The release of NVIDIA’s Ampere-based GPUs has been so highly anticipated that actually getting our hands on one has been quite the challenge. We have seen this hot commodity show some impressive performance numbers and we, just like everyone else, have been waiting to test one out for ourselves. Thanks to GIGABYTE, the wait is over. Today, we have their GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G in our test bench to remove our speculation on whether or not this is the new king of cards in value-per-dollar performance.
Buckle up, buttercup, because we are going for a ride!
Specifications
- MSRP: $749.99
- Core Clock: 1.44 GHz (Base) 1.8 GHz (Boost)
- CUDA Cores: 8704
- Memory: 10 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus: 320-bit
- Bus: PCI-e 4.0
- Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
- Ray Tracing Cores: 2nd Generation
- Tensor Cores: 3rd Generation
With the release of the RTX 30-Series, GIGABYTE has taken a different approach to their product stack - an approach that we have seen before with their lineup of gaming monitors. While the AORUS branding has typically carried the enthusiast badge, GIGABYTE’s direct branding has been seen as the “everyman’s” component.
What GIGABYTE has done is elevated the expectations of “entry-level” with the Gaming OC 10G iteration of the RTX 3080. This well-built GPU features a two-tone grey and black design with subtle programmable RGB branding on the side. It has a metal backplate that wraps around the sides of the GPU, creating an aesthetic that goes beyond basic.
While it is not quite the three-slot behemoth that the NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition is, it is still a large GPU. It mounts in two slots, but it definitely does benefit from having the elbow room that three provide. Giving the RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G that space helps its cooling system go to work.
Speaking of cooling, the cooler design uses GIGABYTE’s WINDFORCE 3X system. Utilizing a combination of three alternately spinning fans (2x 90mm and 1x 80mm) alongside composite copper heat pipes and a copper plate on the GPU, this GPU, while high powered, keeps its cool. If fan noise is a problem, the GIGABYTE RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G does sport a dual BIOS toggle switch with a Silent mode available to users
We will talk more about thermal performance in a bit. In the meantime, that’s get into the real reason you are here: the numbers.
Synthetics, Benchmarks, and Thermal Performance
Before we get into the numbers, here are the system specifications for our test bench:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
- Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H150i ELITE CAPELLIX (Closed loop cooler)
- RAM: Zadak SPARK 32 GB 3200MHz DDR4
- Motherboard: ASUS Prime X570-Pro
- Storage: 500GB Samsung 980 PRO, 1TB WD_Black SN750, 1 TB Seagate FireCuda
- PSU: NZXT E850
- Case: Corsair 4000X
For our comparison, we will be comparing benchmarks across a myriad of tests utilizing a diverse range of APIs. This will give a more rounded picture of performance instead of just looking at where the RTX 3080 excels. Within our charts, you will see the RTX 2080 Founders Edition to show the leap from the RTX 3080’s direct predecessor, the RTX 2080ti Founders Edition to show the uplift from the past generation’s enthusiast model, and the RTX 3090 Founders Edition to show a comparison to the top of this generation’s stack. While our main focus in performance uplift is going to center around the NVIDIA product stack, we will also be including the MSI Radeon RX 5700XT Gaming X to show the performance leap that Big Navi needs to make in order to compete with the RTX 3080. That will be a conversation for another review.
To begin, let’s look at raw power in rasterization:
In our 4K gaming tests, the RTX 3080 showed a 39% performance increase over the RTX 2080ti while blowing the doors off of its predecessor, the RTX 2080, at a whopping 81%! We did see some extreme performance jumps on Far Cry 5 and Final Fantasy XIV, but it is in Shadow of the Tomb Raider that we are going to see one of the most incredible tales of generational uplift. Our 1440p, the numbers told a similar, albeit less dramatic, story. Keep in mind, these are numbers without DLSS or RTX… those numbers will come later.
