Asus rog strix 2080 review: Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC Review: Premium Card with a Premium Price

Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC Review: Premium Card with a Premium Price

Tom’s Hardware Verdict

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC performed well, averaging over 105 fps at 1440p ultra and 61.6 fps at 4K ultra. The large heatsink worked well to keep the card cool and did so quietly. Priced at $790, it is one of the more expensive 2080 Super cards and isn’t substantially faster than other models, but it packs in a lot of extras.

Pros

• +

  Quiet and effective cooling solution

• +

  Robust power delivery

• +

  FanConnect II plugs for additional fan and RGB control

Today’s best Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC deals

No price information

Check Amazon

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC is the company’s flagship 2080 Super offering, a GPU that ranks near the top of the best graphics cards and GPU hierarchy. The Asus card comes with a modest 45 MHz bump in core clocks over reference speeds, with the same 1,937 MHz GDDR6 clock that’s good for 15.5 Gbps of throughput. This slight increase in clocks yields a negligible increase in performance over the RTX 2080 Super Founders Edition (FE). The ROG Strix’s main feature is the large cooling solution used to tame the Turing core running below. The 3-slot, almost 12-inch (30cm) card focuses on running cool and quiet while delivering top-notch performance.

We’ve compared this card to similarly powerful cards, including the hybrid cooled EVGA RTX 2080 Super XC, Nvidia RTX 2080 Super FE, RTX 2070 Super FE, and RTX 2080 Ti FE from Nvidia. For AMD cards, we have the fastest Navi based video cards, the ASRock RX 5700 XT Taichi, along with the reference RX 5700 XT and 5700, and the Radeon VII just for good measure.

The Asus ROG Strix 2080 Super ended up the fastest card of the bunch, but by less than 1 frame per second (fps), so it’s basically a tie. The card is very capable at 1440p using ultra settings, averaging over 105 fps in our nine-game suite. Jumping up to 4k with ultra settings, the fps average drops to 62 fps. Some titles, including Red Dead Redemption 2, Metro Exodus, Borderlands 3, and The Division 2, will need to reduce image quality settings for smooth gameplay (60 fps-plus) but overall the card is capable of handling this high resolution and settings while running cool and quiet.

Our review will focus on performance differences (in fps), look at how the massive cooler performed compared to a Founders Edition and a hybrid cooled model, power consumption, and pricing. With the information provided in these reviews, potential buyers will see where the card fits within its market, and gain the knowledge to make an informed purchase.

Features

Though there are some differences between the vanilla RTX 2080 and Super versions (such as the SM count and subsequently shaders, TMUs, and ROPs), all RTX 2080 cards sport the Turing TU104 silicon under the hood. The TU104 die is manufactured on TSMC’s 12nm FFN (FinFET Nvidia) process using 13.6 billion transistors on a 545 mm square die. All RTX 2080 Supers come with 8GB of 15.5 Gbps GDDR6 sitting on a 256-bit bus.

Clock speeds on the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC are set to 1,650 MHz base clock with a listed boost clock of 1,860 MHz. Unlike AMD cards, Nvidia GPUs listed boost clocks are more of a typical minimum, whereas AMD boost clocks are a maximum and the latest cards run a lot closer to the Game Clock instead. Memory speed for the card is set to 1,938 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) which yields 496.1 GB/s bandwidth. This configuration is enough for gaming at its target resolution of 2560×1440, or at 3840×2160 (4K UHD) with a bit of potential tuning.

Nvidia lists the Geforce RTX 2080 Super as a 250W card in Founders Edition form and recommends a 650W power supply. Asus doesn’t change the power supply recommendation for the ROG Strix, though two 8-pin PCIe power connectors are required (versus the FE’s 8-pin + 6-pin needs). That potentially allows for a bit of extra headroom if you’re interested in manual overclocking.

The following table summarizes the specifications of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Super Founders Editions along with the Asus ROG Strix and EVGA RTX 2080 Super cards.

	GeForce RTX 2080 FE	GeForce RTX 2080 Super FE	EVGA RTX 2080 Super Hybrid XC	Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC
Architecture (GPU)	Turing TU104 (400A-A1)	Turing TU104 (450-A1)	Turing TU104 (450-A1)	Turing TU104 (450-A1)
ALUs/Stream Processors	2944	3072	3072	3072
FP32 Compute (Nvidia Boost / AMD Game)	10068 GFLOPS	11151 GFLOPS	11244 GFLOPS	11428 GFLOPS
Texture Units	184	192	192	192
ROPs	64	64	64	64
Tensor Cores / RT Cores	368 / 46	384 / 48	384 / 48	384 / 48
Nvidia Boost/AMD Game Rate	1710 MHz	1815 MHz	1830 MHz	1860 MHz
Memory Clock	14 Gbps	15. 5 Gbps	15.5 Gbps	15.5 Gbps
Memory Capacity	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6
Memory Bus	256-bit	256-bit	256-bit	256-bit
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	496 GB/s	496 GB/s	496 GB/s
L2 Cache	4MB	4MB	4MB	4MB
TDP	215W	250W	250W	250W
Transistor Count	13.6 billion	13.6 billion	13.6 billion	13.6 billion
Die Size	545 mm²	545 mm²	545 mm²	545 mm²

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC is a 2.7-slot video card measuring 11.8 x 5.1 x 2.1-inches (299.7 x 130.4 x 54.1 mm). With these dimensions, the full-size card sticks out almost three inches past the width of our ATX motherboard and is one of the largest cards we have tested. The height can also be a concern too as the card sticks up an inch or so above the I/O plate. Due to the size on multiple axes, it almost certainly won’t fit in most small form factor (SFF) systems, and even regular size ATX cases may not be large enough without removing drive cages. Be sure to verify the space inside your chassis before buying.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Asus)(Image credit: Asus)(Image credit: Asus)(Image credit: Asus)

A black plastic shroud covers the heatsink, with three axial-tech fans across the face. Above and below each fan are the typical Asus RGB LED elements that look like eyebrows. On the rear of the card in the backplate, the Asus ROG symbol lights up with RGBs as well. Asus’ FanConnect II area sits opposite the I/O side end of the card, with two 4-pin PWM fan headers as well as a 4-pin RGB header. These extra plugs can be used to control additional fans and RGB lighting through the Asus Aura software.

(Image credit: Asus)

The large heatsink attaches directly to the GPU via heat plate (Asus calls this MaxContact Technology), sending the heat load to six heatpipes that snake their way through the heatsink. All critical parts are cooled directly by the heatsink, including the memory and VRMs, the latter with a separate heat plate connected to a different part of the fin array. 

The fans use an axial-tech design with a smaller hub, longer blades and barrier ring (the ring around the edge of the blades), which Asus says increases downward pressure. The fans also have 0db technology that keeps the fans off when the GPU core temperature is below 55 degrees Celsius (55C). Note this 0db mode is only available when engaging the Quiet mode (Q) BIOS using the onboard switch. The curve doesn’t change much in performance mode, but that does disable the idle fan stop.

