All the custom GeForce GTX 1080 Ti cards announced so far! (Updated)

Updated on 18 April 2017: Added details on the Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock and GameRock Premium, and clock speed information on Zotac's cards. 

Updated on 10 April 2017: Added details on the just-announced Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Super JetStream.

Updated on 4 April 2017: Added details on ASUS' upcoming Poseidon GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. 

Updated on 30 March 2017: Added a table summarizing the prices and clock speeds of individual cards.

Updated on 29 March 2017: Added details on custom cards from other brands, including pricing and availability for select models. 

Originally published on 24 March 2017:

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti was released to rave reviews earlier this month, and there’s really no doubt that NVIDIA has made another winner.

That said, most enthusiasts will probably be gunning for a custom card from one of NVIDIA’s partners over a Founders Edition model, thanks to features like aggressive factory overclocks, beefed-up coolers, and customizable RGB lighting.

Of course, this is assuming you can wait, because many of these custom cards are not available to buy yet locally. If you must have the best immediately, you may have better luck going for a Founders Edition model from one of the brands. Those are technically on the market already and will cost you S$1,188, although stocks are unfortunately limited as well.

Still, we believe that good things come to those who are willing to wait, and we’ve rounded up a list of custom cards that you can look forward to.

ASUS

ASUS has announced the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, a custom card that comes packed with aggressive factory overclocks and a new cooler design that promises improved thermal performance.

You’ll get a base clock of 1,594MHz and boost clock of 1,708MHz in OC mode, more than 100MHz over the stock 1,480MHz base clock. Furthermore, a 10+2-phase power design helps with power delivery efficiency and may help you push the card’s clock speeds even higher.

The card also represents a shift away from the direct contact heat pipes that ASUS used on the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080, where four out of the five heat pipes touched the GPU surface. The new cooler features six heat pipes that draw heat away from the GPU via a copper heat spreader.

ASUS refers to this approach as MaxContact, and the company says the copper heat spreader provides a 10 times flatter surface thanks to precision machining. This supposedly doubles the contact area with the GPU over traditional heat spreaders, resulting in improved thermal transfer and heat dissipation.

In addition, the semi-passive fans have gotten an upgrade as well. They are now IP5X rated, which means they’re more resistant to dust. This should improve the lifespan of the fan bearings, and minimize problems over the long run.

The FanConnect technology that ASUS introduced on its GeForce GTX 10-series cards has also been upgraded. There are still two 4-pin fan headers (these will work with both PWM and DC fans) for connecting chassis fans, but you can now set the fan speed to a fixed or dynamic values. Furthermore, FanConnect II allows fan speeds to be pegged to both the CPU and GPU, and speeds will vary according to the one with the higher temperature.

That said, all these features require a software installation, and if you choose not to install the software, the fans will simply be controlled by the GPU temperature as with the previous version of FanConnect.

There are all the usual bells and whistles as well, such as ASUS Aura RGB lighting on the shroud and backplate. These LEDs can be synced with Aura-enabled motherboards and peripherals for a more coordinated look.

On the back, ASUS has also included two HDMI ports to allow VR gamers to connect a headset and monitor at the same time.

The ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is now available to buy at S$1,399. 

In addition, ASUS teased its upcoming ROG Poseidon GeForce GTX 1080 Ti at an event in Berlin. This card represents the pinnacle of what ASUS has to offer in terms of custom cards, and the standout feature is a pair of G1/4-inch fittings that facilitate easier integration with custom liquid-cooling setups. That said, the card operates on air-cooling by default, so you have flexibility either way. 

Compared to previous Poseidon cards, ASUS has reportedly made some improvements to its liquid-cooling capabilities, and the company says you can expect a 22 per cent increase in flow rate and a 40 per cent increase in heat dissipation area. Naturally, the card will also come with ASUS' Aura RGB illumination and aggressive factory overclocks, although the company was still mum on what exactly these clock speeds might be.

All things considered, the ROG Poseidon GeForce GTX 1080 Ti will likely retail for a hefty premium. ASUS says the card will be available by the end of Q2 2017, but there's no firm details on local availability yet (although ASUS tells us it's a matter of when rather than if). 

EVGA

EVGA has trotted out three variants of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, each offering different levels of cooling and performance. The different models are listed below:

• EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 Gaming (US$770)
• EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Black Edition Gaming (US$740)
• EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC Black Edition Gaming (US$700)

The FTW3 card is the flagship card, and it is quite a different beast from the other two cards. With its 10+2-phase power design, triple-fan iCX cooler, and dual BIOS chips, this is clearly a card targeted at overclockers.

