Asus rog strix 1080 ti oc review: Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Review — Tom’s Hardware

Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Review — Tom’s Hardware

Early Verdict

In the end, Asus earns a purchase recommendation for its factory-overclocked performance, quiet thermal solution, moderate weight, and reasonable price. The sub-optimal VRM cooling could be improved, but you shouldn’t encounter any show-stopping issues as a result of the hot-spots. We also like that Asus enables this board’s strengths without adding a ton of heft. Some of the company’s competitors need much bigger sinks to achieve similar performance.

Pros

+
Moderate power target
+
Relatively light weight
+
Hardly any coil whine
+
External fan connectors
+
RGB output for LEDs

Cons

—
More expensive than competing GeForce GTX 1080 Tis
—
Oscillating fan noise
—
VRM cooling not optimal

Today’s best Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB OC Edition deals

2 Amazon customer reviews

☆☆☆☆☆

$935

View

Features & Specifications

If you read our ROG Poseidon GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Platinum Edition Review, then you’re already familiar with the board at the heart of Asus’ ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB OC Edition. The only differences between them are slight modifications to the capacitor configuration.

The Strix cooler sitting on top of that PCA features a lot more surface area though, since it doesn’t need to worry about facilitating hybrid air/liquid-cooling. This is a more purpose-built design. And while its default clock rates aren’t as high, the Strix card’s price tag is lower than what you’ll pay for an ROG Poseidon.

Apparently, DirectCU is old news. The slide below is an exploded view of Asus’ thermal solution. It’s rife with marketing buzzwords, but does a good job of illustrating how the card is put together.

Since the actual performance of any third-party card depends on the GPU Boost frequency it can sustain, and thus on cooling, power limits, and processor quality, any review that relies on bar charts is little more than a snapshot of a single specimen. That’s why we’re putting our emphasis on the actual implementation of each model. To that end, a lot of equipment goes into thoroughly documenting a graphics card’s behaviors. If you’d like a peek at what goes into such an evaluation, check out our Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Review. It makes for a good baseline on which Asus builds.

Unboxing, Dimensions & Interfaces

The bundled extras are limited: you get a software DVD, a manual, and an eight-pin adapter. But of course, it’s the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti inside that gamers are really after…

Exterior

Asus does take care to make a good first impression. Still, the matte front cover is made of simple graphite-colored plastic. It’s attractive enough, but probably won’t turn any heads. The only highlights are the RGB lighting effects on the top and back.

Image 1 of 2

The backplate is an aesthetic add-on, which is to say it doesn’t improve this card’s thermal performance. A back-lit ROG logo does add a bit of visual flair back there, though.

Both of this card’s eight-pin power connectors are rotated 180° to keep them from interfering with the heat sink. And a logo up top is back-lit as well. Its color can be customized using Asus’ bundled software.

Vertically-oriented cooling fins guide heated air down towards your motherboard and out, likely at the side wall of your case.

Display outputs include two DP 1.4-ready connectors, a pair of HDMI interfaces (good for VR HMDs), and a dual-link DVI output. Any four of those can be used simultaneously in multi-monitor configurations.

Image 1 of 2

Specifications

A GPU-Z screenshot provides the most pertinent technical information, even if the GPU Boost values we observed were much higher than Asus’ official specifications.

	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE	Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE	Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti
GPU	GP102	GP102	GP104	GM200
CUDA Cores	3584	3584	2560	2816
Base Frequency	1480 MHz	1569 MHz	1607 MHz	1000 MHz
Boost Frequency	1582 MHz+	1683 MHz	1733 MHz+	1076 MHz+
Memory Size & Type	11GB GDDR5X	11GB GDDR5X	8GB GDDR5X	6GB GDDR5
Die Size	471 mm²	471 mm²	314 mm²	601 mm²
Process Technology	16nm	16nm	16nm	28nm
Transistors	12 billion	12 billion	7. 2 billion	8 billion
Streaming Multiprocessors (SM)	28	28	20	22
GFLOPS (Base Frequency)	10,609	11,247	8228	5632
Texture Units	224	224	160	176
Texture Fill Rate	331.5 GT/s	351.5 GT/s	257.1 GT/s	214 GT/s
ROPs	88	88	64	96
Pixel Fill Rate	130.24 GPix/s	138.1 GPix/s	114.2 GPix/s	116.7 GPix/s
Memory Data Rate	11 Gb/s	11 Gb/s	10 Gb/s	7 Gb/s
Memory Bus	352-bit	352-bit	256-bit	384-bit
Memory Bandwidth	484. 4 GB/s	484.4 GB/s	320 GB/s	336 GB/s
L2-Cache	2816KB	2816KB	2MB	3MB
TDP	250W	275W (PT)	180W	250W

Test system and measurement methods

We explained our test system and methodology in How We Test Graphics Cards. If you want to learn more about the procedures we’re using in today’s review, have a look at that story. In the time since it was published, we also upgraded our CPU and cooling system to rule out any possible host processing bottlenecks.

