Gigabyte NVIDIA RTX 4080 16GB Gaming OC Review

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet it
• Share on Reddit
• Pin it

After the launch of the RTX 4090, Nvidia released the RTX 4080, and I have recently purchased Gigabyte RTX 4080 16GB Gaming OC. And today, I will share my views on this product.

The RTX 4080 is a very expensive graphics card, with an MSRP of $1200 in the US. Therefore, its performance needs to be exceptional to justify its high price.

We tested the card in 10 different games across three resolutions to determine whether it is worth considering this card at all. So, let’s get started.

Specifications

Size and Design

Let’s talk about the design first. As soon as I held it in my hand, I noticed that it is quite big in size like the RTX 4090. The card uses a matte black shroud and also has a gray metal backplate. However, it doesn’t give a premium feel because its shroud is made entirely of plastic, which is a bit disappointing.

The card has dimensions of 343 by 150 by 75 millimeters and weighs 2.01 kg. I feel that the size of these 4080 cards is unnecessarily large, considering the power requirements. While it may make sense from a manufacturing perspective, but at the end of the day, it could limit potential customers who have limited space in their computer cases.

3 Fans with RGB Lightning

Another essential aspect of the graphics card is the cooling system, which features 310-millimeter fans using the “unique blade fan design” by Gigabyte. The central fan rotates in reverse relative to the altitude, resulting in reduced airflow turbulence and increased air pressure on the heatsink, leading to improved cooling performance.

Additionally, the graphics card has RGB lighting around the fans and the Gigabyte logo on the front of the card, which can be customized using the Gigabyte Control Center software. This lighting adds a unique aesthetic appeal to the graphics card and can be personalized to suit a user’s preferences.

Backplate and Ports

The backplate of the graphics card is a full-length metal design in a light to medium gray color. There is a large cutout towards the end of the backplate to allow airflow to pass directly through the heatsink. The Dual BIOS switch is located on the backplate, offering a choice of OC and Silent modes.

Both modes have the same 340-watt power limit and 2535-megahertz clock speed, with the only difference being the fan speed. Gigabyte provides a triple eight-pin adapter for the 12-volt high-power connector, but a native cable is used for testing purposes.

The graphics card features standard display outputs including three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.1.

PCB Design

Upon disassembling the graphics card, we can observe the main differences between the RTX 4080 Gaming OC and the RTX 4090 Gaming OC. Despite the similar overall design of the PCB, Gigabyte has made some adjustments for the 4080. The power delivery system shows an 18-phase solution for the GPU VRM and a three-phase solution for the memory, as opposed to the 4090 Gaming OC.

Moreover, instead of the 50-amp Vishay MOSFETs used in the 4090, the 4080 Gaming OC employs 50-amp Alpha and Omega AOZ5311NQI MOSFETs. The GPU VRM is controlled by the UPI uP9512R, while the memory is controlled by UP9529Q.

Additionally, upon disassembling the graphics card, we can get a glimpse of the AD103 GPU, which is smaller than the AD102, measuring 378.6 square millimeters.

Heatsink Design

The cooler design of the Gigabyte RTX 4080 Gaming OC graphics card has undergone significant changes compared to its successor, the RTX 4090 Gaming OC. The 4080 has an additional heat pipe, totaling 11 heat pipes, which is one more than the 4090. It is possible that the extra heat pipe is a result of Gigabyte removing the additional aluminum base plate that used to make contact with the memory modules.

In the 4080, both the GPU die, and memory are in direct contact with the copper vapor chamber, and there are separate base plates for the VRM. However, the graphics card does not come with any thermal pads on the backplate, which could have aided in dissipating additional heat from the back of the PCB.

Benchmarks

The table below contains the specs of my CPU, and I have tested benchmarks on it. If you are planning to build a new CPU, please read our guide – Best CPU, GPU and Motherboard Combos

Starting with Spider-Man Remastered, the RTX 4080 is off to a good start at 4K resolution, being 45.6% faster than the RTX 3080 and about 20.9% faster than the RTX 3090. However, the RTX 4090 is significantly faster at 1440p. The RTX 4080 closes the gap with the RTX 4090, which is running into CPU limitations, and at 1080p, the CPU becomes the limit for most cards.

In The Division 2, similar results are observed, where the RTX 4080 shows a significant improvement over the RTX 3080, and the 3090, especially at high resolutions. However, at 4K resolution, the RTX 4090 is 36.5% faster.

God of War demonstrates more consistent scaling across both 1080p and 1440p resolutions, where the RTX 4080 performs well and sits nicely between the RTX 3090 and the RTX 4090. At 4K resolution, the gap between the RTX 4080 and the RTX 3090 is smaller, but the RTX 4090 still pulls even further ahead in terms of performance.

