We again turn to the topic of confrontation between the older NVIDIA and AMD video cards. In this review, we take a look at the non-reference version of the GeForce RTX 2080 from ASUS and make a new comparison with the Radeon VII and GeForce GTX 1080 Ti in the updated list of games. We got a model of the ASUS ROG Strix series, which implies the best cooling, high-quality PCB and additional functions (backlight, etc.). In this case, we are talking about an affordable option without factory overclocking.

ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-8G-GAMING

The video card comes in a large box with a bright design.

In addition to the standard disk with software, the package also includes a set of Velcro ties. A useful accessory for fixing cables.

Before us is a typical representative of the top ASUS ROG Strix video cards. It is a large-sized device with a length of 30 cm and a thickness of almost three slots (claimed size 2.7 slots).

A corporate design with sharp geometric contours is sustained. Three specially shaped fans with a ring around the edges of the blades are used.

The back is covered with a metal plate with windows for large elements and screws. On the right side there is a large illuminated logo.

There is a large amplifying frame that goes into a heatsink on the board that covers the memory chips. On the side of the frame is the inscription GeForce RTX. In the corner of the video card, there are two eight-pin power connectors.

For image output, there are two DisplayPort ports, two HDMI and one VirtualLink.

A mandatory attribute of the Strix-series is backlighting. In this case, this is a logo on the backplate and cuts in the case around the fans. The color and glow mode can be changed through the ASUS Aura Sync application.

Near the connector for SLI there is a hardware button to turn off the backlight.

At the side there is a small BIOS switch to select Performance or Quiet mode. By default, Performance is set, which provides for higher fan speeds for less heat. The second mode switches the video card to a quieter mode, which, as expected, leads to a slight increase in temperatures.

In our acquaintance with ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-8G-GAMING, there is one unpleasant moment associated with restrictions on disassembling the device. Without this, it is impossible to examine the printed circuit board, you can only conduct an external inspection of the cooling system.

A system with a heatsink occupies two slots. Three thin fans are screwed on top of a special frame. Moreover, the frame fits snugly to the ribs, being part of one cooling structure.

It is worth noting an interesting feature of this design. The radiator is solid, but has a small window in the central part for the bend of the tubes. At the same time, two of the five heat pipes have one bend outside the radiator and pass strictly through all the plates. Previously, the Strix had two separate sections, but the new design allows for more plates and a larger total area of ​​dispersion.

The heatsink is shared between the GPU and the VRM unit. For transistors, a special contact pad is provided.

To power the fans and backlight, side connectors are provided at the edge of the board. Nearby there are two ASUS FanConnect II connectors, to which case fans can be connected so that their speed is regulated by the video card.

The casing has two internal channels in which LED backlight strips are fixed.

Three Everflow T129212 SU fans are responsible for airflow. They are made using Axial-tech technology. The blades have a special bend, and are connected by a ring along the outer perimeter (diameter 88 mm). This design creates a more powerful airflow and allows you to work at high speeds with less noise.

ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080-8G-GAMING runs at recommended frequencies. The base frequency of the GPU is 1515 MHz with Boost Clock 1710 MHz. Effective memory frequency 14000 MHz.

The actual Boost frequencies in game mode are about 1800 MHz. In the Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition test in 4K, this is approximately 1770-1830 MHz, in The Division 2 benchmark, drawdowns up to 1755 MHz. This is below the frequency indicators of ASUS DUAL-RTX2080-O8G and GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition. That is, this model is really close to the simplest versions, although high-quality cooling keeps temperatures below the corresponding limit, so there will be an advantage over turbine versions. As for the temperatures themselves, when testing on an open stand (indoors 26-27 ° C), the video card warmed up to 63 ° C. This is an excellent result for such a powerful video card.

A temperature of 63 ° C is maintained in the standard Performance mode, when the fan speed can reach 1800-1850 rpm. The noise is small, but better performance can be achieved. We switch the BIOS to Quiet mode, test it and get a modest 73 ° C at speeds up to 1250 rpm. In idle, the video card becomes absolutely silent due to the complete stop of the fans at temperatures below 50 ° C. We saw similar temperature readings on the ASUS DUAL-RTX2080-O8G, but at higher fan speeds and at 22°C indoors.

After excellent temperature and noise performance, the overclocking results were slightly disappointing. The GPU could not work stably at frequencies above 2 GHz. The final configuration was 1650 MHz at the base value with a peak Boost of 1995 MHz. Further increase in the frequency led to artifacts or a drop in stability in some games.

The operating range of Boost in games is 1900-1950 MHz. It is worth noting that other GeForce RTX 2080s, if they exceeded the maximum value of 2 GHz, then the real frequencies also kept around 1950 MHz. So the results of this ASUS can be called average. The memory worked stably at a frequency of 16300 MHz.

By fixing the fan speed at 1900 rpm, we managed to keep the operating temperatures within 66 °C.