(Image credit: Asus)

Asus uses a 12-phase VRM setup that breaks down into a 10+2 configuration for the GPU and memory, respectively. The GPU’s 10 phases are controlled by a Monolithic Power System MP2888A multi-phase PWM controller (the same one found on the Titan V). Meanwhile, the memory VRM is 2-phase and managed by an iP9412P controller. This sample uses Samsung memory IC’s labeled as K4Z80325BC-HC16 and specified to run at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps GDDR6 effective) so there may be some overclocking headroom. The VRM setup is a lot more robust than the Founders Edition and the EVGA Hybrid 2080 Super cards used for comparison.

(Image credit: Asus)

Asus touts this setup as VR friendly with its dual HDMI and single VirtualLink USB Type-C port. The ROG Strix 2080 Super includes two DisplayPort (1.4), two HDMI (2.0b), and the VirtualLink USB Type-C port for up to five displays. That should be plenty for both monitor and VR gaming.

How We Tested the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC 

Tom’s Hardware GPU Test PC

Intel Core i9-9900K

MSI MEG Z390 Ace

Corsair 2x16GB DDR4-3200 CL16

Kingston KC2000 2TB

Corsair AX1200i

Corsair Hydro h250i Pro RGB

Sharkoon 120mm

Our current graphics card test system consists of Intel’s Core i9-9900K, an 8-core/16-thread CPU that routinely ranks as the fastest overall gaming CPU. The MSI MEG Z390 Ace motherboard is paired with 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB DDR4-3200 CL16 memory (CMW32GX4M2C3200C16). Keeping the CPU cool is a Corsair h250i Pro RGB AIO, along with a 120mm Sharkoon fan for general airflow across the test system. OS and gaming suite storage comes via a single 2TB Kingston KC2000 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 drive.

The motherboard is running BIOS version 7B12v17. Optimized defaults were applied to set up the system, after which we enabled the memory’s XMP profile to get the memory running at the rated 3200 MHz CL16 specification. No other BIOS changes or performance enhancements were enabled. The latest version of Windows 10 (1909) is used and is fully updated as of May 2020.

Our GPU hierarchy provides a complete overview of the GPUs at the heart of the various graphics cards and how the models stack up against each other. For these individual third-party card reviews, our text comparisons focus on GPUs that compete with and are close in performance to the card being reviewed, though we provide multiple other cards in the performance charts. On the Nvidia side, we’ve included the  RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition, RTX 2080 Super Founders Edition, RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition, and EVGA RTX 2080 Super XC Hybrid . For AMD, we chose the fastest RX 5700 XT we’ve tested, the ASRock RX 5700 XT Taichi, plus several reference models.

Our current list of test games consists of Borderlands 3 (DX12), The Division 2 (DX12), Far Cry 5 (DX11), Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (DX11), Forza Horizon 4 (DX12), Metro Exodus (DX12), Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan), Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DX12), and Strange Brigade (Vulkan). These titles represent a broad spectrum of genres and APIs, which gives us a good idea of the relative performance differences between the cards. We’re using driver build 442.87 for the Nvidia cards and Adrenalin 20.4.2 drivers for AMD.

We capture our frames per second (fps) and frame time information by running OCAT during most of our benchmarks, and use the . csv files the built-in benchmark creates for The Division 2 and Metro Exodus. For GPUs clocks, fan speed, temperature, and power, we use GPU-Z’s logging capabilities. (Note: The testing done here was completed before we switched back to using Powenetics for graphics card power consumption. It doesn’t matter so much on the Nvidia side, though the AMD GPU power results in the past are skewed in AMD’s favor by omitting total card power use.) 

• 1

Current page:
Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC: Overview, Features and Specifications

Next Page Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC: 2560×1440 Gaming Performance

Joe Shields is a Freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US. He reviews motherboards.

Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 review: An ice-cold, whisper-silent beast of a graphics card

Reviews

Talk about heavy metal.

By Brad Chacos

Executive editor, PCWorld Sep 25, 2018 3:00 am PDT

Brad Chacos/IDG

At a Glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Excellent 4K/60 or 1440p/144Hz gaming
• Very low GPU temperature in Performance mode
• Virtually silent in Quiet mode
• Stuffed with features: Dual BIOS, RGB and fan headers, etc.
• RT and tensor cores for ray tracing, DLSS, and more

Cons

• Extremely expensive
• Matches GTX 1080 Ti’s performance in games
• Ray traced and DLSS games aren’t available yet
• Massive; may not fit in some cases

Our Verdict

The powerful, massive Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 lets you choose between chilly temperatures or near-silent operation, outclassing the Nvidia Founders Edition in every way. It’s huge and very pricey, though.

Best Prices Today: ROG Strix RTX 2080

The hulking Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 shows how Nvidia’s graphics card partners can still stand out from the crowd in an era when Nvidia’s making it harder than ever to shine.

Last generation, all customized GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards plateaued at virtually the same level of performance. Custom cards were notably better than Nvidia’s own GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition, though, because Founders Edition cards were restrained by reference clock speeds and a subpar single-fan, blower-style cooler.

This generation, it’s looking like power limits will impose a new ceiling on GeForce RTX 2080 performance—but now, Nvidia’s vastly improved RTX Founders Edition cards pack a dual-fan cooler, a gorgeous design, and an 80MHz out-of-the-box overclock. Nvidia’s competing against its own partners something fierce.

The ROG Strix RTX 2080 ($870 on NeweggRemove non-product link) fights back with heavy metal. Asus equipped the card with a massive heat sink, three fans, and extra features galore, giving the Strix RTX 2080 the ability to run incredibly cold—or virtually silent. The choice is yours. 

Brad Chacos/IDG

Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 specs

Let’s take a quick look at the ROG Strix 2080’s specifications.

The raw specs aren’t very different from those of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition at their core. The ROG Strix RTX 2080 offers a higher factory overclock, at 1,860MHz compared to the FE’s 1800MHz. (The RTX 2080’s reference boost clock is 1,710MHz. ) If you install Asus’s GPU Tweak II software, you’ll unlock another “OC Mode” that bumps up the clock to 1,890MHz. Memory sticks to stock speeds.

Asus

Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 tech specs. (Click any image in this article to enlarge it.)

Asus crammed an extra HDMI 2.0b port into the ROG Strix, bringing the card’s total to a pair of HDMI 2.0b ports and twin DisplayPort 1.4 connections. They’re joined by a VirtualLink USB-C connection for future virtual reality headsets. The card also features an upgraded power configuration for overclocking, requiring a pair of 8-pin power connectors compared to the Founders Edition’s 6-pin + 8-pin setup.

The ROG Strix RTX 2080 also includes the RT cores and tensor cores required to enable new and potentially amazing RTX graphics technologies, including ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling. Our Turing GPU deep-dive explains how the new technologies work, but unfortunately, we can’t test them today. Ray tracing and DLSS aren’t currently enabled in any games, though Nvidia says the first ray traced games will show up sometime in October.

But enough about the spec sheet. The fearsome cooler design and extra features make the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 special.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The ROG Strix 2080 builds upon the success of last generation’s very impressive Strix design. This massive triple-slot graphics card measures a foot long and well over two inches thick, and it’s utterly bristling with fans, heat pipes, and a mammoth heat sink. The cooler’s so big that Asus reinforced it with a metal brace that runs the length of the card, mounted to both the backplate and the I/O shield, to prevent it from bending your PCB slot. Nobody likes GPU sag.

