The Bottom Line
Re-Introduction
AORUS sent me over the GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G at such a bad time, as I had to fly from Australia to the United States for Qualcomm's awesome 5G event, and then I flew back home - and then back to the US just 5 days later for GDC 2017, AMD's Capsaicin & Cream event, and NVIDIA's Editor's Day 2017 during GDC for their GeForce GTX 1080 Ti unveiling.
130 hours+ of flying and airports in 10 days, so I was completely ruined inside and out - and had to delay the review of the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G - so to Ross, and GIGABYTE/AORUS - I apologize. I wrote a brief article looking over the GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G, but now we're going to look at the performance of the card - as I've waited to test it on the new GeForce 378.78 drivers, which provide some wicked performance improvements on DX12 games.
I've also included the newly released Ghost Recon: Wildlands as a new benchmark, so prepare for some big changes here in the GPU side of TweakTown. As for the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G, we'll cover pricing and availability here - before diving into a closer look at the card itself, benchmarks, my performance analysis, and final thoughts.
Slick Styling, As Usual
AORUS isn't scared of making their products stand out from the crowd, and the new GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G does just that - it is a nice bump on the looks side of things, and of course: performance. But first, let's take a look around the card and see what stands out.
The front of the box doesn't do much, but it's what's on the inside that counts, right?
There's much more information on the back of the box, explaining the WINDFORCE Stack 3X cooling system, large copper base plate, advanced copper back plate, and more.
Here we have the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G in all of its glory, with the triple-fan cooler standing out - and the huge 'X' in the middle. AORUS makes graphics cards SEXY.
The rear of the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G is where the big difference takes place - the massive copper base plate keeps the GPU nice and cool.
The elaborate heat sink array can be seen here, with the 8+8-pin PCIe power connectors on the far right.
Speaking of the 8+8-pin PCIe power connector setup, here's a closer look.
AORUS went into overdrive to keep the GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 8G cool, just look at the chunky heat sink underneath the cooler.
The heat sink fins extend past the end of the graphics card itself, snuggled right next to the PCIe power connectors.
We have 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI 2.0 and DVI for display connectivity - on the rear.
While on the front of the card, another 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports for VR/TV goodness.
Test System Specs
I've recently edited my GPU test bed, which was powered by the Intel Core i7-5960X processor, and shifted into the arms of Kaby Lake and Intel's new Core i7-7700K. GIGABYTE hooked us up with their awesome new AORUS Z270X-Gaming 9 motherboard, which is the heart and soul of my new GPU test platform.
Detailed Tech Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K
- Cooler: Nocua U12S
- MB: AORUS Z270X-Gaming 9
- RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) G.SKILL Trident Z 4000MHz DDR4
- SSD: 1TB OCZ RD400 NVMe M.2
- PSU: Corsair AX1500i
- Chassis: In Win X-Frame
Detailed Look
There's a bigger article I've got coming that will detail the new system, but for now - here are some shots I've taken of the new system in action:
Benchmarks - Synthetic
3DMark Fire Strike - 1080p
3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.
3DMark Fire Strike - 1440p
3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.
3DMark Fire Strike - 4K
3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.
Heaven - 1080p
Heaven is an intensive GPU benchmark that really pushes your silicon to its limits. It's another favorite of ours as it has some great scaling for multi-GPU testing, and it's great for getting your GPU to 100% for power and noise testing.
Heaven - 1440p
Heaven - 4K
Heaven - 3440x1440
Benchmarks - 1080p
1080p Benchmarks
Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.
Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.
You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.
Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.
Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.
You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.
Benchmarks - 1440p
1440p Benchmarks
Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.
Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.
You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.
Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.
Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.
You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.
Benchmarks - 4K
4K Benchmarks
Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.
Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.
You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.
Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.
Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.
You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.
Benchmarks - 3440x1440
3440x1440 UltraWide Benchmarks
Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.
Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.
You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.
Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.
