NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Unboxed: FE, ASUS, MSI and ZOTAC

Introduction

NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card is here, and while there are a few more hours before I can unleash the benchmark charts and full reviews of the cards that I've got here in the GPU lab... let's do some unboxings of what cards are in the lab today.

The last one to arrive was NVIDIA's beautiful in-house GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition graphics card, but before that, I received ZOTAC GAMING's uniquely-styled GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO, the chunky boi ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition, and two custom RTX 4080s from MSI in the form of the SUPRIM X and GAMING X TRIO variants.

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This time around, I got an Ada Lovelace-powered card from ZOTAC... but not COLORFUL which was both disappointing, and exciting. I was hoping for a custom COLORFUL GeForce RTX 4080, but I also really wanted to check that that new thermal cooler design ZOTAC is using on its GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards.

We'll be looking at the following GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards today:

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition
• ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition
• MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X
• MSI GeForce RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO
• ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO

NVIDIA's monster GeForce RTX 4090 is an absolute GPU and gaming powerhouse, offering the biggest generational leap since the original GeForce 256. The new GeForce RTX 4080 is another beast offering, featuring the Ada Lovelace GPU architecture and 16GB of GDDR6X memory, and oh-so-much much more.

The new Ada Lovelace GPU architecture features some incredible technology inside, including spiffy new Streaming Multiprocessors (SM) that pack up to 2x the performance and power efficiency over the previous-gen Ampere GPU architecture. Inside, there are also 4th Generation Tensor Cores and Optical Flow technology, that truly super-power games with DLSS (and especially DLSS 3-powered games).

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 reviews

• Read more: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition Review
• Read more: COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 4090 Vulcan OC-V Review
• Read more: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition Review
• Read more: MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X Review
• Read more: MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X Review
• Read more: GAINWARD GeForce RTX 4090 Phantom "GS" Review

Speaking of DLSS 3, if you're playing games with DLSS 3 then you can expect some next-gen performance gains of 2-3x and sometimes even more. There's also NVIDIA Studio that has great performance for 3D rendering, video editing, and live streaming as well as AV1 encoders that are 40% more efficient than H.264: perfect for streamers, broadcasters, and video calls.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 OC shootout + unboxings

• Read more: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 OC Shootout: ASUS, COLORFUL, FE, MSI, GAINWARD
• Read more: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Unboxed: FE, ASUS ROG Strix, MSI SUPRIM LIQUID

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition

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NVIDIA ships its GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards in a very plain box, but inside of the box is your brand new GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition graphics card. This is virtually the same plain packaging that NVIDIA shipped its higher-end GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition card in, too.

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Out of the box you've got a very pretty -- but plain -- retail package. I do like the design of the box, just like the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition before it. But let's dive inside for the good stuff, eh?

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Opening the box is easy, just tear off those tabs... and then you're in.

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I do love the way NVIDIA presents the GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition to you... it really stands out. Under the card itself, you've got a little pull tab that pulls out a box, giving you the 16-pin 12VHPWR power adapter to 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

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NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition graphics card in all its glory, looking dapper... just like its bigger brother in the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition. I love the style NVIDIA has gone with here, with it being one of -- if not my favorite -- designs of the GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards so far.

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On the back, you've got the "RTX 4080" branding on the left and the upgraded, bigger fan on the right.

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NVIDIA is keeping it tighter here with the GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition, with a chunky triple-slot design meaning it will fit inside of your system much easier than the bigger GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition will.

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This will be a continued disappointment: display connectivity on Ada Lovelace GPUs... NVIDIA is not using DisplayPort 2.1 here unlike its competitors AMD and Intel which are both using DP2.1 connectivity that can drive 8K 165Hz and 4K 480Hz. You've got 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and a single HDMI 2.1 port on the back of the GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition graphics card.

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The 16-pin power adapter to 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors, with up to 450W max power used.

ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080 OC Edition

ASUS keeps things the same between its new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition retail packaging, lining up with the packaging of the bigger brother ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition.