The cooling starts with “MaxContact Technology,” a precision machining technique that Asus claims makes the heat spreader 10 times flatter than usual, resulting in twice as much surface contact with the graphics chip. That helps transfer more heat into the gargantuan aluminum heat sink, which has over 20 percent more surface area than its predecessor, Asus says. Three big axial-tech fans blow the heat out of the card.

Asus

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080’s design.

Asus loaded the ROG Strix RTX 2080 with dual BIOSes, which can be toggled via a small switch on the outer edge of the card, centered but underneath the card’s attractive backplate. By default, it’s flipped to the left for Performance mode; flipping it to the right activates Quiet mode. Performance mode optimizes for lower temperatures, so the fans always spin. Quiet mode optimizes for acoustics, so it has a much less aggressive fan curve, and the fans go idle if the GPU core temperature drops below 55 degrees Celsius. Both are tremendously effective at their given goals, as you’ll see in our benchmark results later.

The precision-machined PCB features the 10+2 phase “Super Alloy Power II” power delivery system. Asus claims SAP II delivers better overclocking headroom, lower temperatures, more efficient power delivery, less electric buzzing, and enhanced long-term durability.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Glowing, glowing everywhere.

The ROG Strix RTX 2080 comes laden with RGB LEDs, though you can disable them quickly by pressing a “Stealth Mode” button embedded in the card’s backplate. The ROG logo on the backplate and the “Republic of Gamers” text on the edge of the graphics card both light up, as do accents around the triple fans. A colorful glow emits from throughout the heatsink. It’s controlled via the Asus Aura Sync software, and you’ll find an Aura SYNC RGB header on the end of the graphics card, next to a pair of 4-pin fan headers. If you plug fans into these, they’ll be managed by the fan curves you set in the Asus GPU Tweak II software—handy if you point a fan directly at the Strix 2080.

Bottom line: As a complete package, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 is huge, impeccably manufactured, and just plain impressive. You could almost call it intimidating. Let’s see how it handles on the test bench.

Next page: Our test system, gaming benchmarks

Test system configuration

We overhauled our dedicated graphics card test system for this new generation of graphics cards, as our older Core i7-5960X rig was starting to show its age. We equipped the system with some of the fastest complementary components available to put the performance bottlenecks squarely on the GPU itself. Most of the hardware was provided by the manufacturers, but we purchased the cooler and storage ourselves. Here’s what’s inside:

• Intel Core i7-8700K processor ($30 on Amazon)
• EVGA CLC 240 closed-loop liquid cooler ($120 on Amazon)
• Asus Maximus X Hero motherboard ($260 on Amazon)
• 64GB HyperX Predator RGB DDR4/2933 ($420 for 32GB on Amazon)
• EVGA 1200W SuperNova P2 power supply ($180 on Amazon)
• Corsair Crystal 570X RGB case, with front and top panels removed and an extra rear fan installed for improved airflow ($170 on Amazon)
• 2x 500GB Samsung 860 EVO SSDs ($100 on Amazon)

We’re comparing the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 ($870 on NeweggRemove non-product link) against GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition ($799 at Best Buy or GeForce.com) and RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition ($1,199 at Best Buy and GeForce. com), of course. We’ve also tested its performance compared to the the GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition and PNY GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Neither of those are on sale any longer, but you can find other customized GTX 1080s starting around $470 on Newegg, and custom GTX 1080 Tis starting around $700 on Newegg. Finally, to give the Red Team some representation we’ve included the results from the Radeon RX Vega 64 reference card, AMD’s most potent GPU. Custom Vega 64 models start around $500 on Newegg, though most sell for $550 or more.

Each game is tested using its in-game benchmark at the highest possible graphics presets, with VSync, frame rate caps, and all GPU vendor-specific technologies—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and FreeSync/G-Sync—disabled, and temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) enabled to push these high-end cards to their limits. If anything differs from that, we’ll mention it.

ROG Strix RTX 2080: Performance vs. Quiet vs. OC mode

The following benchmarks results were taken using Performance mode, the default configuration for the Asus ROG Strix 2080. We’ve tested the card’s Quiet and OC modes as well, though and wanted to share some quick comparisons and thoughts for each.

Asus

Quiet mode benchmarks are identical to Performance mode’s, within a margin of error. Only temperatures and noise levels differentiate the two. We’ll dive more deeply into those differences in the thermal and acoustics section later in the review.

We didn’t test with the Asus OC mode for a couple of reasons. First of all, activating it requires downloading the separate Asus GPU Tweak II software, which many users may not do. Second, the 30MHz it adds doesn’t equate to any real additional performance in games. Overclocking RTX graphics cards is a bit tricky overall, actually. While you can indeed approach or break the 2,000MHz barrier often, the cards don’t necessarily run at full clock speeds at all times.

Instead, Nvidia’s imposed power and voltage limits often ramp down performance in more demanding titles and scenes. You might be able to hit 2,000MHz in your overclocking software, and see a performance uplift in synthetic benchmarking tools like Fire Strike or Unigine Heaven, but we’re not seeing many additional frames per second in actual games even with power, temperature, and voltage raised to the maximum. The power limit holds performance back, not the raw maximum clock speed.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Adding insult to injury, Nvidia lets you boost the RTX 2080 Founders Edition’s power limit by 23 percent. Asus lets you raise the ROG Strix RTX 2080’s power limit by 25 percent. Again, Nvidia’s homebrew graphics cards are competing hard with the customized partner options.

Our ROG Strix review sample lost the silicon lottery regardless. After applying OC mode, we were only able to add another 60MHz in manual overclocking, topping out at 1,950MHz. That’s well above the RTX 2080’s 1,710MHz reference boost clock, but below the 2,000MHz-plus we’ve seen on some other RTX GPUs.

Next page: Gaming performance benchmarks begin

Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 gaming performance

Strange Brigade

Let’s kick things off with Strange Brigade ($50 on Humble), a cooperative third-person shooter where a team of adventurers blast through hordes of mythological enemies. It’s a technological showcase, built around the next-gen Vulkan and DirectX 12 technologies and infused with features like HDR support and the ability to toggle asynchronous compute on and off. It uses Rebellion’s custom Azure engine.