A short summary in table-form to provide a quick overview:

Test systems and measuring rooms
System	Intel Core i7-6900K @ 4.3 GHzMSI X99S XPower Gaming TitaniumCorsair Vengeance DDR4-32001x 1TB Toshiba OCZ RD400 (M. 2, System SSD)2x 960GB Toshiba OCZ TR150 (Storage, Images)be quiet Dark Power Pro 11, 850W PSUWindows 10 Pro (All Updates)
Cooling	Alphacool Eisblock XPXAlphacool Eiszeit 2000 Chiller2x be quiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM (Closed Case Simulation)Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut (Used when Switching Coolers)
Case	Lian Li PC-T70 with Extension Kit and ModsConfigurations: Open Benchtable, Closed Case
Monitor	Eizo EV3237-BK
Power Intake	Contact-free DC Measurement at PCIe Slot (Using a Riser Card)Contact-free DC Measurement at External Auxiliary Power Supply CableDirect Voltage Measurement at Power Supply2x Rohde & Schwarz HMO 3054, 500MHz Digital Multi-Channel Oscilloscope with Storage Function4x Rohde & Schwarz HZO50 Current Probe (1mA — 30A, 100kHz, DC)4x Rohde & Schwarz HZ355 (10:1 Probes, 500MHz)1x Rohde & Schwarz HMC 8012 Digital Multimeter with Storage Function
Thermography	1x Optris PI640 80Hz Infrared Camera + PI ConnectReal-Time Infrared Monitoring and Recording
Acoustics	NTI Audio M2211 (with Calibration File, Low Cut at 50Hz)Steinberg UR12 (with Phantom Power for Microphones)Creative X7, Smaart v. 7Custom-Made Proprietary Measurement Chamber, 3.5 x 1.8 x 2.2m (L x D x H)Perpendicular to Center of Noise Source(s), Measurement Distance of 50cmNoise Level in dB(A) (Slow), Real-time Frequency Analyzer (RTA)Graphical Frequency Spectrum of Noise

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table

MORE: All Graphics Content

Current page:
Features & Specifications

Next Page Board & Power Supply

Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition Review

Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.The Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC (See it on Amazon) / (See it on Amazon UK) is the company’s flagship GPU at this moment in time, and like other 1080 Tis it’s a monstrous GPU designed for 4k gaming, VR, and quiet operation. As a super high-end GPU it comes loaded with a decadent list of features including a massive 2.5 slot design, one-click overclocking, VR Ready HDMI ports, case fan headers that sync your case’s cooling to the GPU, and Asus’s Aura Sync RGB lighting system. It’s got every little bit of technology in Asus’s arsenal, in other words, and it’s priced to match at a whopping $779 MSRP compared to $699 for the Founder’s Edition.

Design and Features

Right out of the box I was pretty surprised at the size of this GPU as it’s absolutely massive. It’s 11.7 inches long, 5.2 inches across and two inches thick, so it takes up 2.5 PCIe slots. This one is bigger 1080 Tis by a hair, including the also girthy EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2. Asus includes a DVI port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and two DisplayPorts. The two HDMI ports support VR headsets as well as 4k resolution at 60Hz. Nvidia had removed the DVI port on the GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition to allow for better cooling, but Asus made significant cooling improvements and was able to add the DVI port back to the card, but it can only run at 2560×1600.

The ROG Strix 1080 Ti occupies 2.5 PCIe slots due to its massive heatsink.

Asus completely redesigned thermal management for the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition. It offers a thing called MaxContact cooling technology, which replaces the previous Direct Touch heat pipe technology, giving the card six heat pipes connected to a copper heat spreader instead of directly to the GPU. According to Asus this is better as it allows for twice as much contact with the GPU as its previous design, and since it’s a 2.5″ cooler the heatsink area is 40 percent larger too.The fan blades are also redesigned. The patented «wing-blade» delivers maximum airflow with more air pressure than the Founder’s Edition, according to Asus, and they’re also IP5X dust resistant certified so they won’t collect fur bunnies. Even more interesting is that the card offers a feature called Asus FanConnect II, which provides two 4-pin fan headers on the GPU for you to connect two case fans. The included GPU Tweak II software will then tell the fans to operate according to the temperature of the GPU or CPU to provide optimal system cooling.

Here are the two four-pin headers — they accept either PWM or DC fans.

All that sounds great, but does it work? Yes, it does, quite well in fact. The Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition ran exceedingly cool during my testing. For the most part, temperatures hovered in the upper 50s to mid 60s. During heavy benchmarking, running Heaven at 4K resolution for 15 minutes or more, I saw the GPU temp go up to 68 degrees, far below the 84 degree cut off point. Most of the time fan noise was silent or minimal, and never obtrusive. It’s practically silent, despite its horsepower.

Pretty lights

Asus Aura Sync RGB LED synchronization makes it easy to customize the lighting on the shroud and backplate of the card. The LEDs can display millions of colors using different effects like static, breathing, strobing, color cycle, music effect, and GPU temperature. I found GPU temperature to be the most helpful and music effect, where the colors pulse to the beat of the music, the most entertaining. I also thought it was fun to tweak the colors to match the red case lighting of IGN’s test machine. Keep in mind though, that customizable on-card lighting is a fun and interesting extra but hardly a requirement for a graphics card. If I had to categorize the card’s lighting, compared to other GTX 1080 Ti cards I’ve seen, it’s easily the card with the most lights, meaning the entire card basically glows due to the presence of LEDs all over the GPU. This is a bit of a contrast to the lighting schemes from EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte and others that offer more localized lighting at certain areas on the GPU.

The lighting on the OC edition is not subtle.