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You'll either love or hate the aesthetic of the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition, with a triple-fan cooler that will ensure your card stays nice and chill. The cooling design is virtually identical to the bigger brother RTX 4090 version of the card, but with a little less grunt under its hood.

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ASUS hasn't changed anything on the backplate of the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition over the ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC Edition, and that's not a bad thing. There's no RGB lighting on the back here, either.

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Be prepared to have room for this sucker in your gaming PC, as it is truly thick... almost comically thick. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition is a triple-slot card, this is far thicker... keep that in mind.

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ASUS does its usual step up on the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition as it does with its ROG Strix GPUs... providing an additional HDMI 2.1 port on the back for multiple 4K 120Hz+ ready TVs or gaming monitors. You've also got the usual 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, too.

MSI RTX 4080 SUPRIM X

Next up we've got MSI's new custom GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X graphics card, with no AIO cooler in sight this time around... we've still got the stellar SUPRIM X retail packaging (that includes a SUPRIM X gaming mouse pad in the box).

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From the front, you've got that same triple-fan cooler that will keep your Ada Lovelace GPU and 16GB of GDDR6X memory cool, while I'm sure there's going to be some wiggle room for overclocking. I do love the design MSI has opted for with its GeForce RTX 40 series SUPRIM X graphics cards... now let's move to the back.

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I think I dig the back more than the front, where MSI has used high-quality materials and construction lines that get emphasized by the geometry of points, lines, and planes. MSI has put its all into the design of the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X graphics card.

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MSI continues on with its chunky design, but it's not as crazy as the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080... looks great, however.

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The 16-pin power connector you'll require, which MSI provides a 3 x 8-pin PCIe power adapter.

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We have the usual display connectivity here once again: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and a single HDMI 2.1 port are on the back of the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X graphics card.

MSI RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO

I did get something new this time around: MSI's new GeForce RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO... the company didn't send over a GAMING X TRIO variant of the GeForce RTX 4090, so it's cool to see GAMING X TRIO with the Ada Lovelace GPU architecture spooling around underneath. Retail packaging is nice, and hasn't changed that much for a GAMING X TRIO graphics card.

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MSI uses a triple-fan TRI FROZR 3 thermal solution on its GeForce RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO graphics card, ensuring the card stays cool no matter what you're doing on it. MSI says that its GAMING series graphic cards reflects both the spirit of gamers and the intense performance within the cards with a styled exterior that erupts with colorful lights between bold lines and edges.

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The backplate on the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 GAMING X TRIO isn't anywhere near as fancy as the SUPRIM X variant, so if you can find the SUPRIM X card for a little more money and like the backplate style more, you know what to do.

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We have a triple-slot design for the card, falling in line with NVIDIA's own in-house GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition graphics card.

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And finally, we have the usual display configuration: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and a single HDMI 2.1 port that are all good for 4K 120FPS+ monitors and TVs.

ZOTAC RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO

ZOTAC has the best retail packaging of all of the custom GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards that I've got here in the GPU lab right now, with the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO really standing out. ZOTAC, you've got to have props for this retail packaging... fantastic work!

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The new ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO graphic card features an "AIR optimized design" that looks awesome if you're a fan of it... you're going to love it. It's not just the front of the card that looks great, but the back also looks awesome.

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This is one of the best backplates -- and one of the most, if not the most interesting -- backplates of the GeForce RTX 4080 cards on the market so far.

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It's also not a super-thick design, with some beautiful all-around SPECTRA 2.0 ARGB lighting that lights up the card beautifully. Especially if you've got more RGB lighting inside of your case, it'll really pop with the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO graphics card.

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You've got the usual 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 ports and 1 x HDMI 2.1 port on the back of the card, with a nice little ZOTAC GAMING logo, too.

Here's the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO graphics card all lit up with its impressive SPECTRA 2.0 ARGB lighting really popping off. Just a few more colored lights bouncing off of it, and it will shine inside of your system, showing off all those beautiful curves.