We tested DirectX 12 with async compute off, as it traditionally only boosted Radeon GPUs, though the RTX 20-series makes huge gains in those regards thanks to its revamped GPU architecture. We’ll likely enable the feature in future tests. The gains amount to only a couple of frames per second in this game, though.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The Asus ROG Strix pulls ahead of the Nvidia RTX 2080 Founders Edition by a few percentage points across all resolutions, a trend you’ll see across the board in our test suite. We’ll mostly let the games benchmarks speak for themselves because of that. For a more in-depth analysis of how the RTX 2080 compares against its rivals and predecessors, be sure to read our GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti review.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider ($60 on Humble) concludes the reboot trilogy, and it’s utterly gorgeous—so much so that even the state-of-the-art GeForce RTX 2080 Ti barely manages to average 60 fps with all the bells and whistles turned on at 4K resolution. Square Enix actually optimized this game for DX12, and only recommends DX11 if you’re using older hardware or Windows 7, so we test with that. Shadow of the Tomb Raider uses an enhanced version of the Foundation engine that also powered Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Far Cry 5

Finally, a DirectX 11 game! Far Cry 5 ($60 on Humble) is powered by Ubisoft’s long-established Dunia engine. It’s just as gorgeous as its predecessors—and almost even more fun. The game also supports HDR. More on that later.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Next page: Gaming performance benchmarks continue

Ghost Recon Wildlands

Move over, Crysis. If you crank all the graphics options up to 11, like we do for these tests, Ghost Recon Wildlands ($50 on Humble) and its AnvilNext 2.0 engine absolutely melts GPUs. Even the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti can’t come close to 60 fps at 4K resolution. Dropping the graphics settings down to Very High or High greatly increases performance, but we don’t do that in our testing.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War ($50 on Humble) adds a strategic layer to the series’ sublime core gameplay loop, adapting the Nemesis system to let you create an army of personalized Orc commanders. It plays like a champ on PC, too, thanks to Monolith’s custom LithTech Firebird engine.

Brad Chacos/IDG

F1 2018

The latest in a long line of successful games, F1 2018 ($60 on Humble) is a benchmarking gem, supplying a wide array of both graphical and benchmarking options—making it a much more reliable option than the Forza series. It’s built on the fourth version of Codemasters’ buttery-smooth Ego game engine. We test two laps on the Australia course, with clear skies.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Next page: Gaming performance benchmarks continue

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

Ashes of the Singularity ($40 on Humble) was one of the very first DX12 games, and it remains a flagbearer for the technology to this day thanks to the extreme scalability of Oxide Games’ next-gen Nitrous engine. With hundreds of units onscreen simultaneously and some serious graphics effects in play, the Crazy preset can make graphics cards sweat. Ashes runs in both DX11 and DX12, but we only test in DX12, as it delivers the best results for both Nvidia and AMD GPUs these days.

Brad Chacos/IDG

GTA V

We’re going to wrap things up with a couple of older games that aren’t really visual barnburners, but still top the Steam charts day-in and day-out. These are games that a lot of people play. First up: Grand Theft Auto V ($30 on Humble) with all options turned to Very High, all Advanced Graphics options except extended shadows enabled, and FXAA. GTA V runs on the RAGE engine and has received substantial updates since its initial launch.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Surprise! The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is faster than the newer RTX 2080 in GTA V.

Rainbow Six Siege

Finally, let’s take a peek at Rainbow Six Siege ($40 on Humble), a game whose audience just keeps on growing, and one that still feels like the only truly next-gen shooter after all these years. Like Ghost Recon Wildlands, this game runs on Ubisoft’s AnvilNext 2.0 engine, but Rainbow Six Siege responds especially well to games that lean on async compute features. That’s why it performs so much better on Vega 64 and the RTX 20-series cards compared to the older GTX 10-series GPUs.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Next page: Synthetics, power, thermals, and noise

Fire Strike, power draw, thermals, and noise

We also tested Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 using 3DMark’s highly respected Fire Strike synthetic benchmark. Fire Strike runs at 1080p, Fire Strike Extreme runs at 1440p, and Fire Strike Ultra runs at 4K resolution. All render the same scene, but with more intense graphical effects as you move up the scale so that Extreme and Ultra stress GPUs even more. We record the graphics score to eliminate variance from the CPU.

Brad Chacos/IDG

As you’d expect, the slightly higher-clocked ROG Strix earns a slightly higher Fire Strike score in all versions of the test.

Brad Chacos/IDG

We test power draw by looping the F1 2018 benchmark after we’ve benchmarked everything else with a card, and noting the highest reading on our Watts Up Pro meter. The initial part of the race, where all competing cars are onscreen simultaneously, tends to be the most demanding portion.

Brad Chacos/IDG

We test thermals by leaving HWInfo’s sensor monitoring tool open during the F1 2018 5-lap power draw test, noting the highest maximum temperature at the end.

Look at those temperatures. In its default Performance mode, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 is ice-cold. That’s the power of heavy metal. But I wish the quiet mode were the default instead of the secondary option.

Asus

The ROG Strix hits those 64-degree-Celsius temperatures at roughly the same noise levels of Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Founders Edition—which, admittedly, isn’t too loud. But in Quiet mode, the ROG Strix delivers the same performance while running virtually silent. I’ve never heard a high-performance, air-cooled graphics card run this quietly. The idle fan when the GPU is below 55 degrees continues to be a very welcome feature when you’re hanging out on the desktop instead of gaming.

Next page: Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080?

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080?

Brad Chacos/IDG

I’m in awe of Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080’s massive, potent custom cooling solution. It delivers truly awesome cooling, or the quietest high-end graphics card experience we’ve ever heard. Pick your poison. I’d select the Quiet BIOS and I wish it were the default; the lower temperatures are impressive indeed, but realistically, they’re just smaller numbers on the screen. A whisper-quiet graphics card improves your entire gaming experience, and you get it with no performance loss.

So should you buy the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080? It’s a multi-step question.

First, you’ll need to decide whether you want to buy an RTX 2080 over an overclocked GTX 1080 Ti to begin with. (Asus’ own ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti costs $720 on NeweggRemove non-product link with a free copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 thrown in.) The two GPUs trade blows and unlock the same 1440p/144Hz or 4K/60 experience in traditional games. The RTX 2080 costs more but whispers promises of a brighter future, with improved performance in HDR titles and the dedicated RT and tensor core hardware necessary to unlock real-time ray tracing, Deep Level Super Sampling, and other futuristic technologies. The GTX 1080 Ti lacks those awesome capabilities.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Ray tracing and DLSS aren’t available in games shipping today, though. Early demos seem very promising indeed, but we have no idea when they’ll pick up steam. Nvidia has dozens of games lined up for RTX support with no timetable for any of them. Bottom line: If you buy an RTX 2080 over a GTX 1080 Ti today, you’re taking a leap of faith and investing extra money in those promises for the future. Whether that’s worthwhile is up to you. Our GeForce RTX 2080 vs. GTX 1080 Ti comparison can help you break down the decision in finer detail.

If you’re in the market for an RTX 2080, Nvidia’s Founders Edition ($799 at Best Buy or GeForce.com) sets a high bar. It’s gorgeously designed, overclocked, and much cooler and quieter than previous generations were. The ROG Strix RTX 2080’s gargantuan cooler outclasses it, though. While the massive (literally) cooling improvements fail to deliver much of a boost in gaming frame rates, at only around 3 percent, the ROG Strix runs a whopping 12 degrees Celsius cooler than the Founders Edition, or virtually silent at the same temperatures as the FE if you enable the Quiet BIOS. The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 beats the Nvidia RTX 2080 Founders Edition in every way.

Well, except for price. At $870 on NeweggRemove non-product link, the Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 is the most expensive RTX 2080 listed on Newegg, and by a fair margin. Other high-end RTX 2080 graphics cards by EVGARemove non-product link and MSIRemove non-product link top out at $850, and no RTX 2080 models come anywhere near the $700 starting MSRP cited by Nvidia.

