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ASUS and Noctua first teamed up to create a custom RTX 3070. But now they have released a new card which we see how it performs with this ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 OC review. It aims to improve the most popular graphics card. With the promise of better and quieter cooling, albeit at a much larger size with more than four slots. The new card brings the Noctua aesthetic to the world of graphics cards.
ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 OC
Base clock speed
1440 MHz base, 1815 MHz boost
Dimensions
310 x 144.8 x 87.5 mm (12.2 x 5.7 x 3.45 inches)
Packaging and aesthetics
Delivered in a sturdy box with a handle, it almost looks like a briefcase for your new graphics card. The massive case has been designed to hold the massive size of the Noctua 3080. Its dimensions are 310 x 144.8 x 87.5 mm (12.2 x 5.7 x 3.45 inches), which puts it at 4 ,3 pitches. So it’s no surprise that he needs such a heavy box to carry him around.
The Noctua version is based on the ASUS TUF model but improves on the original design. With an enlarged copper base plate to cover a wider area. Including VRAM as well as the die itself for better overall performance by keeping temperatures a secret. With a larger heat sink for greater thermal density. Which are then aided by two Noctua NF-A12x25 fans instead of the original three 92mm fans. Top fans are more optimized for better airflow and static pressure characteristics. Which gives the card lower GPU and VRAM temperatures while running quieter than the original TUF. Promising a 4.5dB, 3°C GPU and 14°C VRAM improvement over the previous offering.
The construction itself is sturdy and surprisingly beautiful. As with such a large heatsink and fans, you expect a lot of GPU flex and sag. However, ASUS did a good job of beefing up the card to prevent this from happening. With a well-connected structure, it prevents any loose area. With a solid back plate and IO shield, it also connects the furthest points to create a solid build. Preventing flex over time can ruin the aesthetics of the graphics card in the long run.
Noctua is known for its unique color choices of beige and brown. What he also brought to the 3080 that are the fans. However, the design around the fans is a less polarizing and more muted color choice. It uses darker brown and silver to create an owl-like pattern on the front side. With the fans spinning like a mesmerizing pair of eyes. Together, this creates a well-designed and well-thought-out graphics card.
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Specification and price
1440 MHz base, 1815 MHz boost
310 x 144.8 x 87.5 mm (12.2 x 5.7 x 3.45 inches)
Modified TUF cooler with 2x NF-A12x25 120mm fans
2x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
Advantages
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Excellent cooling surpassing other solutions -
great build quality to support its larger size -
Plenty of headroom for overclocking -
Quiet and powerful performance
The inconvenients
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Much more expensive than other custom solutions -
Color palette not to everyone’s taste -
Uses old 10GB model
The Noctua 3080 is based on the 10 GB version of the GPU. What is the old version with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory. On a 320-bit memory interface, it is clocked at 19 Gbps, giving it a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Along with the majority of card specs, they have remained the same.
It offers an overclocked engine clock, with a boost clock of up to 1815 MHz. This is what CUDA 8704 cores can potentially perform at. It also has up to four displays and five ports. Two of them are HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. It only uses two 8-pin power connectors with a recommended power supply of 850W.
The cooling solution used is based on the ASUS TUF model. This increases the width of the heatsink to 120.50mm, the height to 42.20mm, and the depth to 94mm. With an increased copper baseplate, the size also includes the memory chips for improved thermals. Which is also supported by two NF-A12x25 120mm fans. For optimized airflow through the heatsink to dissipate all the heat.
For pricing, ASUS announced a retail price of $950. Although much higher than the original 3080 price of $699. However, the current price of the 3080 is already much higher, and that’s not too far off. If you can find it in stock anywhere. Using only find it on Newegg for a much higher inflated price of $1,349.99.
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Performance
We compared using the ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 to using an MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 3080. Looking specifically at the core temperatures the cards reached, how often they ran, and fan speeds. Using benchmarks and stress tests, we see how well the cards perform under the greatest pressure.
Our test bench is composed of:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
- Cooler: BeQuiet Dark Rock 4
- RAM: Corsair 2 x 8 GB 3200 MHz Corsair Vengeance (XMP)
- Motherboard: AORUS X570 Pro (resizable bar enabled)
- Power supply: AORUS 850 Pro GM
- Case: Cooler Master MF 700
From the results of both cards, we see the same GPU clock usage and power consumption. That’s from one minute before a 10-minute Furmark run and one minute after. Although not perfectly aligned, it shows us the relative behaviors of the two.
Both cards have the same overclock, so we see that the frequency between the two remains the same. With a constant rate of around 1500 MHz during the test and peaking at almost 2000 MHz at the end.
Next we see the fan RPMs. With the Noctua, a much more aggressive response kicks in at 1369 RPM, while the MSI kicks in at around 800-900 RPM and then ramps up. While the brown fans slow down and average around 1100 rpm. With MSI peaking at 1366 rpm and averaging around that same speed.
We can also see the power absorbed by the two cards. Both peaked at 340W, about 20W more than the TDP of the 3080, and the MSI GPU is capable of more power from more power connectors it uses.
Finally, we see the GPU temperature and we see how good the Noctua fans are at keeping the temperature down. The GPU peaks at 60.1°C and with the fans starting it drops below 58°C. While the MSI temperature continues to climb even when the fans start spinning. Peaking at 70.7°C after four minutes, it then drops to around 69°C. Ramp down taking significantly longer after shutdown than Noctua map.
With lower RPM and larger size, the fans run quietly. Although we don’t have the means to compare sounds to really compare their levels. None of the cards were particularly loud. The Noctua option causes less turbulent air but you can hear the coil hiss.
In any case, it is able to keep the GPU temperature much lower. With a better default fan curve that responds better to the workload than the MSI card.
Conclusion
Overall, the ASUS Noctua RTX 3080 is an excellent graphics card build. Giving you the iconic brown of full-size fans. In addition to an owl-shaped design, it is a unique design with excellent cooling. Capable of excellent long-term performance as well as pushing them in terms of performance. It’s a great choice for a card if you like the design and have the space to fit it in. Although it comes at an inflated price, it comes with the premium of the card. So if you can afford it, this may be the card for you. And we’ll likely see more collaboration further down the line.
