Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version Overview

In contrast to most issues on the planet of client {hardware} and software program, new graphics processing items usually are not launched in response to an annual improve cycle. A number of years typically cross between main technology refreshes, and so every new collection tends to introduce vital modifications and enhancements in efficiency. It is now been virtually precisely two years since Nvidia launched its GeForce RTX 20 lineup, and we have solely simply seen the launch of its successors, the GeForce RTX 3090, the GeForce RTX 3080, and the GeForce RTX 3070. As anticipated, these fashions are primarily based on a complete new structure, codenamed ‘Ampere’, which Nvidia says represents its “greatest ever generational performance leap”.

Nvidia after all has plenty to say about its new structure — the details are that RTX ray tracing is here to stay, energy effectivity is improved, and costs usually are not a lot increased contemplating what you get. The primary GPU within the GeForce RTX 30 collection that we are able to get our arms on is the center of the three, the GeForce RTX 3080. It is geared toward high-end players who wish to push the best high quality settings and all the results turned on at 4K, in all probability whereas streaming every part.

As standard, Nvidia will sell its own Founders Version graphics playing cards primarily based on these new GPUs, and that is the model of the GeForce RTX 3080 that we’re reviewing immediately. The corporate has give you a novel new hybrid cooling system and has additionally continued to refine its industrial design. Playing cards from companion manufacturers together with Asus, Zotac, Gigabyte, MSI, Palit, Galax may also quickly be accessible, with their very own coolers and customized tweaks.

There’s lots concerning the GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and the Founders Version graphics card to cowl right here, so let’s get began with a fast rundown of what is new.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version has a second fan on the rear with its personal airflow path

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080: Ampere structure overview

Final 12 months’s GeForce RTX 20 collection, codenamed Turing, launched {hardware} ray tracing and AI-accelerated DLSS (Deep Studying Supersampling). For some time following the launch, these options weren’t broadly adopted by video games and appeared to supply little in the best way of substantive enhancements however have each since turn out to be extra generally supported over the previous two years. Nvidia says that Ampere can course of some operations reminiscent of shader algorithms over twice as quick.

We now have second-generation RTX ray tracing cores and third-generation Tensor cores for AI processing, plus quicker cache reminiscence and GDDR6X RAM. Efficiency enhancements are stated to be between 1.7X and a pair of.7X, plus new options have been added to leverage AI, reminiscent of dwell video and audio enhancements for streamers.

AI nonetheless primarily comes into play with DLSS, which is claimed to intelligently upscale frames in order that the GPU can goal a decrease rendering decision and work quicker, however high quality is not in the end compromised. Nvidia even says that DLSS can now assist ship {smooth} and crisp gameplay at 8K, and even produce sharper visuals than rendering at a local decision.

As for energy effectivity, Nvidia says the identical workload consumes simply over half as a lot energy as it might on an equal Turing-based GPU. Which means much less cooling is required and fewer noise is generated.

Nvidia is introducing just a few different new and up to date requirements. Ampere GPUs help PCIe 4.zero for added bandwidth with appropriate CPUs now and sooner or later. AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series helps PCIe 4.zero and Intel is expected to adopt it with its subsequent technology. HDMI 2.1 permits for 8K 60Hz video by way of a single cable, and AVI {hardware} decoding permits for streams at that bandwidth in actual time.

RTX IO will leverage Microsoft’s upcoming DirectStorage API for Home windows 10 to permit large recreation property to be transferred immediately from a quick PCIe SSD to a GPU’s VRAM with out going by way of the CPU or system reminiscence. That is doubtlessly a really large deal, altering how video games themselves are designed and permitting for large environments to be streamed from storage reasonably than loaded and buffered. It is much like issues we have been listening to about how next-gen consoles will handle storage, which makes it all of the extra attention-grabbing.

The GeForce RTX 3080 GPU particularly has been configured with 8,704 execution items known as CUDA cores, organised into 68 “streaming multiprocessor” clusters, in comparison with 3,072 and 48 respectively for its direct predecessor, the GeForce RTX 2080 Tremendous. You get 272 third-gen Tensor cores and 68 second-gen RTX cores as nicely. Curiously, this GPU would possibly reignite interest in cryptocurrency, which was as soon as answerable for tying up the world’s entire stock of graphics cards however has died down of late due to diminishing returns on previous-gen {hardware}.

On the software program aspect, there are new capabilities as nicely. Nvidia Reflex which might work with appropriate screens and mice to assist optimise body supply and scale back enter latency. AI capabilities are additionally harnessed by Nvidia Broadcast to swap digital backgrounds, robotically body streamers, and cancel out background noise in actual time. Lastly, Omniverse Machinima targets content material creators, permitting recreation engines and property for use to simply create high-quality animations, if builders help it.

