The Bottom Line
Introduction
If there's one brand that everyone is itching for when it comes to a new graphics card release from NVIDIA, it would have to be ASUS. ASUS have been in the graphics card making business for over a decade now, making some of the most solid PC components in the industry.
ASUS has slowly built its Republic of Gamers brand into a massive fan favorite, similar to Razer fans in the PC peripherals business. ASUS ROG products are always stylish, high-performance, RGB LED-filled parts that gamers like to link up with other ROG branded devices. My cousin is one of those people. My cousin Pat was one of the people in my life that got me into PC gaming and my hardware obsession, and has built himself an ASUS ROG gaming system.
In his PC is the same ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti that I'm reviewing here today, alongside an ASUS ROG Strix motherboard and now he's even thinking of their 34-inch ROG 21:9 display. This is the kind of consumers ASUS has because they've made quality components that gamers know are solid, high performing products.
Enter the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC, another stellar custom GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, made by ASUS.
Cooler Tech
Game Cool, Play Silent
ASUS has always put considerable time into its cooling technology on graphics cards, and the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC is a testament to that.
The thick heat sink on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti is good at cooling the card, with a 2.5-slot design. ASUS also has something they call MaxContact Technology, which they also state is an "industry-first GPU cooling technology, featuring an enhanced copper heat spreader that directly contacts the GPU."
As you can see, a lot is happening under the hood of the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.
There are some swanky patented wing-blade design fans, while the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC will stop its fans completely when the card is under low load.
ASUS uses 10+2 phase Super Alloy Power II components, which reduce power loss, and lower thermals.
Detailed Look
Even The Box Looks Great!
ASUS know first impressions last, so even the box for the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC looks great.
ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC
The card rocks a triple-fan cooler that looks great, with a military theme right across the card.
ASUS has made great use of the backplate, leaving some room for components to cool, and sneaking in the ASUS ROG eye on the right that of course, lights up.
The usual 3 x DP 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, and DVI display connectors are placed on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.
We have a 2.5-slot card on our hands, but I do wish ASUS kept the design slim enough to make it a 2-slot card. That would've been ace.
From the top, we see the NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX branding on the left - which is a sticker that can be removed, unlike its competitors.
ASUS require 8+8 pin PCIe power connectors on the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti OC.
A nice touch on the end of the card, with ASUS providing an LED strip header, two additional fan headers that will spin your fans at the RPM of the graphics card fans.
If you're crazy enough, there's SLI support for two ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti cards.
Test System Specs & Benchmark Details
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
A larger article on our 7700K system is available right here.
Here are some shots I've taken of the new system in action:
What Resolutions We Are Testing
I've run through Unigine's new Superposition on a bunch of different resolutions, bringing every single graphics card - even overclocked GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, to their knees.
- 1080p (1920x1080)
- 1440p (2560x1440)
- 4K (3840x2160)
- UW (3440x1440)
- 5K (5120x2880)
- 8K (7680x4320)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 - DX12
3DMark TimeSpy (DX12) 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.
Performance Analysis & Final Thoughts
Performance Analysis
We all knew from the outset that ASUS would kick ass with their ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, and here we are - yet another custom GTX 1080 Ti that excels. Even when the card is under 100% stress, it barely edges over 65C, thanks to its impressive triple-fan cooling set up, and ASUS' attention to detail with its heat sink array.
The ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti provides Titan X level performance at a much cheaper price, with games like Rise of the Tomb Raider hitting 129FPS average at 2560x1440 in DX12, compared to 120FPS on the TITAN X(P) and 119FPS on the GTX 1080 Founders Edition.
If you're gaming at 4K, you're in good hands with the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti. You'll see the same 10%+ additional performance over the TITAN X (P). We're looking at 60FPS average in great looking games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry Primal. Even Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Metro: Last Light Redux enjoy 60FPS+ at 4K on the ASUS GTX 1080 Ti STRIX OC.
Final Thoughts
If you were building a new high-end gaming PC and were building it with any enthusiast-class ASUS ROG motherboard, and needed an enthusiast graphics card to match it, there would be no question in recommending the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti. It's slick, it's freaking fast, and it sips power... not devours it.
ASUS has crafted a card that doesn't run hot at all under gaming conditions, definitely not as hot as rendering or cryptocurrency mining on the card, throwing it into overdrive and heating it up beyond normal use. Even then, the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti doesn't reach above 70-75C or so, and with a few tweaks, I could get it under 70C under full, above normal load with cryptocurrency mining.
In gaming situations, the ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti handles itself like a boss. 4K 60FPS+ in today's games is a great point to hit, and high FPS in 1080p and 1440p native resolutions is perfect. Two of these would ensure you wouldn't need to upgrade your gaming PC for a while yet, if the game's you're playing have SLI support, that is.
At the end of the day, ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti is a monster. Amazing performance and thermals mixed with slick looks, it's a no brainer - buy it, you won't regret it.
Performance (overclocking, power) | 95% |
Quality (build, design, cooling) | 95% |
General Features (display outputs, etc) | 95% |
Bundle, Packaging & Software | 95% |
Overall | 95% |
The Bottom Line: ASUS nails the high-end market with the ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti, with military-like performance, style, and cooling. ROG gaming systems with two of these in SLI? If you can swim in your own drool and game at the same time, you won't regret it. #ROG4LYF
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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
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