Benchmarks

I tested the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition on IGN’s gaming rig equipped with an Intel 4.2GHz Core i7-7700K, 8GB RAM, a 512GB Intel SSD and an Asus Prime Z270-A motherboard running Windows 10 Home 64-bit. I ran all benchmarks at 1920×1080, 2560×1440, and 3840×2160 (4K) with all quality settings maxed out but with no anti-aliasing.

Overall, performance is outstanding, as you’d expect, and it’s not surprising that it’s both cooler and more powerful than the less expensive Founder’s Edition. So far the only other GTX 1080 Ti we’ve tested that since the Founder’s Edition is the EVGA SC2 card, and as you can see the Asus card is just a smidgen faster thanks to its slightly higher clocks. The EVGA card would hover around 1,890MHz or so under load while the Asus card stayed at about 1,949MHz or so, giving it a teeny, tiny advantage. Overall though the two GPUs are essentially tied in performance with only minor differences in specific titles. We were pretty sure going into this review that performance would be approximately the same as EVGA’s best, since the two use the same GPU and both are cooled enough to allow for roughly the same clock speeds.

Overclocking

I used Asus’s GPU Tweak II software to overclock the Asus ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition. GPU Tweak II is feature rich, although the interface itself can be confusing and hard to read. Turning on “OC Mode” was the easiest way to get a very slight performance boost. The software lets you overclock either via the one-click interface or do it manually, and you can also monitor readouts for clock speed, temps, etc.The review sample we received for this card didn’t allow for much overclocking beyond what we got with the one-click setup. Clicking «OC mode» got us up to 1,949MHz, and we couldn’t get beyond 1,974Mhz when all was said and done. Running it at 1,99MHz with Heaven 4.0 would cause the benchmark to crash every time, eventually. Overall, having a 1080 Ti that runs at 1,949MHz is about average and expected, so it’s not a huge loss. Still, with all that cooling power we were hoping for another 100MHz or so.

The Asus software gives you three one-click overclock options: OC, Gaming, and Silent.

The Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition has an MSRP of $779, and is often out of stock due to high demand, according to Asus. This situation allows 3rd parties to sell it for a higher price, with the card often climbing to $800 or more. When it is in stock and sold by Amazon or Newegg it’s offered for MSRP however, so if you want to buy one wait until they are in stock.

• See the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition on Amazon

• See the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition on Amazon UK

The Rog Strix 1080 TI OC Edition is a superb overall offering from Asus that’s easily one of the best GPUs money can buy right now. Its customizable lighting, efficient cooling, quiet operation, and fan connectivity options help set it apart from the competition. Though I’m not a fan of the GPU Tweak software, it’s not a requirement, so I won’t gripe too much. The only real issue is that it’s more expensive than other 1080 Tis thanks to its raft of features like the fan syncing ability, and massive heatsink that allows for silent operation. I’d personally either go with the «gaming» version as it’s $40 less expensive, or the EVGA SC2 version as it’s smaller and also less expensive. Still, if you can find one for MSRP pull the trigger — you won’t be disappointed.

ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC Review — ROG To The Limit

Video Cards & GPUs

NVIDIA GeForce GPU

ASUS nails the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti with its new ROG Strix entry. Here’s our full review of it.

Published Jun 19, 2017 9:48 PM CDT | Updated Tue, Nov 3 2020 6:58 PM CST

Manufacturer: ASUS

10 minute read time

Introduction

If there’s one brand that everyone is itching for when it comes to a new graphics card release from NVIDIA, it would have to be ASUS. ASUS have been in the graphics card making business for over a decade now, making some of the most solid PC components in the industry.

ASUS has slowly built its Republic of Gamers brand into a massive fan favorite, similar to Razer fans in the PC peripherals business. ASUS ROG products are always stylish, high-performance, RGB LED-filled parts that gamers like to link up with other ROG branded devices. My cousin is one of those people. My cousin Pat was one of the people in my life that got me into PC gaming and my hardware obsession, and has built himself an ASUS ROG gaming system.

In his PC is the same ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti that I’m reviewing here today, alongside an ASUS ROG Strix motherboard and now he’s even thinking of their 34-inch ROG 21:9 display. This is the kind of consumers ASUS has because they’ve made quality components that gamers know are solid, high performing products.

Enter the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC, another stellar custom GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, made by ASUS.

Cooler Tech

Game Cool, Play Silent

ASUS has always put considerable time into its cooling technology on graphics cards, and the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC is a testament to that.

The thick heat sink on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti is good at cooling the card, with a 2.5-slot design. ASUS also has something they call MaxContact Technology, which they also state is an «industry-first GPU cooling technology, featuring an enhanced copper heat spreader that directly contacts the GPU. «

As you can see, a lot is happening under the hood of the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.

There are some swanky patented wing-blade design fans, while the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC will stop its fans completely when the card is under low load.

ASUS uses 10+2 phase Super Alloy Power II components, which reduce power loss, and lower thermals.

Detailed Look

Even The Box Looks Great!

ASUS know first impressions last, so even the box for the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC looks great.

ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC

The card rocks a triple-fan cooler that looks great, with a military theme right across the card.

ASUS has made great use of the backplate, leaving some room for components to cool, and sneaking in the ASUS ROG eye on the right that of course, lights up.

The usual 3 x DP 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, and DVI display connectors are placed on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.