You get a 12-pin to 2×8-pin PCIe energy adapter within the field to make use of with the tiny new connector

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version design

For the previous few years, Nvidia has been competing with its companions and promoting its personal graphics playing cards, known as “Founders Editions”. These have usually been extraordinarily polished and trendy, however do not hassle with manufacturing facility overclocking or tricked-out RGB LED results. With this technology, Nvidia has actually upped its recreation in relation to design. Earlier efforts really have felt premium in a sea of plastic coolers and shrouds, however the RTX 30 collection takes that to a complete new stage.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version is totally lovely. It feels heavy and costly, like a bit of finely crafted equipment, with its uncovered heatsink fins and metallic body. There isn’t any RGB lighting right here however you do get an illuminated GeForce RTX brand on the highest and white accents lining the center of the body. All of it feels concurrently industrial but subtle. The design actually stands out, and that is earlier than we even get to the fully novel fan placement.

This can be a massive, chunky card. It is longer than standard however really is not taller or wider, occupying a comparatively modest two slots. The primary body is a darkish metallic strip that is rounded on the corners. It types a type of figure-Eight with an elongated mid-section, with practically the complete floor space that it encloses lined in uncovered heatsink fins. That is additionally a really heavy card, and you may actually really feel the load of the cooling system while you decide it up.

The port choice is pretty commonplace, leaving room on the backplate for a big vent

You may be stunned to see just one fan on the entrance, and that is as a result of there really is a second one on the rear. Nvidia has give you a unique twin-chamber design, wherein the higher fan acts extra like a standard blower and exhausts air by way of the again of your case, whereas the decrease one has its personal airflow path that expels scorching air upwards, to be sucked out by a case fan or radiator.

Trying carefully, you possibly can see that the precise circuit board of the RTX 3080 Founders Version ends earlier than the second fan, and you may look proper by way of the fins and out the opposite aspect of the metallic enclosure. Nvidia says an enormous quantity of engineering went into decreasing board dimension to permit for this sort of airflow, and it was all vital to attain the form of efficiency in addition to acoustics that it focused. The one draw back we see is potential mud accumulation within the large expanses of uncovered fins.

Every little thing has been packed in denser and redesigned to scale back digital interference. One of many modifications required is a new 12-pin power connector which is mounted perpendicular to the board and angled forwards. Nvidia features a brief adapter with the RTX 3080 Founders Version. You will want two 8-pin PCIe energy connectors, and sadly cable routing may be a problem, which considerably takes away from the placing look of the cardboard itself. It does not seem that lots of Nvidia’s companions have adopted the identical connector, and so it may be some time earlier than energy provides undertake it natively. Some PSU manufacturers have already got their very own adapters on the market, or will ship them to verified homeowners without spending a dime.

The rear of Nvidia’s Founders Version card has one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a connectors. The VirtualLink Type-C port for VR headsets seen on previous-generation playing cards has been dropped, since the usual has did not catch on. For this and non-overclocked third-party choices, the reference GPU base clock is 1440MHz and the enhance pace is 1710MHz. All playing cards will characteristic 10GB of GDDR6X reminiscence operating at 9500MHz on a 320-bit bus, for a complete 760GBps reminiscence bandwidth. PCIe 4.zero is supported. Complete board energy is rated at 320W which is kind of excessive – previous-gen playing cards have been rated for 225-250W.

The position of the 12-pin energy connector might make cable administration tough

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version efficiency

The check setup for our GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version is unchanged in comparison with what we have used to check earlier generations. We have an AMD Ryzen 2 2700X CPU, a Gigabyte Aorus X470 Gaming 7 Wifi motherboard, 2x8GB of G.Ability F4-3400C16D-16GSXW DDR4 RAM, a 1TB Samsung 860 Evo SSD, and a Corsair RM650 energy provide. The monitor is an Asus PB287Q, which has a 4K decision however sadly does not help HDR or variable refresh charges. We used Home windows 10 with all the most recent updates and patches. Nvidia provided a pre-release driver, model 456.16.

Beginning with 3DMark as standard, we noticed the GeForce RTX 3080 handily defeat the Zotac GeForce RTX 2080 Amp by 45-60 %. The brand new DLSS Characteristic check in 3DMark indicated efficiency at 50.33fps with it off and 69.41fps with it on. The Port Royal ray tracing check put up a rating of 10,721. We additionally ran the standalone Unigine Superposition check, which managed 13,708 factors utilizing the 4K Optimised preset.

AMD at the moment does not have any providing that may submit such numbers, however that may change quickly with the impending launch of the Radeon RX 6000 series, primarily based on its “big Navi” GPU. The Radeon 5700XT is in a a lot lower cost and efficiency class, so we have left it out of this comparability desk.

Shifting on to gameplay and recreation engine benchmarks, we determined to give attention to efficiency at 4K, primarily based on Nvidia’s claims and projections. Beginning with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we set it to run at 4K utilizing the Highest high quality preset and TAA enabled. For this primary run, RTX ray tracing and DLSS have been turned off. The in-game benchmark confirmed intermittent tearing with its pans by way of expansive surroundings, however movement was in any other case crisp, and we obtained a median of 66fps. With RTX DLSS turned on, textures have been nonetheless nice, and no large variations have been instantly distinguishable. Nevertheless, the typical rose solely to 69fps.