Brad Chacos/IDG

We haven’t had an opportunity to test other custom models yet, but based on our thermal and acoustic tests, there’s no doubt that the ROG Strix will wind up being one of the more impressive custom cooling solutions this generation. If the idea of a nearly silent or ice-cold gaming experience appeals to you, the ROG Strix RTX 2080 comes highly recommended—much more so if noise levels are important to you. This beast is quiet. But with such a minor performance increase over the Founders Edition model, the ROG Strix RTX 2080 would be much easier to swallow if Asus shaved $20 or $40 off the sticker price.

Author: Brad Chacos, Executive editor

Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and tweeting too much. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.

Asus GeForce RTX 2080 ROG Strix OC Review

Manufacturer: Asus

UK price (as reviewed): £899.99 (inc. VAT)

US price (as reviewed): $869.99 (exc. tax)

The Asus ROG Strix range of GPUs has historically been one of the very best. Asus’ no-holds-barred approach usually has clear benefits in terms of performance, component and build quality, and features, but it invariably results in the cards being among the most expensive air-cooled variants of a GPU. We’ve long seen this as problematic on low-end and mid-range GPUs where the added cost of such niceties becomes considerably harder to justify; if your card is similar to the price of the next GPU up the stack, it’s almost doomed from the start.

The RTX 2080, though, is far from a mid-range GPU. Second only to RTX 2080 Ti in the GeForce stack and starting at around £650, it’s undeniably a high-end proposition. Placing even more demand on your wallet, though, is the £900 Asus ROG Strix OC version. Following the pattern outlined above, this is again the most expensive air-cooled variant of this specific GPU. Thankfully, it is at least still a good £100 or so away from the starting price of RTX 2080 Ti cards, but it’s still going to have to do a lot to be considered worthy.

The RTX 2080 ROG Strix OC is both very large and very heavy. At 300mm long and 131mm tall, even some mid-towers may struggle to house it. The latest cooler design is described as 2.7-slot, and the card does indeed occupy almost three full expansion slots.

Build quality is mostly exceptional. The metal backplate offers full coverage and strengthens the card considerably, and an internal metal contact plate adds even more rigidity and helps prevent sagging – useful, since no support accessory is supplied. One small gripe is that there are multi-coloured cables exposed near the end of the card; these could do with being sleeved properly, as these details do matter when forking out £900. It would also be nice to have a proper cover for the NVLink connector i.e. one that blends in neatly with the backplate when attached.

There are two RGB strips above and below each fan for a total of 12, and there’s also RGB integrated along the top edge (ROG logo) and more importantly on the backplate, so whether you vertically mount or not you should still get a nice light show, all customisable via Asus Aura. Users will want to take note that this software was subject to serious security concerns, but Asus claims to have addressed them in the latest version. Alternatively, a hardware toggle for the lighting is available on the backplate if you decide to switch it all off at once.

It’s fair to expect a heavy overclock with such an investment. Asus is running this card with a boost clock of 1,860MHz out of the box (which is how we test), but you can use its GPU Tweak II software to toggle OC Mode, which increases the power limit to 110 percent and the boost clock to 1,890MHz. These are 150MHz (nine percent) or 180MHz (10.5 percent) offsets compared to stock boost frequency, which is decent. However, the OC Mode thing is a bit silly we think, as these modes tend to make little difference; why not just run the card at 1,890MHz out of the box? As it stands, 1,860MHz isn’t the fastest on the market and is in fact found on £750 cards like the EVGA FTW3 Ultra Gaming model. Of course, cooler quality and power limits will affect the actual in-game boost speed, but it’s a shame Asus couldn’t have the most expensive RTX 2080 also be the fastest on paper. Similarly, there’s no memory overclock, but that seems to have become a thing of the past with the latest Nvidia cards.

As well as the software-based OC Mode, Asus implements a dual-BIOS switch allowing users to toggle P Mode (Performance) or Q Mode (Quiet). The difference is in the fan curve, which is more aggressive in P Mode and quieter in Q Mode. There is some appeal to this, but the decision to have always-on fans in P Mode seems artificial; we’d rather the semi-passive feature be always active regardless of how the fans behave under load.

Dual eight-pin PCIe plugs ensure power delivery is specced up to 375W in total, which will easily be enough for the GPU plus any overclocks. The plugs are indented, which is always good on such tall cards, as it means the plugs have proper room to connect.

A pair of DisplayPort headers is joined by a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports, which is good news for those who own both a VR headset and HDMI display and shouldn’t negatively impact others. A USB Type-C VirtualLink connector is also supplied; we’ve zero complaints about this setup.

At the end of the PCB are three extra headers, one four-pin RGB and two four-pin fan headers. The former can be used to add additional RGB lighting to your build – controlled with Aura Sync of course – and the latter can be used with PWM fans to regulate their airflow based on GPU temperature, which could be particularly useful for front and bottom intake fans.

The three fans are Asus’ very latest GPU models known as Axial-tech. Compared to previous gen designs, fan blades are longer and there’s an external ring said to increase both structural integrity and downward air pressure. They also have IP5X dust protection. As discussed they operate semi-passively in Q Mode, and they will turn off when the GPU temperature is 55°C or lower.

The heatsink design has also been refreshed, and the main change is that it’s gotten even bigger, with Asus claiming over 20 percent additional surface area as a result. It uses six copper heat pipes fed by a copper contact plate with MaxContact technology that’s said to provide better contact with the GPU via precision machining. All the copper is nickel-plated, another nice touch. There’s also an extra VRM contact plate plus thermal pads to directly cool the MOSFETs, but the chokes and capacitors are left exposed. The GDDR6 memory modules, meanwhile, are cooled by a separate metal contact plate that doubles up as a reinforcement frame. Asus has really gone to town on maximising how much volume the cooler occupies, leaving very little space wasted, which is great to see.

The cooler is easily disassembled – an important consideration for anyone with water-cooling on the mind. The PCB is neat and very clean, most likely as a result of Asus’ Auto-Extreme automated manufacturing process, highlights of which include soldering being done in a single pass and a flux-free process. Asus also deploys the full suite of Super Alloy Power II components for the VRMs on the 10+2 phases. Lastly, there are six voltage check points in the corner next to the power plugs.

A three-year warranty gives Asus another advantage over those that only offer the default of two.