Unsurprisingly, it also has the most aggressive clock speeds of the lot, with a 1,569MHz base clock and 1,683MHz boost clock (although ASUS and Gigabyte both offer something higher).

The maximum power draw sits at 280 watts, slightly higher than the 250 watts specified for the SC and SC2 models. In addition, you’ll require two 8-pin power connectors for it as with most other custom models.

The SC and SC2 Black Edition Gaming are pretty similar, save for the color of their cooling shrouds and the availability of RGB lighting. The SC Black Edition Gaming has a black cooler and white LEDs, while the SC2 sports a silver shroud and RGB lights.

Other than that, both cards have the same 7+1 power phase design and are powered by one 8-pin and one 6-pin connector.

All of EVGA’s 1080 Ti cards also sport its new iCX cooler, which features nine additional sensors that improve the cooler’s ability to detect and respond to heat output from various components.

Gigabyte

On Gigabyte’s end, the company is joining the fray with three custom GeForce GTX 1080 Tis, including Aorus-branded cards that continue Gigabyte’s recent efforts to create more gaming products under its premium gaming division.

Here’s a list of the cards announced so far:

• Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G
• Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11G
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming OC 11G

The top model is the Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G, a card that appears to merge the Aorus branding with the design of Gigabyte’s current Xtreme Gaming cards.

The custom triple-fan cooler is its most striking feature, and it uses the same stacked fan configuration that we first saw on the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming. Three large 100mm fans would result in quite a long card, likely one over 300mm, but Gigabyte has kept the length down to 293mm by positioning the middle fan slightly below the ones flanking it, thus allowing them to overlap each other.

This supposedly helps maximize coverage of the heatsink and improve heat dissipation as well. Furthermore, the fans are double ball bearing units that should offer improved reliability and longevity.

There’s also something Aorus calls alternate spinning, where the middle fan spins in the reverse direction from the other two fans to further optimize airflow.

In OC mode, the card has a 1,632MHz base clock and 1,746MHz boost clock, which are among the most aggressive factory overclocks we’ve seen so far.

Having said all that, this is also a rather thick card at 55mm tall, and it’s actually even slightly chunkier than the ASUS and MSI models.

Next up, there’s the Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11G, which is very similar to the Xtreme Edition version. For one, it sports the same dimensions and cooler. It also retains key features like the customizable RGB Fusion lighting and the mind-boggling array of display connectors.

Make no mistake, there are a total of three HDMI ports, three DisplayPort connectors, and one DVI-D output on these Aorus cards. One of the HDMI ports is located on the card’s front, and that’s designed to make it easier for gamers to route cables to a front panel device and connect their VR headset to the front of their PC.

Where the regular Aorus card differs from the Xtreme Edition is in clock speeds, where it has a lower 1,594MHz base clock and 1,708MHz boost clock in OC mode.

The copper back plate segment on the PCB is also smaller on the former as compared to the latter.

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming OC 11G rounds out the company’s offerings with quite a refreshing design. It features a white cooling shroud with orange accents, which may endear it to those looking for white-themed builds.

The cooler here is a smaller triple-fan Windforce one, and the result is a more compact dual-slot design. It is just 41mm thick, compared to over 50mm for most of the other custom cards.

The card uses five composite copper heat pipes that make direct contact with the GPU to keep things cool. Clock speeds are modest, and you’ll get a 1,544MHz base clock and 1,657MHz boost clock in OC mode.

The Aorus cards are available to buy now. The Xtreme Edition card will cost S$1,239, while the other is cheaper at S$1,199.

MSI

MSI has announced a total of six custom variants of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, but because it is introducing both OC and non-OC models for each type of card, there are really only three different versions. We’ve listed them below for easier reference:

• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming 11G
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Armor 11G OC
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Armor 11G
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Aero 11G OC
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Aero 11G

To be clear, MSI has confirmed that it is also making a Sea Hawk X version of the card cooled by Corsair’s Hydro series liquid cooler, but it stopped short of releasing further details.

For now, the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G sits on top of the product stack. Design-wise, it looks indistinguishable from the GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X 8G, and it features the familiar red-and-black Twin Frozr VI cooler.

However, it’s worth noting that this card is slightly longer and thicker than the latter card. It measures 290 x 140 x 51mm, nearly a centimeter thicker than the GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X 8G, so this is actually a 2.5 slot design instead of a slimmer dual slot one.  

