTX 30 series cards until all their stocks are sold. EVGA will also keep parts on hand for replacement and warranty purposes. Once all are consumed, they are finished with the graphics card business.
Best RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Cards Today
All GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards in the market are powered with the same 8nm GA102 GPU based on the Ampere architecture. It has 10240 CUDA cores, 320 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 12GB of GDDR6X memory running on a 384-bit memory interface. These are all common to all RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards.
The main difference lies in the cooler design and PCB design. Some AIB advertises or highlights the boost clock speed of their graphics card. But at the end of the day, all of them will boost higher thanks to NVIDIA Boost technology. The graphics card only needs sufficient power and enough cooling to keep the GPU’s temperature at bay. With the conditions met, the GPU will eventually boost higher.
Below is a summary of all the graphics cards mentioned in this list. It is in alphabetical order. Later in the article, I’ll be categorizing them according to their (unique) features. I’ll also show you some performance numbers and answer some frequently asked questions regarding the RTX 3080 Ti GPU.
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Performance
To give you an idea of how fast the RTX 3080 Ti is, here are some performance benchmarks at 4K resolution with maximum or ultra graphics preset. Note that some RTX 3080 Ti will perform slightly faster than others, and some will slightly be slower. GPU cooling, power, and silicon lottery are also at play. But at the end of the day, all of the RTX 3080 Ti cards will perform within the same performance range. Most of the time, the difference is minimal and negligible. NVIDIA controls how these GPUs perform.
What RTX 3080 Ti has the best cooler and great cooling performance?
From the list, the Asus ROG Strix LC and EVGA XC3 Ultra Hybrid, definitely, have the better cooling solution. The GPU is liquid-cooled, while the other components are air-cooled. Unfortunately, they are costly compared to air-cooled RTX 3080 Ti. The good news is, most RTX 3080 Ti with a tri-fan cooling system will offer anywhere from sufficient to excellent cooling performance.
What RTX 3080 Ti is the fastest out of the box?
Out of the box, the Asus ROG Strix LC RTX 3080 Ti, EVGA RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 and MSI RTX 3080 Ti SUPRIM X have the higher or faster boost clock speed. They come with a factory overclock settings. But like I mentioned earlier if the graphics card has enough power and the GPU is sufficiently cooled, it will eventually boost higher. My MSI Suprim X can achieve around ~2,000MHz(/-) without additional tweaking or manual overclocking.
Is it worth it to buy an expensive RTX 3080 Ti graphics card?
Yes and no. It depends on how you define “worth”. Some people are okay to spend more on the design, looks, and aesthetics. But even the liquid-cooled RTX 3080 Ti will not perform significantly better compared to the air-cooled RTX 3080 Ti. For sure it will have an advantage since it has a better cooling solution. But is it worth it for you?
Most of the time, even the simplest RTX 3080 Ti, like NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition is enough already.
What’s the best CPU for the RTX 3080 Ti?
Generally speaking, you can pair the RTX 3080 Ti with any CPU. But if you are using a slower or entry-level CPU, its performance may be poor. So, since you are willing to spend thousands of dollars for an RTX 3080 Ti, it would only be wise to not skimp on the CPU.
I would recommend AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950X, 5900X, or Ryzen 7 5800X. For Intel, the latest 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs, like the Core i9-12900(K/F) and Core i7-12700(K/F) are currently some of the best in the market, especially in gaming. The older 10th gen and 11th gen CPUs are not bad either. But if you’re building a new system, I recommend that you jump to the latest 12th Gen Intel CPU since the performance difference from its predecessor is substantial.
Should I get an RTX 3080 Ti if I have a 1080p monitor?
No, definitely no! Just like what we have experienced on our RTX 3080 review, the GPU is being bottlenecked by the 1080p resolution. There’s some performance left on the table and it is simply not designed for lower resolutions.
What’s the best monitor for the RTX 3080 Ti?
4K (2160p) and 2K (1440p) would be the ideal resolution for the RTX 3080 Ti. You can check out our article on the best 4K gaming monitors here.
So, which RTX 3080 Ti should I get?
The RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards listed here are all good. It’s really up to you which one would you prefer and based on your budget.
Best GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Cards in General
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming
EVGA’s RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming is another beast of a graphics card. It offers a higher factory overclock setting and a thick and substantial aluminum heatsink to cool the GPU and VRAM. The heatsink is cooled by three fans and there is RGB lighting on the front-side portion.
