{"id":66220,"date":"2020-12-07T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=66220"},"modified":"2021-11-17T12:26:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T17:26:09","slug":"asus-tuf-gaming-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-graphics-card-hands-on-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/asus-tuf-gaming-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-graphics-card-hands-on-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Asus TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Graphics Card: Hands-on Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Nvidia announced its new RTX 30 series graphic cards, the wallets of every gamer were at the ready!\u00a0Including the\u00a0RTX 3070<\/a>, RTX 3080<\/a>, and the RTX 3090<\/a>, this new series<\/a> is not only more affordable than the previous years, but also way more powerful. Offering 4K and 8K support (RTX 3090) these cards future proof your gaming set up for years to come.<\/p>\n

From the image below, provided by Nvidia, you can see that the new RTX 30 Series<\/a> takes your gaming to a whole new level. Depending on the types of games you play, this card may be exactly what you need, or may be too feature packed. Wherever you land, one thing is for certain: these cards have been selling out and they’re nearly impossible to obtain. The question on everyone\u2019s mind is:\u00a0 are these cards truly as good as they claim to be?<\/em><\/p>\n

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Image via NVIDIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanks to Adorama and Asus, I was able to get my hands on the ASUS TUF RTX 3080 OC Edition<\/a>. Throughout this article I will go in depth, from the packaging all the way to the gaming. I hope to answer all the questions you have, and if you have more, Adorama is here for all your gaming needs!<\/p>\n

PC Specs:
\n<\/u>Processor: Intel Core i7-6700k (Not oc\u2019d)
\nGraphics: ASUS TUF RTX 3080<\/a>
\nRam: 32GB
\nPSU: 750W<\/p>\n

\"Asus
Photo by Josh Saleh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Design:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now, most of us gamers could care less about packaging, and trust me I get it. Right when we buy a brand-new component, we want to rip it open, and install it immediately. However, when I am treating myself to a new graphics card, I want the packaging and design to be just as nice as the product itself. When opening the box, the card lays beautifully staring you right in the face. I felt as if I was Indiana Jones opening a chest full of treasure. The card is ginormous! Now, I was fore-warned about the size of these cards, but seeing it in person and holding the card I was astonished! The card measures 11.81\u201d x 5.0\u201d, making this card nearly a foot long. Make sure your desktop can fit this beast of a card.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Josh Saleh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The three-fan design is perfect for those looking to overclock this card. I always prefer more fans; the last thing I want is my rig to get too hot. If you are an avid gamer or a content creator, you know how fast your computer can get hot. Asus provides three fans, one more than the Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition, and when deciding on which card to get, that can be a deciding factor.<\/p>\n

Another key aspect that sets this card apart from the competition are the ports. I have two 1080p monitors and a Dell S2417DG 24\u201d 2K<\/a> monitor. With my three-monitor set up, I need more ports. ASUS gives you three DisplayPort’s and two HDMI ports. This is one extra HDMI port than the other RTX 3080 cards out there.<\/p>\n

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Image via NVIDIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This size of this card means it takes 2.7 slots in your rig. The main reason for the extra height and width is the bigger heatsink that’s keeping temperatures cool.\u00a0 I absolutely love the design of this card. It is apparent that ASUS has the gamer and streamer in mind for this card. With the extra HDMI port, and extra fan, this card stands above the rest.<\/p>\n

\"Asus
Photo by Josh Saleh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Software:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Asus has its own GPU tuning app called \u201cGPU Tweak II<\/a>\u201d. This app allows you to alter fan speed, tweak GPU core Clocks, memory frequency, and voltage settings. After I installed my card, the fans were incredibly loud on idle, and even louder when gaming. Through the ASUS support page, I was able to download a Bios update that fixed everything. After downloading the Bios, my fans were ridiculously quiet, to the point where I didn\u2019t even think they were running. After downloading the Bios, I started playing with the GPU Tweak app and It was incredibly simple.<\/p>\n

\"Asus<\/p>\n

The app allows you to cycle three different modes.<\/p>\n