When compared in pure rasterization with the TITANic RTX 3090, the GIGABYTE RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G gets within an average of 7.98%! At its worst, the RTX 3080 lagged behind the RTX 3090 by 14.45%. For a GPU take costs significantly less, the performance delta is not terrible in the least!
Moving on to 3DMark’s TimeSpy benchmark at 4K, we saw a 29.26% increase over the 2080ti and a 66.29% uplift from the 2080. Compared to the RTX 3090, the RTX 3080 got within 6.1%. To break this down even further, removing the CPU from the equation, the divide gets 10% wider between the 30-series, with that 10% gap carrying over between the RTX 3080 and the RTX 2080ti at 40.29%.
An important note with these numbers: we are using NVIDIA’s Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR), which will cause a slight performance hit (~3 - 5%) for both generations. These scores are also based purely on rasterization tests. They represent a leap in both generation and class of GPU, but let’s open everything up by adding real-time raytracing to the mix!
Ray Tracing Performance
As we look at the numbers for real-time raytracing, I want you to keep something in mind: when real-time raytracing was released into the wild, it had a pretty rough start. However, if this generation of GPUs is showing us anything, it is that both NVIDIA’s technologies of DLSS and RTX have matured beyond catchy tech-terms and are quite functional as high-performance options for gaming.
Looking at this from the standpoint of succession, at 4K resolution, the 3080 ascends into RTX glory with an uplift in RTX/DLSS performance over the 2080 by an average of 71.26%. If we look at the performance of the 2080ti, the GPU that should have handled RTX with no problems, we see the 3080 overtake its numbers by a stunning 33.57%! While the RTX 3090 is still the undisputed King of GPUs, the RTX 3080 is a solid “right hand,” coming within an average of 11.3% of its performance.
Alongside these benchmarks with existing games, we ran a few synthetic benchmarks specifically aimed at heavy RTX performance from games on the horizon. Both Bright Memory and Boundary use heavy shadows, reflective surfaces, and lighting both enhanced by NVIDIA hardware. We ran tests with and without DLSS to show the impact. While running on the performance mode of DLSS, the RTX 3080 just barely hits 4K60 in Bright Memory while falling just behind with the deficit from DSR. In BOUNDARY, the story is similar but takes a much bigger performance hit than the 3090.
Thermal Performance and Acoustics
When it comes to temperatures, GIGABYTE does a fantastic job of keeping things consistent. While running our benchmarks, we saw the RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G stay below 73C. As far as acoustic performance, the fan ramping was minimal while we were testing it. That does not mean that noise was absent, it never reached a point beyond typical case fan noise that you can come to expect from pushing your components.
We captured thermal performance while running our tests multiple times at a variety of resolutions to ensure a good mix of synthetic and real-world performance. While it did not quite stay as cool as the RTX 3090 Founders Edition, but GIGABYTE’s WINDFORCE system is far different from NVIDIA’s design.
Final Thoughts
Built on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, this GPU truly does represent a huge generational leap in performance, both in rasterization and in applications utilizing RTX. While we always encourage you to do your homework and wait for third-party reviews (such as this one), NVIDIA was not kidding when it said that the performance bump from Turing to Ampere would be legendary.
In the current market, the RTX 3080 represents both a leap in performance, but also in value when it is considered alongside the RTX 2080ti and the RTX 3090. At a fraction of the price of either, it is in a league completely separate from the 2080ti… it even comes within striking distance of the RTX 3090 in pure gaming scenarios. But, if you read our review on the RTX 3090, that’s not altogether surprising. It will be interesting to see where the RTX 3070 lands once it arrives, but, for now, the RTX 3080 represents an incredible value-to-performance when compared to its predecessors.
At the time of writing this review, finding an RTX 3080 in the wild seems to be a game of hunting for cryptids. If you have been holding out to upgrade your GPU and you can find one, GIGABYTE’s RTX 3080 Gaming OC 10G is a fantastic option. It is a well-built GPU that performs way outside of the category of “entry-level” in both form and function. It will stay cool in use and push frame rates beyond what you have experienced before.