• Graphics processor Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, 1,515MHz (1,860MHz boost or 1,890MHz in OC Mode)
• Pipeline 2,944 stream processors, 368 Tensor Cores, 46 RT Cores, 184 texture units, 64 ROPs
• Memory 8GB GDDR6, 14Gbps effective
• Bandwidth 448GB/sec, 256-bit interface
• Compatibility DirectX 12, Vulcan, OpenGL 4. 5
• Outputs 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x USB-C VirtualLink
• Power connections 2 x eight-pin PCIe, top-mounted
• Size 300mm long, 131mm tall, 54.1mm deep (~2.7-slot)
• Warranty Three years

1 — Asus GeForce RTX 2080 ROG Strix OC Review2 — Test Setup3 — 3DMark and VRMark4 — Battlefield 15 — Deus Ex: Mankind Divided6 — Middle-Earth: Shadow of War7 — Total War: Warhammer II8 — Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus9 — World of Tanks Encore10 — Power and Thermals11 — Overclocking12 — Performance Analysis and Conclusion

90,000 cheaper doesn’t mean worse than GECID.com. Page 1

::>Video cards
>2019
> ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-8G-GAMING

05-04-2019

Page 1
Page 2
One page

We think that everyone has long been accustomed to the decision of ASUS to release three versions of the same video card in a new series almost every time. At the moment, only versions with a turbine-type cooler can be considered an exception, which are presented in a single copy in each series. But the flagship line ROG STRIX is no exception.

Now in the company’s assortment you can find three versions of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with the ROG STRIX prefix, namely ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080, ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 Advanced edition and ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 OC edition. Outwardly, they look absolutely identical and, at first glance, differ only in the degree of factory overclocking. Of course, we do not rule out the fact that the most successful GPU samples may be selected for the most expensive OC editions, but it is not possible to verify this.

So, today the youngest and most affordable of the three versions came to us for testing — ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 . Let’s see what it is capable of, and is it worth saving on a purchase in the hope of getting the necessary frequencies through manual overclocking?

Specification

Model	ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 (ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-8G-GAMING)
GPU	NVIDIA TU104-400A
Microarchitecture	NVIDIA Turing
Technical process, nm	12
Number of CUDA cores	2944
Number of texture units	184
Number of raster blocks	64
Number of tensor cores	368
Number of cores RT	46
Base / dynamic frequency in Silent mode, MHz	1515 / 1680
Base / dynamic frequency in the «Gaming» mode, MHz	1515 / 1710
Basic / dynamic frequency in the «OC» mode, MHz	1515 / 1740
Effective memory frequency, MHz	14000
Memory size, GB	8
Memory type	GDDR6
Memory bus width, bit	256
Memory bandwidth, GB/s	448
Tire type	PCI Express 3. 0 x16
External interfaces	1 x USB Type-C 2 x HDMI 2.0b 2 x DisplayPort 1.4
Minimum power supply unit, W	650
Additional PCIe power connectors	2 x 8-pin
Dimensions (according to measurements in our test laboratory), mm	299.7 x 130.4 x 54.1 (312 x 123 x 55)
Drivers	Latest drivers can be downloaded from the ASUS website or the GPU manufacturer’s website
Manufacturer website	ASUS

Packaging and contents

The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card comes in a large cardboard box with excellent content and familiar design. Separately, we highlight the availability of a free 6-month premium subscription to the WTFast Gamers Private Network service. It automatically optimizes the path of game packets between the user’s computer and the game server to minimize their loss and reduce the average response time (ping).

The list of system requirements for the computer in which this graphics adapter is planned to be installed is located on one of the sides of the box. Based on the recommendations, the power supply should be at least 650W and support two 8-pin PCIe cables.

In the kit, we found standard documentation, a software disk and a couple of cable ties, but if necessary, you will have to get PCIe adapters yourself.

A modified set of interfaces is used to display the image:

• 1 x USB Type-C;
• 2 x HDMI 2.0b;
• 2 x DisplayPort 1.4.

The maximum resolution is 7680 x 4320. Recall that the reference video card requires a third DisplayPort instead of a single HDMI.

Appearance and element base

ASUS has decided not to update the design of its flagship graphics cards for the RTX 20 series, so all the new ROG STRIX look exactly the same as the models on NVIDIA Pascal. On the other hand, the design of the casing of devices of the previous generation turned out to be quite worthy, and will definitely not cause dissatisfaction, since it looks both strict and interesting at the same time.

Add some variety to your system with ASUS Aura Sync branded lighting. You can easily synchronize its work with the glow of other compatible components.

By the way, you can turn on or off the backlight not only in the bundled utility, but also with the help of a special button, which is located on the reverse side of the printed circuit board.

Another control element is the switch between two cooling profiles. «Perfomance» sets the fans to maximum performance, while «Quiet» is designed to reduce noise levels by reducing the speed of the blades.

Looking at the video card from the end, you can see a connector for backlight synchronization and a couple of blocks for connecting fans. The speed of their rotation can be entrusted to a video card or processor thanks to ASUS FanConnect II technology.

Powered by a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot and two 8-pin PCIe connectors. Thanks to their good location, the cooler does not make it difficult to disconnect the PCIe cable. Separately, we highlight the nearby connectors for measuring voltages at key nodes.

The reverse side of the PCB is protected by a metal base plate, which increases the rigidity of the structure and passively participates in heat dissipation. You can also notice that one of the fixing screws of the cooling system is covered with a warranty sticker, so you will not be able to remove the radiator without losing the warranty.

The video accelerator is based on the NVIDIA TU104-400A GPU, manufactured using a 12-nm process technology. It consists of 2944 CUDA cores, 184 texture units and 64 raster units. Testing was carried out in the «Gaming» mode, in which the base frequency of the GPU is at the level of 1515 MHz, and the dynamic one reaches 1710 MHz, which corresponds to the reference frequency formula.

The video card is also equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory from Samsung, operating at a reference effective frequency of 14000 MHz. Data exchange between the graphics core and memory is carried out through a 256-bit bus, which is capable of passing 448 GB of information per second.

If desired, two more profiles can be activated in the proprietary GPU Tweak II utility: “Silent” and “OC”. In the first, the dynamic frequency of the GPU is reduced to 1680 MHz, and in the second it is raised to 1740 MHz. In turn, the parameters achieved during manual overclocking can be saved to a user profile for quick activation of overclocking in the future.

Cooling system

The ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with installed cooling system takes up almost three expansion slots (2.7) and has a total length of 299.7 mm according to the official website (312 mm according to measurements in our test laboratories).

The cooler consists of a two-section aluminum radiator with transverse fins and six nickel-plated copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm. Of the interesting features, we note the MaxContact technology, which implies improved processing of the heatsink base to increase the contact area with the GPU.

A nice bonus is the contact of the elements of the power subsystem and video memory chips with the heatsink using a thermal interface.

The active part of the cooling system is represented by three 88mm fans with Axial-tech design. They have higher efficiency and less noise. The turntables are also protected from dust according to the IP5X standard. The last bonus in the order of priority is the passive mode of CO operation up to 54°C.

When automatically adjusting the speed of rotation of the fan blades, in maximum load mode, the graphics core heated up to 59°C at a critical rate of 88°C, and the turntables spun up to 1711 rpm (47% of their maximum power). According to subjective sensations, the noise was very low and did not interfere with work at all.

In the maximum fan speed mode (3161 — 3396 rpm), the GPU temperature dropped to 49°C. The noise exceeded the average level and became uncomfortable for constant use.

In the absence of load, the frequencies of the graphics core and memory were automatically reduced, allowing to reduce power consumption and heat dissipation of the video accelerator as a whole. In this mode, the GPU temperature did not exceed 29°C, and the fans rotated at a speed of 873 — 923 rpm (22% of the maximum), since the «Performance» mode was active. But with the “Quiet” profile, they would completely suspend their work (0dB Fan technology).