We have a 2.5-slot card on our hands, but I do wish ASUS kept the design slim enough to make it a 2-slot card. That would’ve been ace.

From the top, we see the NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX branding on the left — which is a sticker that can be removed, unlike its competitors.

ASUS require 8+8 pin PCIe power connectors on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.

A nice touch on the end of the card, with ASUS providing an LED strip header, two additional fan headers that will spin your fans at the RPM of the graphics card fans.

If you’re crazy enough, there’s SLI support for two ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti cards.

Test System Specs & Benchmark Details

I’ve recently edited my GPU test bed, which was powered by the Intel Core i7-5960X processor, and shifted into the arms of Kaby Lake and Intel’s new Core i7-7700K. GIGABYTE hooked us up with their awesome new AORUS Z270X-Gaming 9 motherboard, which is the heart and soul of my new GPU test platform.

Detailed Tech Specs

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K
Cooler: Nocua U12S
MB: AORUS Z270X-Gaming 9
RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) G. SKILL Trident Z 4000MHz DDR4
SSD: 1TB OCZ RD400 NVMe M.2
PSU: Corsair AX1500i
Chassis: In Win X-Frame

Detailed Look

A larger article on our 7700K system is available right here.

Here are some shots I’ve taken of the new system in action:

What Resolutions We Are Testing

I’ve run through Unigine’s new Superposition on a bunch of different resolutions, bringing every single graphics card — even overclocked GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, to their knees.

1080p (1920×1080)
1440p (2560×1440)
4K (3840×2160)
UW (3440×1440)
5K (5120×2880)
8K (7680×4320)

Benchmarks — Synthetic

3DMark Fire Strike — 1080p

3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system — most important, your CPU and GPU — is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.

3DMark Fire Strike — 1440p

3DMark Fire Strike — 4K

Heaven — 1080p

Heaven is an intensive GPU benchmark that really pushes your silicon to its limits. It’s another favorite of ours as it has some great scaling for multi-GPU testing, and it’s great for getting your GPU to 100% for power and noise testing.

Heaven — 1440p

Heaven — 4K

Heaven — 3440×1440

Benchmarks — 1080p

1080p Benchmarks

Ubisoft’s latest installment in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game — and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We’ve got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.

Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good — but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it’s nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the ‘definitive’ version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Benchmarks — 1440p

1440p Benchmarks

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Benchmarks — 4K

4K Benchmarks

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Benchmarks — 3440×1440

3440×1440 Benchmarks

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Benchmarks — DX12

3DMark TimeSpy (DX12) 1440p

Performance Analysis & Final Thoughts

Performance Analysis

We all knew from the outset that ASUS would kick ass with their ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, and here we are — yet another custom GTX 1080 Ti that excels. Even when the card is under 100% stress, it barely edges over 65C, thanks to its impressive triple-fan cooling set up, and ASUS’ attention to detail with its heat sink array.

The ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti provides Titan X level performance at a much cheaper price, with games like Rise of the Tomb Raider hitting 129FPS average at 2560×1440 in DX12, compared to 120FPS on the TITAN X(P) and 119FPS on the GTX 1080 Founders Edition.

If you’re gaming at 4K, you’re in good hands with the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti. You’ll see the same 10%+ additional performance over the TITAN X (P). We’re looking at 60FPS average in great looking games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry Primal. Even Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Metro: Last Light Redux enjoy 60FPS+ at 4K on the ASUS GTX 1080 Ti STRIX OC.

Final Thoughts

If you were building a new high-end gaming PC and were building it with any enthusiast-class ASUS ROG motherboard, and needed an enthusiast graphics card to match it, there would be no question in recommending the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti. It’s slick, it’s freaking fast, and it sips power… not devours it.

ASUS has crafted a card that doesn’t run hot at all under gaming conditions, definitely not as hot as rendering or cryptocurrency mining on the card, throwing it into overdrive and heating it up beyond normal use. Even then, the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti doesn’t reach above 70-75C or so, and with a few tweaks, I could get it under 70C under full, above normal load with cryptocurrency mining.

In gaming situations, the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti handles itself like a boss. 4K 60FPS+ in today’s games is a great point to hit, and high FPS in 1080p and 1440p native resolutions is perfect. Two of these would ensure you wouldn’t need to upgrade your gaming PC for a while yet, if the game’s you’re playing have SLI support, that is.

At the end of the day, ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti is a monster. Amazing performance and thermals mixed with slick looks, it’s a no brainer — buy it, you won’t regret it.

Performance (overclocking, power)	95%
Quality (build, design, cooling)	95%
General Features (display outputs, etc)	95%
Bundle, Packaging & Software	95%

Overall

95%

The Bottom Line: ASUS nails the high-end market with the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti, with military-like performance, style, and cooling. ROG gaming systems with two of these in SLI? If you can swim in your own drool and game at the same time, you won’t regret it. #ROG4LYF

Read about TweakTown’s awards!

Shopping Information

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

United States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com

United Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk

Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au

Canada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

Deutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Anthony Garreffa

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering.

Newsletter Subscription

Right of Reply

We openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here. Please contact us if you wish to respond.

