Conclusion
In this review, we had the opportunity to test a Small Form Factor video card, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G. This video card is positioned at the lower end of the GIGABYTE spectrum of RTX 5080 offerings, sporting default factory clocking and no added RGBs. The appeal is in its size. Despite a compact footprint, this video card manages to turn out performance equal to most RTX 5080 full-sized video cards and offers excellent quiet cooling. We ran this video card through the test suite in both plain raster and ray-traced games. We also overclocked the card modestly as well.
Performance
We chose to test this video card at 4K resolution. This was done in every game except Black Myth: Wukong, which is just graphically too much at the highest in-game settings. Taking all the results into consideration, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G was playable at default in eight of nine games, if we include the overclocked card in the equation. If not, six of nine. Star Wars Outlaws was the lone outlier, keeping in mind Black Myth: Wukong was set to 1440p.
If we look at upscaling, using DLSS Quality, every game was playable with an uplift averaging 40%. In a not-so-fair comparison, we used the XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT White Edition as well at 4K. Now, this video card is not marketed as a 4K performer; it is marketed as a very good card for 1440p gaming and entry-level 4K (whatever that means). We have not tested this card in the past at 4K, and thought this would be a good time to look. We were not expecting a close contest. The XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT White Edition held its own pretty well. In one game, it was faster, and in two, only off the mark by an average of 12%. Using the 60FPS cutoff, it was playable in three of nine games without upscaling. Overall, the margin in plain raster was 33%.
Moving to ray tracing, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G only had the juice for two of four games; none of the games were playable without upscaling. The XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT White Edition never had a chance, but we were asking more than the card is designed to do. The takeaway here is that ray tracing at full in-game settings is going to be best played at a lower resolution.
Overclocking, Power, and Temperatures
The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G actually overclocks well. Using Gigabyte Control Center was easy. The card has the ability to lift the power limit 11%, which was surprising. Most of the lower-tiered cards usually have the power limit locked or very restricted. We did have to be conservative so as not to break the card before returning it to its rightful private owner. We did see a 13% increase in clocks, which translated to 5% performance boost in real-time gaming.
Power was right at the TBP limit when we overclocked. We would venture that it would easily exceed that if we pushed the card harder. It seems that there is more performance to be had in this card.
As far as temperature goes, GIGABYTE has made a very nice video card here. Even contracted to fit SFF criteria, the heatsink keeps the GPU cool, and the fans are very quiet. Once again, we have to congratulate XFX for the performance they put up in the Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT White Edition. The difference of over 10C between two very well-built cards is pretty amazing. But we also need to point out that the XFX card is quite big and the GIGABYTE card is small.
Final Points
In reviewing the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G, there is quite a bit to like about this video card. GIGABYTE has built a compact enthusiast-level video card that cools well and is nearly silent. This is especially important in the cramped quarters of an SFF PC case. On the other hand, this card is a nice size for any case. You surely wouldn’t have to wonder if the card will fit or have to work around it.
The WINDFORCE is a very basic video card design, but it does include a good heatsink design with triple fans and a sturdy backplate. On the performance front, well… nearly every review everywhere has pointed out the lackluster performance of the RTX 5080. The card just has not met expectations.
Compared to the other RTX 5080 cards we have reviewed, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF 16G performs right where you’d expect it to. For 4K gaming, you are right on the edge without upscaling. 4K-ray-traced games are less than you would expect. (without concessions) This is a hard reality to swallow at $1400. Upscaling certainly helps, and hopefully DLSS 4.5 will continue to add more performance as it evolves.
If you are looking at enthusiast-level video cards, you can actually buy, and size is a factor, this is a very well-designed card. Its performance at this level and cost are very much a consideration, however.
