Introduction
Today we are going to review the ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING (ROG-STRIX-RTX3080TI-O12G-GAMING) video card. In ASUS’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti video card lineup, the ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING sits in the middle, flanked by the TUF RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING right below it, and the ROG STRIX LC RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING right above it.
The ASUS ROG STRIX models are ASUS’s best enthusiast-class video card builds they offer. The ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti is a bigger video card, with more power connectors, and chart-topping thermal performance, versus the TUF. The ROG STRIX also has a higher factory boost clock than the TUF. The MSRP is not listed on ASUS’s website, but as you can see the TUF version, which sits below it, starts at $1,549.99, therefore the ROG STRIX will have an MSRP well above that price tag. This is not a cheap video card, but in today’s review, we’ll see how it performs.
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Before we look at the ASUS ROG STRIX, let’s go over the base specs on the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has an MSRP of $1,199 and was launched in June of 2021. It’s based on SAMSUNG 8nm manufacturing process and NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture. The GPU is based on GA102-225 and has 10,240 CUDA Cores, 112 ROPs, 320 TMUs, 80 Ray Tracing Cores (2nd Gen), and 320 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen). It runs at a Boost Clock of 1665MHz with 12GB of GDDR6X memory at 19GHz on a 384-bit memory bus providing 912GB/s bandwidth. TDP is 350W.
ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING
The ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING is a huge gaming card, huge. It measures 12.53 inches in length, 5.51 inches in width, and 2.27 inches in height. This is considered a 2.9 Slot video card. It’s a thick boy. By comparison, the Founders Edition GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is 11.22 inches long, 4.4 inches wide, and is a 2 Slot design. The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING is long and wide, it will have trouble fitting in cases that don’t have ample room between the side panel and components sticking over the edge. Make sure you have extra girth there.
This video card is also heavy, and power-hungry. This video card uniquely requires 3x 8-pin PCIe Power Connectors to run, and no splitting cables either, it needs dedicated cables. The recommended PSU is 850W for this video card. In terms of interfaces, you get 3x DisplayPort 1.4a and 2x HDMI 2.1 ports and supports HDCP.
For all this power, what you get is a factory overclock Boost Clock of 1815MHz (Gaming Clock) on the ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti O12G GAMING video card. For reference, the Founders Edition is clocked at 1665MHz. That is a 9% factory overclock boost clock. With NVIDIA GPU Boost, the frequency will also run over that clock speed. There is an optional “OC” clock that can be enabled when you install ASUS GPU Tweak II, and that will take the factory overclock up to 1845MHz for a very easy software overclock with one push of a button.
This video card also sports a dual-BIOS, but the only difference in the Performance and Quiet position is the fan profile. The clock speeds are the same in both BIOS positions. The card ships in performance mode, which has the fans at a higher fan profile to keep the card the coolest.
The ASUS ROG STRIX model means ASUS has decked this video card out with the best PCB configuration and the cooling solution they have. The PCB utilizes ASUS Super Alloy Power II with premium alloy chokes, solid polymer capacitors, and an array of high-current power stages.
The heatsink is a massive heatsink that uses MAXCONTACT which flattens the heat spreader for better contact with the die. The heat spreader draws heat into the heat pipes through a large 2.9-slot footprint fin stack for extra coverage area. It uses a triple-fan axial-tech fan design with more fins and surface area than the last-gen.
The blade count has been increased on all three fans with 13 on the center fan and 11 on the auxiliary fans. The barrier ring on the side fan has been slimmed down to allow for more lateral intake and provide better airflow through the cooling array. The center fan’s extra blades and full height ring provided boosted static pressure. The center fan rotational direction is reversed to reduce air turbulence. The fans also shut off completely below 50c.
The ROG STRIX has a new shroud aesthetics that has textured accents in a greyscale colorway blend seamlessly. There is a full backplate and pass-through cooling. The video card also supports ARGB lighting and overclocking with ASUS GPU Tweak II.