Related Tags

ASUS
ASUS ROG Strix
ASUS ROG
ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
NVIDIA
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

Newsletter Subscription

is the long awaited GECID.

com wild. Page 1

::>Video cards
>2017
> ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING

04-05-2017

Page 1
Page 2
One page

The struggle for the consumer a priori includes the struggle with competitors, because it is important not only to create an effective product, but also to release it at the right time with the optimal price tag. Therefore, manufacturers take into account a lot of factors: market demand, peaks in consumer activity, the release schedule for the most anticipated games, the time required for partners to prepare their own modifications, and, of course, competitors’ plans. In the discrete graphics segment, this is a little easier to do, since only two companies set the tone: AMD and NVIDIA.

In the early summer of 2016, NVIDIA, in chess terminology, made a big move with the release of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 models based on NVIDIA GP104 chips. It was probably assumed that AMD would respond with the release of its flagship adapters, to which NVIDIA was preparing a response in the form of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti based on the NVIDIA GP102 core. That is, the GTX 1080 was not originally supposed to take leadership positions for a long time, and already in the fourth quarter of 2016, it could give way to a real flagship on Olympus. But AMD had other plans, and the company was unable to challenge the leadership of these two graphics cards last year, so there was no particular reason for NVIDIA to rush to release the GTX 1080 Ti, because in the first place it would create unnecessary internal competition and would be accompanied by a traditional such cases by price reductions. That is, the flagship stuck like a kind of joker up its sleeve, ready at a convenient moment to attract the attention of the public and counterattack the position of a competitor if the AMD Radeon RX Vega line had come out earlier. But since this did not happen and the debut of the NVIDIA Volta microarchitecture is not far off, there was no point in waiting any longer, so the beginning of March was marked by the release of the 9 video card0011 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti .

It is based on the 16nm NVIDIA GP102-350 GPU, which consists of 12 billion transistors. Since we have already examined the NVIDIA Pascal microarchitecture in detail in previous reviews, in particular, using the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 as an example, this time we will not delve into the details of the structure. Just a brief reminder that the GPU has 28 SM-blocks, each of which offers 128 CUDA cores and 8 texture units. As a result, their total number reaches 3584 and 224, respectively. In turn, the number of raster blocks determines the number of memory controllers: 8 ROPs for each 32-bit controller. The total memory bus width reaches 352, that is, we have 11 GDDR5X memory controllers and 88 raster blocks. Note that the maximum configuration of the NVIDIA GP102 chip was reserved for the more expensive NVIDIA TITAN Xp video card, which is primarily aimed at workstations, and not at user gaming systems. For greater convenience of information perception, here is a summary table of NVIDIA video cards:

Model	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti	NVIDIA TITAN Xp
Technical process, nm	16 (FinFET)	16 (FinFET)	28	16 (FinFET)	16 (FinFET)
GPU	NVIDIA GP104-200	NVIDIA GP104-400	NVIDIA GM200-310	NVIDIA GP102-350	NVIDIA GP102-450
Microarchitecture	NVIDIA Pascal	NVIDIA Pascal	NVIDIA Maxwell 2. 0	NVIDIA Pascal	NVIDIA Pascal
Crystal area, mm ²	314	314	601	471	471
Number of transistors, billion	7.2	7.2	8.0	12	12
Number of CUDA cores	1920	2560	2816	3584	3840
Number of texture units	120	160	176	224	240
Number of raster blocks	64	64	96	88	96
GPU base / dynamic frequency, MHz	1506 / 1683	1607 / 1733	1000 / 1076	1480 / 1582	1480 / 1582
Video memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5X	GDDR5	GDDR5X	GDDR5X
Volume, GB	8	8	6	11	12
Effective memory frequency, MHz	8 008	10 008	7012	11 008	11 408
Bus width, bit	256	256	384	352	384
Bandwidth, GB/s	256. 3	320	337	484	548
Computing power, TFLOPS	5.783	8.228	5.632	10.609	11.366
TDP, W	150	180	250	250	250
Recommended price at the start of sales, $	379 / 449	599 / 699	649	699	1199

Compared to its predecessor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card boasts a thinner process technology, more efficient microarchitecture, and an improved memory standard. As a result, more structural components fit on a smaller chip, the clock frequencies of key nodes increased significantly, and the computing power almost doubled. And the recommended price increased only by 8% or $50, which can be considered insignificant for this class of video cards.

We will get acquainted with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti on the example of the ASUS model — ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition . As befits a flagship, it incorporates all the best proprietary developments: a modified PCB design with a reinforced power subsystem, an efficient cooling system with ASUS Aura Sync LED backlighting, an extended set of interfaces, and much more. First, let’s get acquainted with its characteristics.

Specification

Model			ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition (ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING)
Technical process, nm			16 (FinFET)
GPU			NVIDIA GP102-350
Microarchitecture			NVIDIA Pascal
Number of CUDA cores			3584
Number of texture units			224
Number of raster blocks			88
GPU base / dynamic frequency, MHz		«Gaming»	1569 / 1683
		«OC»	1594 / 1708
Video memory type			GDDR5X
Volume, GB			11
Effective frequency, MHz	«Gaming»		11 010
	«OC»		11 100
Bus width, bit			352
Internal interface			PCI Express 3. 0 x16
External interfaces			1 x DVI-D 2 x HDMI 2.0b 2 x DisplayPort 1.4
Additional power connector			2 x 8-pin
Recommended power supply, W			600
Dimensions, mm			298 x 134 x 52.5
Drivers			Latest drivers can be downloaded from the ASUS website or from the website of the manufacturer of GPU
Manufacturer website			ASUS

Packaging and Contents

The ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING graphics card comes in a colorful cardboard box with high-quality and highly informative graphics that highlight the key design benefits of the graphics adapter.