For greater clarity, let’s compare the operation of the cooling system with other modifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080

Designation	ASUS ROG STRIX RTX2080-8G GAMING	ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-O8G-GAMING	ASUS DUAL-RTX2080-O8G	ASUS TURBO-RTX2080-8G
Video card length	300	300	280	280
Number of turntables	3	3	2	1
Blade diameter, mm	88	88	88	80
Number of heat pipes	6	6	—	—
Diameter of heat pipes, mm	6	6	—	—
Location of radiator fins / fins	Cross	Cross	Cross	Longitudinal
Radiator sections	2	2	1	1
Automatic adjustment
Temperature, °	59	72	78	80
GPU frequency, MHz	1665	1830	1710	1620
Maximum speed
Temperature, °	49	50	63	53
GPU frequency, MHz	1680	1860	1725	1680
Simple
Temperature, °	29	35	48	30
GPU frequency, MHz	300	300	300	300
Technology 0dB Fan	+	+	+	—

As you can see, ROG STRIX graphics cards offer the best cooling performance thanks to the use of six heat pipes and three fans. During testing, there were no extraneous sounds in the form of a high-frequency squeak of chokes.

ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-O8G-GAMING | ROG Strix | Gaming Graphics Cards｜ROG

Outsmarting the competition

Featuring NVIDIA’s flagship processor and many exclusive ASUS technologies, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card is ready to give gamers a fantastic gaming experience. A powerful power system gives room for overclocking experiments, and a cooler optimized to perfection allows the Turing graphics chip to show itself in all its glory. And all this is under your complete control, because a whole arsenal of convenient utilities makes it possible to configure all device parameters to your liking.

Cooling

Axial-tech fans

Faster, more powerful — better!

To keep the temperature of the Turing GPU under control, this video card uses an oversized cooler, requiring more powerful and efficient fans to keep up with their work with minimal noise. This is exactly what Axial-tech fans are. Their center section is reduced in size to increase the length of the blades, and a special limiter ring provides structural strength and increased air pressure towards the radiator. Overall, Axial-tech fans are capable of moving more air and spinning at higher speeds than conventional fans without increasing noise levels, and the IP5X dust-tight design ensures durability.

Silent Mode

Smart Fan Adjustment

At low to medium load, when the GPU temperature remains below 55°, the fans stop and the cooler cools the graphics card passively, i.e. at zero noise level. If the temperature rises, the fans will automatically resume their work.

2.7-slot form factor

Bigger, better cooling!

The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 features a 2.7-slot form factor to accommodate a larger heatsink, with over 20% more total heat dissipation area than the previous generation. Improved heat dissipation gives you more freedom to experiment with overclocking, and also allows fans to run at slower speeds (and make less noise) while playing games.

MaxContact Technology

MaxContact Technology

MaxContact Technology allows you to make the surface of the base of the heat sink that is mounted on the GPU smoother. The contact area is doubled compared to conventional heatsinks, which greatly improves heat dissipation.

Reliability

Auto-Extreme Technology

Automated Manufacturing Process

All ROG Strix graphics cards are fully automated (Auto-Extreme Technology) manufacturing process. While through-hole and surface-mount soldering is typically done in separate steps, Auto-Extreme technology allows it to be done in one step, which reduces thermal stress on components and eliminates the need for harsh cleaning chemicals. The result is less environmental impact, energy savings and a more reliable end product.

Eliminates human error entirely

Solders all parts in one step

Strong component mounting ensures increased stability during overclocking

Flux-free production is more environmentally friendly

Automation allows for better product quality control

PCB surface is smooth, so you won’t cut your fingers on it

Reinforcement Frame

Extra Rugged Design

ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card uses a special frame to strengthen the design of the graphics card to prevent bending and twisting of the PCB.

Applications

GPU Tweak II

Monitoring and tuning

Modern ASUS graphics cards come with an exclusive GPU Tweak II utility that allows you to take full control over your computer’s graphics subsystem: change frequencies and voltages, adjust fan operation, monitor data hardware monitoring, etc. GPU Tweak II will help you get the most out of your graphics card!

XSplit Gamecaster

Professional Streaming

This ASUS graphics card comes with a free license for XSplit Gamecaster, a utility for streaming gameplay over the Internet. We are waiting for you online!

Learn more about XSplit Gamecaster

Wtfast

Play without lags!

The speed of a network game depends on the route that packets with game data are sent to the server. wtfast’s Gamers Private Network technology is used to automatically optimize this route, which can significantly reduce network lags and minimize the number of lost packets. Buy an ASUS graphics card and get a 6-month subscription to this service for free!

Learn more about Gamers Private Network technology

Technology

Aura Light

Outshining the competition

Stylish Aura LED lighting on the graphics card shroud and backplate supports a huge palette of colors combined with mesmerizing visual effects. Its color can change depending on the temperature or to the beat of your favorite music. In addition, with the help of the Aura Sync application, the illumination of different components is synchronized with each other. Look for the Aura Sync logo as it marks products that support ASUS backlight sync technology!

Experience Aura lighting
Color and brightness

Test AURA

Static

Constant glow

Pulsation

Gradually inclusion and shutdown

Stricting

Higher flashes is turned on in short outbreaks

Cycles

Music

Pulsation in the re -proclaim Temperature

Color change based on GPU temperature (load level)

Stealth mode

Backlight off

Sometimes we all get tired of the riot of colors. That’s why the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card comes with a handy stealth mode button. One click is enough — and all its illumination will instantly go out.

Two BIOS profiles

The choice is yours!

What do you prioritize: lower graphics chip temperature or less noise from the video card? In Performance mode, the fans will spin at a higher speed to keep the temperature as low as possible, and in Quiet mode, the graphics card will be quieter due to some increase in temperature for the same power consumption and performance. For even more customization of your cooling system, use our exclusive GPU Tweak II utility.

FanConnect II Technology

Intelligent Fan Control

The graphics card has a pair of 4-pin headers for PWM or voltage controlled case fans (FanConnect II technology). Changing their speed is based on the temperature of the CPU and GPU. In addition, the user is given the flexibility to adjust the manual adjustment algorithm to find the perfect balance between cooling efficiency and noise level.

Virtual Reality

More Realistic

Powered by advanced rendering, real-time ray tracing, and AI, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 takes VR to the next level. In addition, connecting next-generation VR headsets is as simple and fast as possible with a single cable thanks to the VirtualLink interface implemented via the USB Type-C connector.

NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology

Adaptive Sync

The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card supports NVIDIA G-Sync technology, which synchronizes the display refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate. G-Sync eliminates annoying frame tearing and reduces display lag, resulting in both better picture quality and better game responsiveness.

Revolutionary GPU

Powered by the new NVIDIA Turing microarchitecture, the GeForce RTX 2080 GPU offers a fantastic level of realism and speed in games, combined with amazing power efficiency. This is a real revolution in the world of computer graphics.

NVIDIA Turing microarchitecture

Leveraging the revolutionary Turing microarchitecture and the RTX application development platform, the new graphics cards enable never-before-seen rendering techniques that combine real-time ray tracing, artificial intelligence, and programmable shaders.