World War Z is not a demanding game to run, and any of these cards would be sufficient for playing the game at any resolution. However, the RTX 4080 does offer a nice middle ground between the last generation and the RTX 4090, outperforming the RTX 3080 by 57% and the RTX 3090 by 35.8% at 4K resolution.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a bit harder to run, but it also scales well across all resolutions. At 4K, the 4080 beats the 3080 by 35.3%. That is something you would notice if you own a 4K monitor.

In Troy Total War, the 4080 is ahead of the 3080 by about 32.9% across all resolutions, which is a decent upgrade. However, the 4090 is way ahead once again.

Far Cry 6 at high settings is limited by the processor at low resolutions. However, at 4K, the 4080 beats the 3080 by about 34.3%.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is getting a bit old, but it does show a big generational improvement of the 4080. It’s evident at both 1440p and 4K resolutions, with a big performance gap with the 4090 at 4K.

Dying Light 2 is pretty hard to run at 4K, but what is interesting here is that the 4080 stands out more at 1080p and 1440p resolutions than it does at 4K, where the gap with the 3090 is a bit smaller. Once again, though, the 4090 is way ahead.

Watch Dogs Legion hits a clear CPU bottleneck at low resolutions, but at 4K, the 4080 is beating the 3090 by 31% and the 3080 by 50%

Ray Tracing + DLSS Enabled Results

For those interested in ray tracing, let’s examine a few games that have ray tracing and DLSS enabled.

At 4K resolution, the 4080 offers an average of 52% more FPS than the 3080, thanks to its improved RT and Tensor cores.

However, these results do not significantly alter the overall assessment of the 4080. While it can handle impressive 4K gaming, the 4090 may be a better choice for the most demanding ray tracing titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077.

Nvidia RTX 4080 vs RTX 3080

When comparing the 4080 to its predecessor, the RTX 3080, the former is generally 25% faster on average. This performance improvement is noticeable even at 1080p, where some games are constrained by the CPU’s performance.

At 1440p there is a 40% of a difference between them on average that’s a big generational Improvement.

Usually, as the resolution increases, you would anticipate a newer and higher-generation graphics card to pull further ahead in terms of performance. However, at 4K resolution, the performance difference between the 4080 and the RTX 3080 remains relatively stable at around 45% on average.

Nvidia RTX 4090 vs RTX 4080

Currently, it’s possible to purchase an RTX 3080 for around $900. However, if you’re willing to spend more than $1200 on a top-of-the-line graphics card, it may be worth considering the 4090 instead. The price difference between the two cards isn’t significant and opting for the 4090 would provide you with even better performance.

In the past, the top-tier Nvidia cards were always super expensive while being barely faster than the next one in line. For example, the 1080 TI and the 2080 TI weren’t that much slower than the Titans, and the 3090 was not that much faster than the 3080. However, with this generation, the 4090 is ahead of the 4080 by 14% on 1440p and 27% on 4K, which is a huge difference.

Although the 4090 is more expensive, if you can afford a 4080, the 4090 doesn’t seem that far off in price while offering a far better product.

Power Consumption

Overall, the performance per watt of the 4080 is exceptional. This means that even when paired with a high-end CPU, a quality 750-watt power supply should be able to handle the card with ease. Additionally, the card’s excellent performance per watt makes it easier to maintain cool temperatures during use.

Thermal & Noise

The thermals of this card are excellent overall. The card generally stays under 55 degrees, with the memory and the hotspot just above that. It is a pretty quiet card, because it was running at 40 decibels.

I think Nvidia has made some impressive advancements with the 4000 series in terms of performance and new features. However, when it comes to the RTX 4080, the situation is a bit more complex. The RTX 4090 was always expected to be quite expensive, but it delivers unrivaled performance that justifies the price for those who want the absolute best.

On the other hand, the RTX 4080 was meant to be a more affordable alternative to the 4090, but it turned out to be noticeably slower while still carrying a high price tag. It’s true that if we compare the MSRPs of the last generation, the 3080 was priced at $700 while the 3090 was significantly more expensive at $1500. In the current generation, the MSRP of the RTX 4080 is $1200, while the RTX 4090 has an MSRP of $1600, making it 33% more expensive than the 4080. However, the 4090 does offer 27% more performance on higher resolutions, which makes it a more attractive option for those seeking the absolute best performance.

Yes, there is definitely a market for the RTX 4080, as it offers a good balance of performance, power consumption, and noise levels between the RTX 3090 and the RTX 4090. However, for this card to make sense, I think the price needs to go down significantly. I also think that Nvidia kind of knows this because they want to sell their 3000 Series stock with as much margin as possible. A cheaper 4080 would also push the 3080 and 3090 prices down.

Jaskaran Singh

Jaskaran, a tech enthusiast from childhood, inspired by his father, began his tech journey by rooting Android phones. He now writes on various tech topics, aiming to simplify complex ideas for a broad audience. His writing is direct, concise, and flows effortlessly, making tech topics accessible and engaging.