EVGA RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming available on Amazon.com hereFor UK, check at Amazon UK here
Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Edition
Aside from the EVGA FTW3 Ultra graphics cards, Asus’ ROG Strix series is also a popular graphics card. And the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Edition is no slouch in terms of being one of the best 3080 Ti card in the market. It has a 2.9-slot design, with three Axial-tech fan design, nice-looking RGB lighting, and its aesthetics is simple a headturner. It also feels premium on hand and its cooling solution is quite effective.
MSI GeForce RTX 3080TI SUPRIM X 12G
Just like the EVGA FTW3, the MSI RTX 3080 Ti SUPRIM X is also a beast of a graphics card. It also requires three 8-pin power connectors and features a 20-phase power design. There’s a switch near the power connector that toggles between “silent” and “gaming” mode. Finally, it has some RGB lighting and this card feels heavy and premium on hand as well.
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti SUPRIM X available on Amazon.com here.For UK, check at Amazon UK here.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition is one of the best RTX 3080 Ti in the market. Not only that it comes with the base price, but it’s also professional-looking, sleek, and clean. The flow-through design is excellent at cooling the GPU and other components. As expected from a Founders Edition, it does feel premium on hand.
NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition available on Amazon.com hereFor UK, check at Amazon UK here
Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Master 12G
This is definitely the “thiccest” RTX 3080 Ti on this list. The Aorus RTX 3080 Ti Master has three fans, with the middle one spinning in the opposite direction. It also has RGB lighting, but the unique feature of the RTX 3080 Ti Master are its dual BIOS, six output ports, and the (mini) LCD display on the rear-end front-side portion. Aside from displaying the GPU temperature, users can upload GIF and customize what will be displayed on the screen.
Aorus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Master 12G available on Amazon.com hereFor UK, check on Amazon UK here.
Also Good RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Card Alternatives
Below are more RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards that are not as premium as the cards mentioned above, but are generally cheaper and good options as well. These three features tri-fan cooling solution and they do perform as expected. The Gigabyte Vision is the only different card here since it has an all-white color scheme. Just choose which one do you prefer more when it comes to aesthetics.
- MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming X Trio 12G available on Amazon.com here or Amazon UK here
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 12G available on Amazon.com here
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Vision OC 12G available on Amazon.com here
Best RTX 3080 Ti with No (RGB) Lighting
Understandably, not all of us are a fan of RGB lighting. Some users don’t like RGB lighting or any kind of lighting at all. While you can disable the RGB lighting on the graphics card mentioned above, here are three RTX 3080 Ti that doesn’t have RGB lighting. The only exception is with the Asus TUF RTX 3080 Ti since the TUF logo on the rear end has a small RBG lighting. Nevertheless, all of these cards feature an all-black color scheme.
- Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Edition available on Amazon.com here or Amazon UK here
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Gaming available on Amazon.com here
- MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Ventus 3X 12G OC available on Amazon.com here
Best Water-cooled RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Cards
For those who don’t mind spending more, money no object, and simply want the coolest and best performing RTX 3080 Ti, these two liquid-cooled RTX 3080 Ti would be your option.
Asus ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Edition Gaming
The Asus ROG Strix LC RTX 3080 Ti OC features a hybrid cooling solution. Its GPU is cooled by a 240mm radiator and the tube connecting the radiator and GPU copper plate is 560mm long. It also has RGB lighting on the fans and on the graphics card itself. In addition to the liquid cooling, there’s a blower-type fan that cools the aluminum heatsink that is in contact with the VRM and other components.
Asus ROG STRIX LC RTX 3080 Ti OC available on Amazon.com here.For UK, check on Amazon UK here.
Note: If you spot the Asus ROG Strix LC RTX 3090 Ti OC selling for the same price, or lower, get this one instead.
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Hybrid Gaming
EVGA’s RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Hybrid is somewhat similar to Asus’ ROG Strix LC. But the XC3 Ultra Hybrid doesn’t have a head-turner RGB lighting. Only the logo on its side and at the back have RGB lighting. It generally has an all-black aesthetic, including the two 120mm fans cooling the radiator.
And unlike Asus’ liquid-cooled RTX 3080 Ti, the EVGA RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Hybrid occupies only two PCI slots and requires only two 8-pin PCIe power connectors.
EVGA RTX 3080 Ti XC3 Ultra Hybrid check on Amazon.com hereFor UK, check on Amazon UK here.
There you have it, which do you think is the best RTX 3080 Ti graphics card for your use case? If you think the RTX 3080 Ti is too expensive and out of your budget, perhaps you may be interested in checking out some of the best RTX 3080 graphics cards instead. On the other hand, AMD’s flagship Radeon RX 6900 XT is also a 4K-capable graphics card, not to mention it is cheaper than the RTX 3080 Ti. Check out some of the best RX 6900 XT cards here.
