Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC Review
When a new Nvidia graphics card series comes out, it is usually the Founders Edition the one to gets the most attention. And it is for a good reason, they have an incredible design to keep them cool and great build quality. Since it is their technology, they know exactly what to do to keep it working to the top of its potential.
But the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC is trying its best to top the Nvidia 3080 Founders edition. And being the first third-party manufacturer to enter the Nvidia 3000 series, it is indeed a bold move to try and take on the best. But even at first sight, you can clearly see their efforts to make them different from the Founders Edition. But let’s get a bit deeper into the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC.
An Extreme Take?
Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC made a bold move not only by being the very first third-party Nvidia 3080 graphics card. But even more by making it more expensive than the Founders Edition, but if you do that, you expect some improvement or higher specifications than the FE, but there’s isn’t much of that in there.
On paper, it is pretty much the same in technical specifications as the Founders Edition, but there are some slight differences. One of the main things you’ll notice is that there’s an upgrade to the boost clock when compared to the FE. the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC is packing a 1,815MHz.
Aside from that, possibly the main difference between the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC and the Founders edition is the body of the card itself, and the cooling system. There’s no such thing as a small, compact RTX 3080, but Asus took that to the next level. Making it even bigger and heavier.
You don’t need the measurements, just by looking at the three fans on top of the card you can see it is much bigger. However, that means it’s packing two fans more than the FE, but does that mean it has better cooling? Well, in short, no. The FE has a special design with air vents and more multi-direction airflow that allows the card to be cooled with just one fan. Reducing the size and noise of the card. The Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 aimed at a more traditional the “the more the better” with the fans, which is a simpler way to achieve similar results.
How Does It Handle Gaming?
It may not be the Founders Edition, but it is still a GeForce RTX 3080, and that means it is pretty much the best you can get in terms of graphic cards. The triple-fan cooling system combined with the massive heat sinks underneath help in keeping it cool. With the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 OC, you’ll be able to top any game you want in the settings, and most of it will still run well.
Due to some software optimization playing its part in the Founders Edition, the TUF still falls behind for very little when you compare the two of them side by side. It isn’t anything drastic, but it was consistent in its underperformance. Still, it is more than enough to play any modern games and excellent for any GPU-intensive task you might want to do.
Should You Get It?
Absolutely, especially since it’s easier to find in the market than the Founders Edition, and it will still perform basically as great. There are some downsides to it of course, like the huge size and weight that means you’ll have to get a spacious case. The brute force solution for the cooling works great, and that’s a thumbs up if you also want to overclock it, as it will stay relatively cool.
If you’re looking to buy an RTX 3080, then you’re much more likely to find this one on the market than the Founders Edition, and it is a great buy. However, if you do find the Founders Edition, go for that one instead, you’ll save some money and get basically the same results with slightly better performance.