On one of the sides you can see the manufacturer’s recommendations for the power supply: its minimum power should not fall below 600 W, and the load capacity of the + 12V line should exceed 42 A. These recommendations are traditionally indicated with a margin, since the manufacturer cannot predict the final configuration of the user system.

The video card itself is additionally hidden in an antistatic bag and securely fixed inside the box, so it is not afraid of mechanical shocks. Also inside we found a user manual, a CD with drivers and utilities, and a couple of cable ties.

Appearance

Externally, the video accelerator ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition looks very strict and presentable. But as soon as you turn on the power, its exterior becomes brighter and more colorful thanks to ASUS Aura Sync RGB LED lighting.

The user has a choice of millions of colors and six modes of operation. One of the profiles displays the dynamics of GPU temperature changes using different colors. If desired, you can synchronize the illumination with other compatible branded products.

The dimensions of the novelty are declared by the manufacturer at the level of 298 x 134 x 52.5 mm. According to my own measurements, the total length reaches 313 mm, and the height is 132 mm. In any case, the video card is large enough, so you should first make sure that it will fit in the case. Yes, and on the motherboard, it will take 2.5 expansion slots, for which you should be prepared.

The reverse side is initially covered with a stiffening plate, which is not only used to support the massive cooler, but also takes part in the removal of excess heat.

Having removed the cooling system, we can admire the modified PCB design. Although the general principle of the arrangement of components has been preserved: the central place is given to the graphics processor, around which the memory chips are located. The main part of the power subsystem is located in the tail section.

The latter offers a reinforced 10+2-phase design (only 7 phases in the GPU reference version) using the reliable Super Alloy Power II element base. It includes solid-state and tantalum-polymer capacitors, IR3555 microcircuits and ferrite chokes. The uP9511P chip acts as a PWM controller. Since it can serve a maximum of 8 phases, three uP1911R microcircuits actively help it.

There are quite a lot of tantalum polymer capacitors and other electrical components on the back.

ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition requires two 8-pin PCIe connectors to work properly. At the same time, the cooling system slightly interferes with this process. Together with a PCIe Express 3.0 x16 connector, they can supply up to 375W of power, which is quite enough for a model with a power consumption of 250W. Nearby you can see six connectors for monitoring and changing voltages at key nodes.

Five additional connectors can be seen on the tail end. The bottom two are used to power the cooling fans and the LED backlight. The middle one with a red backing is the Aura Sync RGB block for synchronizing the LED lighting with other devices. And the top two 4-pin connectors are for connecting system fans (ASUS FanConnect II technology). The speed of rotation of their blades in automatic mode may depend on the temperature of the CPU or GPU, and in manual mode, the user independently sets the algorithm for the functioning of the connected turntables. All this can be configured in the proprietary GPU Tweak II utility.

A pair of MIO connectors should be highlighted at the front of the PCB, which are designed to connect bridges and activate NVIDIA SLI technology.

The set of external interfaces of the ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING video accelerator has two HDMI 2.0b ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 and one DVI-D. The reference version assumes the use of three DisplayPort and one HDMI. In this case, the connection of VR helmets is simplified.

The GPU-Z utility reports that it is using «OC» mode, in which the GPU runs at frequencies of 1595 / 1709 MHz, and 11 GB of GDDR5X memory from Micron operates at an effective frequency of 11112 MHz. Recall that the reference frequencies are much lower (1480 / 1582 MHz for the GPU and 11,008 MHz for the memory), so you can count on a performance bonus.

In addition, the GPU Tweak II utility provides two more modes: «Gaming» (1683 MHz for the GPU and 11010 MHz for the memory) and «Silent» (1658 and 10920 MHz, respectively). It is also possible to save settings to additional profiles for their quick activation in the future.

Cooling System

The cooling system of the ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition has a powerful and thoughtful design. Its design includes a nickel-plated copper base, six nickel-plated copper 8mm heat pipes soldered to aluminum fins of a two-section heatsink, an additional low-profile heatsink for cooling memory chips, and three 88mm axial fans mounted on a plastic shroud. And with the help of a thermal interface, excess heat from the elements of the power subsystem is transferred to the main radiator. The manufacturer also mentions the use of proprietary MaxContact technology for automated installation of a cooler with optimal downforce for improved heat dissipation.

Three fans from Power Logic act as fans: the outer models are marked «PLD09210S12HH» (12V at 0.4A), and the central one is «PLD09210S12M» (12V at 0.25A). All of them are built on Long life bearings. Usually, plain bearings with an extended service life are signed this way. The impeller itself uses a patented Wing-Blade design that provides increased airflow and static pressure. And thanks to the 0dB technology, the cooler goes into passive mode at low load, which we will definitely check next.

In the automatic mode of the cooling system, at maximum load, the temperature of the GPU reached 69°C. The fans were spinning at 46% (1692 rpm) of their maximum speed, creating a very quiet background noise that did not interfere with operation at all. Recall that the critical temperature for the nucleus is 91°C. At the same time, the GPU frequency rose to 1873 MHz due to the excellent efficiency of the cooler.

