Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 V2 OC Edition 10GB GDDR6X Gaming Graphics Card

Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 V2 OC Edition 10GB GDDR6X Gaming Graphics Card

The best graphics card isn't a difficult task since most aftermarket GPUs will perform roughly the same, so long as they are running the same NVIDIA or AMD internals. Aftermarket cards like the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 we have for review today rely more on cooling, overclocking, price, and design to set themselves apart.The Strix line of graphics cards from ASUS is the company's flagship. This GeForce RTX 3080 from ASUS comes with a factory-set boost to push the card even further without you needing to touch a single setting. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 founder's edition performed seriously well and we're expecting just as much from ASUS.

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080: Price and availability

As is the case with most PC components right now, it remains difficult to locate graphics cards at MSRP. Cryptocurrency mining and the silicon shortage have played parts in driving up the price of GPUs as scalpers attempt to battle legitimate buyers in picking up what's left.ASUS launched the ROG Strix RTX 3080 for $850, which is incredible value for 4K gaming. With the older 20-series of NVIDIA GPUs, it was only possible to unlock this level of performance by spending more than $1,000 on an RTX 2080 Ti.

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080  What you'll like

The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 is a stunning GPU. Compared to the previous generation, the company has toned down the aggressive "gamer" styling a little, resulting in less RGB lighting, though you will still be able to see the card through tempered glass. It's the usual ROG Strix affair though with premium materials, a full backplate, and three large fans.

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 is a serious GPU for 4K gaming

There are three 8-pin PCIe connections for supplying enough current to the GPU. That's a lot of power and many PSUs may not have enough connectors available, especially at the lower end of the capacity scale. This is why ASUS recommends an 850W PSU as a minimum and we'd agree since this puppy can draw up to 320W alone.Keeping everything cool, ASUS took a few cues from NVIDIA's reference design with the passthrough of air. You'll see the same feature here with this card. The right fan will actually blow air all the way through and out the top, helping to reduce blowback. The heatsink is huge with full copper heat pipes.

Compared to the base NVIDIA RTX 3080, which we reviewed favorably for its performance, the RTX 3080 from ASUS is able to boost far higher at 1935MHz instead of 1710MHz. This results in overall better performance, allowed by those three large fans on the 2.9 slot GPU. You also get all the usual specs with the NVIDIA RTX 3080, including 8,704 CUDA cores, 68 Ray Tracing cores, and 272 Tensor cores.