Center Earth: Shadow of Warfare additionally has an in-game benchmark and may be pushed fairly far. With the decision at 4K, graphical high quality set to Extremely, TAA enabled, and all different settings at Extremely or Excessive, we obtained a snug and really playable common of 86fps.

Far Cry 5 pushed out a median of 73fps at 4K utilizing its Extremely preset, and every part regarded {smooth}. We took the decision all the way down to 2560×1440 to see the distinction that will make, and obtained a pleasant bump as much as 95fps. Metro: Final Mild Redux managed to push out 58.79fps at 4K at Very Top quality with SSAA on and 4X AF.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt pushed out a really constant 85fps common with little variance, as measured by FRAPS in a guide runthrough. The decision was set to 4K, with graphics high quality at Extremely and post-processing set to Excessive. Subsequent up, we tried the zombie shooter World Warfare Z at 4K utilizing its Extremely preset. The built-in benchmark ran at a super-smooth 110fps with out breaking a sweat.

Murderer’s Creed Odyssey is pretty latest and demanding. We measured 47fps at 4K with the graphics high quality set to Extremely Excessive. Taking that down a notch to Very Excessive pushed our rating as much as 53fps. A decrease decision might be essential to run this recreation at a {smooth} 60+ fps.

To place the GeForce RTX 3080’s ray tracing and DLSS 2.zero capabilities to the check, we fired up Management. The decision was set to 4K and show high quality to Excessive. Beginning with each options disabled, we famous a median of 77fps in a selected motion sequence utilizing Nvidia’s personal overlay. Turning Ray Tracing on and selecting the Top quality setting instantly pulled our common all the way down to about 47fps. DLSS ought to compensate for this, and now you can select your rendering and goal resolutions independently. With the latter set to 2560×1440, we really famous a soar as much as 80fps. When it comes to high quality, issues are trying good for DLSS – every part was sharp and we had no complaints about picture high quality. That is the expertise we had in only one recreation, and that too on a really high-end GPU, but it surely does present that there are extra methods to enhance high quality than simply brute power rendering.

Only for enjoyable we fired up Quake II with Nvidia’s RTX renderer. This historic title actually should not look so good, but it surely’s able to utilizing ray tracing for lighting results which makes it really feel considerably contemporary. We pushed the decision all the best way as much as 4K and managed a median of 42fps.

All of the engineering that went into the GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version card appears to have paid off – it hardly makes any sound, even below very heavy load. The “dustbuster” designs of the previous are lengthy behind us – you may solely hear a boring whoosh when operating heavy video games or exams. Nevertheless this card does push out a whole lot of scorching air, and does so fairly forcefully. On our open check bench, we have been capable of really feel it even two toes away from the rear vents. The metallic body additionally obtained too scorching to the touch for various seconds. This card will seemingly run hotter and louder inside a small, cramped desktop enclosure, and it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how extra conventional triple-fan blowers on companion playing cards fare.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version has minimal lighting for a really understated look

Verdict

The Ampere structure appears to be yet one more feather in Nvidia’s cap, persevering with an extended string of successes and placing some extreme pressure on AMD. In fact we mustn’t neglect that Intel can also be developing with an enthusiast-class discrete GPU early subsequent 12 months, so issues are about to get very, very attention-grabbing for PC players. The GeForce RTX 3080 delivers glorious efficiency in immediately’s video games – it is greater than sufficient for 1440p and you need to have the ability to push {smooth} 4K visuals with out a lot hassle.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version is an outstanding piece of {hardware} when it comes to design. This card and the GPU it is primarily based round are nonetheless not with out some flaws – warmth is more likely to be a difficulty, energy consumption is kind of excessive, and 10GB of VRAM is not as a lot as many individuals have been anticipating this technology to have. Efficiency is superb, and significantly better than what you could get for this price a 12 months or two in the past.

All of because of this whereas Rs. 71,000 shouldn’t be a nasty worth in any respect for the efficiency that you just get, it is nonetheless manner out of attain for the overwhelming majority of players and lovers in India. Wonderful efficiency at 4K is tantalising, however that is nonetheless a really area of interest goal decision right here, and we all know that folks would a lot reasonably see how Nvidia will use its know-how to serve the decrease finish of the market. The GeForce RTX 30 collection fashions introduced to this point are additionally nonetheless too costly to take ray tracing and DLSS mainstream.

There isn’t any telling but what Nvidia has in retailer for lower-priced fashions — we do not know whether or not the GeForce GTX collection will proceed to serve budget-conscious consumers or if there’ll now be a full unfold of RTX fashions protecting all tiers. We’ll have to attend not less than just a few months for the inevitable GeForce RTX 3060 and no matter else follows.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Version
Value: Rs. 71,000

Professionals

• Wonderful efficiency at 1440p and 4K
• DLSS is helpful. insupported video games
• Seems to be unbelievable

Cons

• Runs fairly scorching
• Comparatively excessive energy requirement

Rankings (out of 5)

• Efficiency: 4.5
• Worth for Cash: 4
• Total: 4.5