ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC review: It doesn't get much faster than this

Note: This review was first published on 29 July 2021.

Bleeding-edge performance

The brand new ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC takes NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and kicks it up to 11. I have no doubt that it'll be one of the most coveted custom cards around, assuming you can stomach the price. At an eye-watering S$2,799, it costs as much as a whole system. If you're buying this, you'd better be making the most out of it with a 4K gaming monitor (or just have plenty of cash to burn).

This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing cards I've seen, although it's the same look we've already seen on the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080. The tough-as-nails industrial look is brought out by its hulking 2.9-slot design and triple-fan cooler. It's a behemoth of a card, measuring a good 318mm long. You'll need a good-sized case to fit this in comfortably, and small system builders will want to take a hard pass on this.

Compared to the previous generation, ASUS has beefed-up its design with more metal around its fans, a new fan rotation scheme, and an even larger heatsink with more fins to soak up all the heat the card is going to put out. The PCB has been tweaked too, as has the backplate. 

One of the most significant changes is the new Axial-tech fan design. It has been optimised for the larger heatsink with a higher blade count, with 13 on the centre fan and 11 on the auxiliary spinners. The barrier ring on the side fans has also been slimmed down for more air intake at the sides, providing better airflow through the heatsink. On top of that, the centre fan's extra blades and full-height barrier ring provide increased static pressure to channel air directly onto the heat spreader. 

The rotational direction of the centre fan is reversed as well, reducing air turbulence inside the cooling array, similar to what Gigabyte does on its WindForce cooler. In addition, the fans shut off completely when card power consumption is low and the GPU temperature falls below 50°C, keeping noise levels down when the system isn't working hard. 

But all that wouldn't work if the GPU die cannot offload heat to the fin array efficiently. To help with that, ASUS says it uses its MaxContact tech to improve surface smoothness of the heat spreader at a microscopic level. The extra flatness is supposed to allow for better contact with the die and enhance heat transfer. 

The capacitors, chokes and MOSFETs on the PCB have also been selected for smooth power delivery. They're soldered on using ASUS' Auto-Extreme automated manufacturing process, which is supposed to eliminate human error and ensure smooth solder joints on the rear of the PCB.

Out back, the backplate now features a wide vent, which works in tandem with the shorter PCB to allow hot air to escape towards the chassis exhaust fans instead of being recycled by the cooler. A GPU bracket that runs the length of the card provides extra stability for the critical connection between the die and the heat spreader. This is topped off with the stainless steel I/O bracket, which mounts securely in your case and protects the ports. You'll find access to two HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports at the rear. 

A Dual BIOS switch at the edge then lets you switch between Performance and Quiet modes for quick and easy customisation without software.

Finally, you'll need a whopping three 8-pin connectors to power this beast of a card, but at least it isn't NVIDIA's finicky 12-pin connector. 

Test setup

Here are the specifications of our test rig:

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU
• MSI MEG X570 Godlike
• Samsung 980 Pro 1TB SSD
• Windows 10 Home 64-bit
• ASUS ROG Swift PG43UQ 4K Gaming Monitor

We'll be comparing the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC against the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X (our review of this card will be published separately) and their Founders Edition counterpart.

The following synthetic benchmarks and games were run, with the games chosen from a wide range of genres to give a better indication of performance across different segments:

• 3DMark
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War: Three Kingdoms (Battle)
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• Metro: Exodus
• Watch Dogs: Legion

3DMark

3DMark is a synthetic benchmark that tests graphics and computational performance at different resolutions, starting at 1080p and going all the way up to 4K. A series of two graphics test, one physics test, and then a combined test stresses your hardware in turn to assess its performance.

The ASUS card falls right between the Founders Edition model and the MSI card. In 3DMark Time Spy, it was around 4% faster than the Founders Edition card.  

1080p Benchmarks (Max Settings)

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti absolutely sails through our 1080p benchmarks. As in 3DMark, the performance difference between it and the other two cards is negligible at best. 

1440p Benchmarks (Max Settings)

The ASUS card continues to prove itself a powerhouse at 1440p. It managed to inch ahead of the Founders Edition model in most benchmarks, although it was still just a hair behind the MSI card. 

4K Benchmarks (Max Settings)

At 4K, the ASUS card continues to shine in most games. Performance was similarly neck-and-neck with the other two cards. 

Ray Tracing Benchmarks (4K, Max Settings)

With ray tracing turned on, the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC finally finds a challenge in Metro: Exodus. Still, there are no noteworthy differences in performance among the three. 

Temperature and power

With razor-thin performance margins between each card, it's thermal and power consumption that will really help differentiate them. The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti improves on the temperature numbers put out by the Founders Edition model, but it isn't quite as good as what MSI managed. It's also a tad bit more power-hungry. 

Conclusion

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is a great card. With the GA102 GPU at its core and ASUS' experience in custom cards, it's nearly impossible to go wrong. When it comes to comparing incredibly powerful and high-performing cards, we'll have to split hairs to find the difference between them. While the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X does edge the ASUS card out at times, it is also significantly more expensive at S$3,288. At S$2,799, the ASUS offers better value in comparison, the fact that we're talking about cards that cost a fully-kitted system aside. 

With killer looks, stratospheric performance, and solid thermals, ASUS has made yet another winner.

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