Real-time ray tracing

Ray tracing provides the most realistic rendering of lighting, reflections and shadows, far superior to traditional rendering methods. NVIDIA Turing is the first GPU capable of real-time ray tracing.

State of the art technology

GeForce RTX GPUs work with high-speed GDDR6 memory to support all DirectX 12 features.

Gamer Drivers

Gamer drivers for NVIDIA GPUs are optimized for gaming, delivering superb speed and image quality.

Gaming Features

NVIDIA GPU delivers high performance to power VR headsets, ultra-high resolution monitors and multi-monitor configurations. The NVIDIA GameWorks technology it supports delivers smooth, cinematic-quality gameplay, as well as 360-degree panoramic screenshots.

For VR

Experience the next generation of VR with NVIDIA VRWorks technology for high performance and compatibility with the best VR headsets.

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super

Super

Review and test In the budget and mid-price segment, NVIDIA has a competitor, which, by the way, represents good news, and only GeForce RTX solutions occupied the top segment. Although, this cannot be called bad news, because prices are slowly but surely falling, and new video cards appear in the line, such as the GeForce RTX 2080 Super, which we will look at today, but it came to us in the top non-reference version of ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super.

Differences between the GeForce RTX 2080 Super and its closest competitors

As I already said, NVIDIA has to fight in the top segment only with itself, and to illustrate the differences between the GeForce RTX 2080/2080 Super/2080 Ti, I have collected all the main characteristics in a table. Looking closely at which, you can understand that there are very few differences between the GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Super, because the new product received only two blocks more, and, perhaps, the main innovation was a faster memory capable of operating at noticeably higher frequencies.

Packaging and accessories

The packaging of the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super is no different from the video cards of this line we have already reviewed. It is still made of cardboard with bright and very high-quality printing, and a video card is depicted on the front side, which immediately allows you to evaluate the appearance of the device.

The back of the box details the main features of this non-reference version.

The kit is surprisingly simple, only the video card itself, instructions and a CD with drivers. You can’t find any nice little things in the kit, and it would be nice to get a bar for additional support for a video card.

ASUS ROG Strix

design features It seems to me that the design of ROG Strix video cards is one of the most recognizable and does not need a special introduction. At first glance, you notice the visual power of the video card, which is achieved thanks to a massive angular plastic overlay, a powerful «frame» made of metal and three fairly large fans. Of course, all elements are made in gray tones, and you can brighten the appearance with the help of ASUS Aura backlight.

On the reverse side of the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super, a metal backplate is installed, which perfectly protects the video card from mechanical damage and strengthens the design. On the backplate, you can see the ROG logo, which also serves as a backlight element. There is another feature that I really like — this is the forced backlight switch, which I really miss on my ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070.

The rear interface panel has two DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0b, and USB Type C to connect VR headsets.

When viewed from the side, one cannot fail to notice the metal frame reinforcing the structure and the fact that the video card occupies 3 slots. On the same side there is an NVLink connection connector and two eight-pin connectors for connecting power at once.

Well, then let’s move on to the design of the cooling system and the features of the printed circuit board. Disassembling the video card is not as difficult as the reference version, but you will have to twist the screws for complete disassembly. I note that in order to remove the cooling system, it will be necessary to damage the warranty seal, which may void the warranty.

The only thing that can be removed without damaging the warranty seal is a plastic trim, which can come in handy if the radiator becomes significantly clogged with dust over time.

Fans use ASUS’ unique Axial-tech design, which is much better at directing airflow, amplifying it and blowing the heatsink better than previous fans. Well, to be honest, they look great.

The heatsink of this graphics card is exceptionally well made, it is massive with dense fin packing and maximizes the usable area. Six nickel-plated heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm pass through the radiator.

All heatpipes are in contact with the GPU cooling pad. It is curious that in this particular copy of the video card, which has been in many editions, the contact pad has scratches of unknown origin. Usually this surface is displayed almost in a mirror. Although, even now we get an excellent reflection of objects.

And, of course, no one forgot about the cooling of mosfets in the power circuit and memory chips. Heat is removed from the mosfets through the thermal pad to the heatsink, and from the memory chips, also through the thermal pad, heat is dissipated onto the metal frame.

Well, the only element that could participate in the removal of heat, but does not participate, is a metal backprate. On it, as mentioned earlier, there is only a backlight module.

The PCB layout is exactly the same as we’ve seen on the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 and uses proven Super Alloy Power II elements.

In fact, we have a TU104-450-A1 GPU, and the memory array is equipped with eight Samsung memory chips with increased bandwidth.

The GPU power system has ten phases and two phases to power the memory, which is more than enough.

The GPU power phases are controlled by the Monolithic Power Systems MP2888A PWM controller, and the memory power phases are controlled by the uPI Semiconductor uP9512Q.

On this side of the PCB, there is also a connector for connecting an LED strip, two connectors for connecting fans and a BIOS mode switch.

The reverse side of the PCB also has a lot of soldered elements, including two BIOS memory chips, but all this is hidden under the backplate.

Related video

Backlight

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super did not do without backlight, which has many modes, and the ability to synchronize with other ASUS Aura-enabled devices.

Testing

To test the video card, we have assembled a very productive stand.

Processor	Intel Core i9-9900K ES
Motherboard	Alphacool Eisbaer 420
Operating system	Windows 10 Pro (All updates as of 01/14/2020)

All games have been tested in WQHD and UHD. At the time of testing, NVIDIA driver version 441.87 was installed. FPS was recorded using MSI Afterburner. To avoid errors, each test was performed three times to confirm the result. The processor was overclocked to 5 GHz with AVX Offset -1.

According to the test results, despite the results in AC Odyssey and RDR2, we can safely say that this video card is perfect for gaming like in WQHD, because in many games, by slightly lowering the settings, you can even adjust the frame rate to 144 Hz and use it in G-Sync monitor, and in 4K UHD, also lowering the settings a little, you can get smooth gameplay above 60 frames.

Temperature conditions

We are testing the OC version of the video card with all the consequences, and these are high frequencies out of the box and the power limit extended to 313 W.

To check the frequency and temperature conditions, we conducted a long (almost 8 hours) gaming test in Metro: Exodus. The GPU frequency briefly reached 2070 MHz, but eventually stopped at 2020 MHz, which is not bad at all. The card boosts itself perfectly and manual overclocking will not greatly affect performance. At the same time, we can say that the cooling system worked especially without straining, because the fans rotated the mixim by 55% or 1980 rpm. The temperature of the GPU at the same time was a maximum of 67 ° C. With a power consumption of more than 280 watts, the temperature is excellent, and here the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super cannot be faulted.

Conclusions

The GeForce RTX 2080 Super is confidently occupying its niche, it does an excellent job with games like WQHD with a fairly high FPS level, and in 4K it can provide smooth gameplay if you fiddle a little with the settings.

In turn, ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super showed itself as it should be for a flagship: a high-quality component base, which you can hardly find fault with, excellent temperature and frequency conditions, and, well, the already familiar ROG Srix design. Definitely a video card worthy of attention.