In OC mode, the card boasts a 1,569MHz base clock and 1,683MHz boost clock, up from the 1,480MHz base clock on the Founders Edition card.

The heat pipes are squared at the bottom to maximize contact area with the copper base plate and improve heat transfer. In addition, the semi-passive Torx 2.0 fans sport a double ball-bearing design for better reliability and longevity.

Moving down the product stack, there’s the black-and-white GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Armor 11G cards which are probably best suited for monochrome builds.

These are less aggressively designed than their Gaming X counterparts, and are instead targeted at customers who prioritize stability and reliability over pure performance. The card has also been certified to MIL-STD-810G standards, as an added reassurance that it will last you a while.

The OC version of the card has a 1,531MHz base clock and 1,645MHz boost clock, which is quite modest as far as factory overclocks go.

It uses the older Torx fans – instead of the newer Torx 2.0 ones found on the Gaming series cards – but the feature set is still rather similar with semi-passive technology and a mix of dispersion and traditional fan blades for higher airflow and static pressure.

Finally, the Aero cards are the most basic offering of all. They utilize a blower-style fan that dumps hot air out the back of the case, so they’re probably more suited for cases where airflow is a concern.

The OC version of the card has been clocked slightly higher than the Founders Edition model, with a 1,506MHz base clock and 1,620MHz boost clock.

That said, only the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G and Armor 11G OC cards will be hitting our shores for now. They will cost S$1,279 and S$1,199 respectively, with the Armor card slated to arrive in the second week of April.   

Palit

Palit only offered the Founders Edition version of the card (S$1,188) for quite a while, but it has finally gotten on board with custom cards of its own. 

The Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Super JetStream has a base clock of 1,556MHz and boost clock of 1,670MHz. It comes with most of the features you'd expect from a custom card, such as customizable RGB lighting (these can change according to the GPU temperature as well), semi-passive fans, and a beefed-up dual heatsink design. 

There's a backplate here as well for extra structural rigidity. This is also a 2.5-slot card like most of its competitors, so it'll take up slightly more space than you're used to. 

One nice inclusion is the dual BIOS, which will help you recover from failed overclocks.  

In addition, there's a more modest JetStream version of the card with a 1,480MHz base clock and 1,632MHz boost clock. 

In addition, Palit announced the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock and GameRock Premium, a relatively new series that first debuted with the GeForce GTX 1080. However, Palit has made some additional upgrades this time around, and the new card features no less than four fans (no, not one, not two, not three, but four). Fortunately, Palit hasn't gone with some crazy long PCB or smaller fans. Instead, the company's implementation is quite interesting –  it features two pairs of stacked fans, so the card actually looks like a dual-fan design at first glance.

Palit calls this design TurboJET4, and the fans in each stack spin in opposite directions, which helps reduce noise levels. Other features include a 12-phase power design, customizable RGB lighting effects, and dual onboard BIOS. 

The regular GameRock card has a base clock of 1,518MHz and boost clock of 1,632MHz in OC mode, while the GameRock Premium boasts a higher 1,594MHz base clock and 1,708MHz boost clock. 

We'll update when we have news on local pricing and availability. 

Zotac

Zotac has got a trio of GeForce GTX 1080 Ti cards waiting in the wings. We’ve listed them below:

• Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP Extreme
• Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 AMP Edition (S$1,239)
• Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Blower

The AMP series cards will come with customizable Spectra LED lighting and 16+2 power phases for better stability and power distribution efficiency.

In addition, both cards come with a metal ExoArmor backplate for reinforcement.

The IceStorm cooler on the AMP Extreme card will have three 90mm fans, while the AMP Edition card gets two larger 100mm ones. That said, both of them rely on direct contact copper heat pipes to channel heat to the heatsink fins.

It’s also worth noting that the AMP Edition is the slimmer of the two, with a more manageable dual-slot design. In comparison, the AMP Extreme follows many of the flagship models we’ve seen here with a thicker 2.5-slot width.

The AMP Extreme is the higher clocked of the two with a 1,645MHz base clock and 1,759MHz boost clock. In comparison, the AMP Edition card has a more modest 1,569MHz base clock and 1,683MHz boost clock. 

The Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Blower is the most affordable with just a simple blower-style cooler.

Like the Founders Edition card, it is missing a DVI-D connector to make room for better ventilation at the card’s rear. It is also clocked at stock speeds, with a 1,480MHz base clock and 1,582MHz boost clock.

We’ll update when we have further information on price and availability.

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