After forcing the fan speed to 100% (3572 rpm), the GPU temperature dropped to 50°C at 1860 MHz. The traditional reckoning is the increased noise level, which exceeded the comfort limit.

In idle mode, the fans stopped working and the GPU temperature dropped to 39°C. The propellers returned to active mode only when the GPU temperature rose to 58°C.

As a result, the cooling system of the ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC Edition perfectly copes with its task: in automatic mode, it provides a good balance between the efficiency of heat dissipation and the level of generated noise, and at maximum load demonstrates a high margin of safety for overclocking experiments. In undemanding tasks, the cooler even switches to silent passive mode. There were no extraneous sounds in the form of an annoying squeak of throttles during testing.

Overview of the video card ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the highest performance graphics card in the GTX gaming lineup. In anticipation of the announcement of the top-end devices of the main competitor, NVIDIA launched the GP102 GPUs, offering the capabilities of the titans at a much more attractive price. In general, we have already determined the capabilities of the GTX 1080 Ti, but during the first acquaintance with the Founders Edition reference model, there was a feeling that this model could be further improved. One such attempt is the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING. Let’s see how successful she was.

ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING

ASUS has offered five different versions of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti at once. Available versions include NVIDIA’s reference design version, a creative reimagining of the TURBO line with a centrifugal fan. Standing apart is the POSEIDON modification with a hybrid cooling system, which is ready to connect the CBO. In addition, there are a couple of ROG STRIX models on the list. One has the recommended frequencies, the second — regular factory overclocking. It was ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING (ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING) that we tested.

Course

Learn important technologies for the tester at the hour, and get $1300 already through the work

The boosted version has the base GPU clock speed initially increased to 1569 MHz instead of the recommended 1480 MHz. 11 GB GDDR5 memory runs at 11008 MHz. This mode nominally corresponds to Gaming Mode. With one click of the mouse, you can switch to OC Mode, after which the frequency formula changes to 1594/11104 MHz.

Design and layout

It may seem surprising, but the appearance of the tuned version of the GTX 1080 Ti from ASUS is already familiar to us. The manufacturer used a similar design for the Radeon RX 580. And if such large forms seemed redundant and somewhat inconsistent with the content for a middle-class device, then the format is quite suitable for a flagship.

The intricately shaped graphite-colored plastic shroud has already become a familiar element of the ROG series graphics cards. The manufacturer abandoned the motley static design of adapters, relying on additional lighting that can be controlled independently.

The length of the video card is 298 mm, while the original cooler with a 2.5-slot layout is used to cool the adapter. The radiator block is based on a pair of cassettes with a set of aluminum plates.

The design uses six heat pipes to speed up heat transfer. Dimensional plates increase the total heatsink dissipation area.

In the current generation of video cards, the manufacturer does not use the technology of direct contact with the GPU chip. For even distribution of heat and elimination of local overheating zones, a nickel-plated copper plate with a high degree of polishing is used at the base of the heat sink. This technique is called ASUS MaxContact.

Three 90mm Wing-Blade axial fans provide airflow to the radiator. At the edge of the blades there are small sides of a special shape, which, according to the manufacturer, allows you to increase the air flow. The developers also assure additional dust protection and compliance with the IP5X standard.

By agreement with the supplier, we did not violate the integrity of the protective sticker on the fastening elements of the cooling system, so here are no photos of the video card without a cooler. The adapter uses the original circuit board. The GPU power regulator block has 10 phases based on elements from International Rectifier. For memory chips, 2 more power phases are provided. In this case, GDDR5X chips from Micron D9 are used.VRL. All memory chips and power elements are covered by an additional plate, which is connected to the mounting plate, simultaneously reinforcing the overall design.

Two 8-pin connectors are provided for connecting additional power. This configuration, together with the capabilities of the PCI Express x16 slot, allows the adapter to provide up to 375 watts. Recall that the reference GeForce GTX 1080 Ti uses a bunch of 6 + 8. Additional gain may be needed during extreme experiments.

The manufacturer recommends using a 600W power supply for the system with the GTX 1080 Ti, which is capable of providing up to 42A current through the 12V line. Not every PSU of this power is initially equipped with a pair of power cables with 8-pin connectors. Just for such cases, an additional adapter from two 6-pin connectors to one 8-pin is offered with the video card.

Signal LEDs are placed next to the connectors on the PCB. White lights up if the power cable is connected, and red if the 12V line is not yet connected.

On the reverse side, the printed circuit board is covered with a protective metal plate. Such an element is already familiar to see on high-end devices.

The interface panel of the adapter has five video outputs — a pair of full-length DisplayPort, two HDMI and one DVI-D. HDMI duplication allows owners of VR helmets not to worry about the availability of ports, regardless of which interface is used to connect a familiar monitor. If there was one HDMI on the panel and the main screen with the same interface, it would be necessary to reconnect the connectors after diving into the abyss of virtual reality.

Part of the mounting plate is occupied by ventilation holes.

As we have already noted, in the design of the device, the manufacturer focuses on RGB backlighting with the possibility of self-configuration. Decorative light guides are located at the bottom and top edges of the front panel of the adapter.

The top edge, which is easily visible when using the case with a transparent side wall, highlights the name of the gaming series.