DX12 & Performance Thoughts
We're currently in the process of adding DX12 and Vulkan tests into our new benchmarking suite, so for now I've only included the performance of Rise of the Tomb Raider running in DX12 on all of our resolutions: 1080p, 1440p, 4K, and 3440x1440.
We will have DOOM testing in the near future, as well as the new 3DMark API Overhead test - which will compare DX11, DX12, and Vulkan APIs against each other. This is coming in the next few weeks, and we'll retest our entire suite of cards again to include these numbers in future reviews.
We all know that any custom GeForce GTX 1080 is going to be great, so it comes down to the cooler and the last few frames per second you're going to get out of it. I still don't recommend gaming at 4K, not until the screens get a little bigger and the refresh rate pushes up to 144Hz - which is coming soon, but for now I'd recommend a 21:9 UltraWide display with its great 3440x1440 native resolution.
You can get much more performance out of a card at 3440x1440, as it sits perfectly between 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 (4K) in terms of pixels being rendered per second. There are already 100Hz G-Sync capable 3440x1440 panels on the market, so hitting 70FPS average throughout our games works perfectly on the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition.
Tweaking a few of the in-game visuals down to Medium/High would easily unleash another 20FPS or so in most games, so you could hit that magic 100FPS mark for your 3440x1440 display at 100Hz.
If you were buying the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition for 4K gaming, then you'll also be fine - as any 4K gaming display you purchase is going to be 60Hz, meaning you need 60FPS average in order to get the most out of it. The card is capable of just 32FPS at 4K in Ghost Recon Wildlands, and 47FPS in Far Cry Primal. Not the best numbers, but we're talking 4K - and again, adjusting some of the detail levels can push you closer to 60FPS.
Overall, it beats NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition for the most part, and that's what counts - it does so by being cooler, and quieter - with some headroom for overclocking.
Final Thoughts
AORUS offers some great performance with their GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition, with 4K 60FPS gaming possible with a few in-game visual tweaks, and 60FPS+ at 3440x1440 if you own an UltraWide monitor. As I said on the previous page, I recommend 21:9 gaming over 4K gaming - as you get more performance on Ultra settings, and there are 100Hz monitors on the market at 3440x1440. Compared to 4K which maxes out at 60Hz, at least for now before the 4K 144Hz G-Sync displays drop later this year.
I knew coming into this review that the AORUS card would perform great, with the card hitting a temperature ceiling of 71C. Even though AORUS has deployed better cooling on the GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition over the previous GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming graphics card, it's only 1C cooler under load, as the GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming hit 70C under our testing. At idle, it was hitting mid-40s.
If you haven't purchased a GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card yet, and don't want to wait a little while longer - or spend much more money on it, AORUS offers one of the best GTX 1080s on the market with their GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition. It has a better cooler, and while it doesn't help too much under its own OC profiles - tweakers and modders will have a GPU copper back piece that will keep the GPU cooler anyway.
Performance wise, its a 3440x1440 and 4K monster - but the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is really the 4K card right now. If you're a 1440p 144/165Hz display owner, or have been eyeing off the awesome 34-inch UltraWide monitors out there with a native 3440x1440 resolution, the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition is a great choice.
Performance (overclocking, power) | 90% |
Quality (build, design, cooling) | 95% |
General Features (display outputs, etc) | 95% |
Bundle, Packaging & Software | 95% |
Overall | 94% |
The Bottom Line: Nothing but class from GIGABYTE as they shift their gaming brand focus to AORUS, with the AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition being a great first step towards a new line of products.
PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.
United States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com
United Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk
Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au
Canada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca
Deutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de
What's in Anthony's PC?
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K
- MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE Z690 AERO-G
- RAM: Corsair 32GB DDR4-3200
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB
- SSD: Sabrent 4TB Rocket 4 Plus
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
- CASE: Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL
- PSU: ASUS ROG Strix 850W
- KEYBOARD: Logitech G915 Wireless
- MOUSE: Logitech G502X Wireless
- MONITOR: LG C3 48-inch OLED TV 4K 120Hz
Similar Content
Related Tags