On the back of the device, a large ROG series logo is cut out on a protective metal plate, which is also equipped with LED backlight.

The ASUS AURA proprietary application is used to set the illumination parameters. In addition to changing the color and intensity, you can also select several available modes here.

Some models of ASUS video cards are equipped with additional 4-pin fan headers. The ASUS Fan Connect II system allows you to adjust the fan operation algorithm depending on the temperature of the video card. ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING has a couple of these connectors. In addition, there is another connector at the edge for connecting an RGB LED strip. The connector can also be used to connect the proprietary SLI HB Bridge, which is also backlit. Support for ASUS AURA Sync allows you to synchronize the lights with those on other system components (motherboard, peripherals).

In operation

In idle mode, the temperature of the GPU is about 40-42 degrees.

Despite the monstrous GPU chip, which includes 12 billion transistors, the efficiency of the radiator unit is enough to cope with heat dissipation in such conditions without additional airflow.

Under load, the GPU warmed up to almost 70C, while the fan speed barely exceeded 1600 rpm. In this mode, the video card is much quieter than the reference model, which only cooled the chip to 84 degrees. Minimal throttle noise occurs in some modes at ultra-high fps. But, again, the basic version of the adapter was more vociferous in this regard.

The fans start when the chip temperature rises to 57-58 degrees, and turn off at 45-46 degrees. At the same time, the rotational speed is smoothly regulated, so there is no obvious feeling of a mode change. Low point before shutdown — 600-700 rpm.

Under load, the processor automatically accelerates to 1936 MHz. GPU Boost dynamically adjusts the frequency of the processor, but on average, the actual performance is close to this value.

Overclocking

Exploring the possibilities of overclocking, after increasing the supply voltage by 40 mV, we managed to increase the base frequency of the GPU to 1641 MHz.

Considering the initially forced chip, the additional gain here is relatively low. If we talk about the recommended value, then + 10.8% is not so small for a device of this class. But the memory chips remained stable up to 12,072 MHz (+9.7%).

After overclocking under gaming load, the frequency of the GPU fluctuates between 2000-2025 MHz. Recall that in the reference model, despite the similar base frequency of the GPU, the actual values under load remained within 1923-1974 MHz.

After additional overclocking with an increase in the supply voltage, the peak temperature of the GPU increased to 72 degrees, and the maximum fan speed increased to 1850 rpm. Recall that when overclocking the reference model, the chip warmed up to 85 degrees, and the rotation speed of the cooling system fan increased to 3000 rpm.

Test bench configuration

Processor	Core [email protected], 5 GHz	Intel, www.intel.ua
Cooler	Thermalright Archon Rev. A	Thermalright, www.thermalright.com
Motherboard	ASUS PRIME Z270-A (Intel Z270)	ASUS, www.asus.ua
Video card	MSI GeForce GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G, MSI GeForce GTX 1070 GAMING X 8G	MSI, www.msi.com
Accumulator	HyperX Savage 960 GB (SHSS37A/960G)/Kingston KC300 120GB (SKC300S37A/120G)	HyperX, www.hyperxgaming.com
Power supply	Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-1200M (1200 W)	Thermaltake, www.thermaltakeusa.com
Monitor	Acer Predator XB271HK (27″, 3840×2160)	Acer, www.acer.ua

Performance

To evaluate the capabilities of the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING, we compared its results with those of the reference GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition. For clarity, the diagrams also show the performance of the GeForce GTX 1080 and GeForce GTX 1070.

As we saw earlier, the GTX 1080 Ti is about 25-35% faster than the non-titanium version based on the GP104 chip. This is a very serious increase, which cannot be compensated by overclocking the video card.

As for the original model from ASUS, we can see that the additional performance gain is 3-6%. An efficient cooling system allows the GPU Boost mechanism to keep the clock speed at higher values.

Additional overclocking of the video card also improves performance. The number of frames / s increased by another 4-8%.

In order to get an idea of the capabilities of the video card in even more difficult modes, we conducted a quick test by increasing the screen resolution to 3840×2160. In such conditions, there is no trace of hundreds of frames / s. Even in not too resource-intensive projects, performance is significantly reduced.

Yes, 80–90 fps in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Dirt Rally or Dying Light are very convincing, but even with a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti you can get into a situation where the screen will average about 40 fps . Yes, yes, in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided you can’t run on ultras and the “beyond” mode in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is already coming with a creak. To be fair, there are plenty of options to increase performance in these cases. Still, very resource-intensive anti-aliasing and some other post-effects are no longer always needed at this screen resolution.

ITC.UA score

Pros:
Excellent performance; powerful power subsystem; factory overclock; efficient and quiet cooling system; additional RGB lighting; support for ASUS FanConnect II; the presence of a protective plate; two HDMI ports

Cons:
Price

Conclusion:
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB is very good for gaming at maximum quality at 1440p and there is practically no alternative for a comfortable frame / s in 4K mode. Modification ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC GAMING offers a powerful power unit, has increased frequencies and an efficient quiet cooling system. The increased dimensions of the adapter are justified here. The massive design of the cooler allows you to use the passive mode at rest and keep the chip temperature at 70C with a very moderate noise level. The basic overclocking figures of the GP102 are similar, but the tuned version of the ASUS adapter allows you to keep the chip clock at higher values, providing an additional performance boost.