COLORFUL iGame GeForce GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC Review

Introduction

NVIDIA launched the GeForce GTX 1080 in Austin, Texas all the way back in May 2016, which feels like eons away now that we have two TITAN X graphics cards released in that time, as well as the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti back in March of this year.

That hasn't stopped AIB partners from continuing to refine their custom GTX 1080 craft, which is why we have COLORFUL releasing their impressive iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC graphics card. COLORFUL has put a considerable effort into this custom GTX 1080, which not only looks great but performs just as impressively.

COLORFUL takes it a step further by providing an LCD display on the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC, something that displays GPU temperatures, GPU/VRAM usage, and more. It's actually a useful addition to a graphics card, but man does it look awesome cycling through stats when I'm gaming and testing.

Better yet is that I happen to have two of these elusive COLORFUL iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC graphics cards, so I will be following this review of the card with some SLI results. And believe me, the results are impressive - 60C under load, while it stays virtually silent. There are a few surprises along the way, something we'll get into detail about now.

Detailed Specs

Our sample of the COLORFUL iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC graphics card is so early that the company hasn't even updated their website to include the GTX 1080 variant of the Vulcan X OC series. As for specs, I reached out to my contact at COLORFUL who provided the official specs.

We know that the GTX 1080 has 8GB of GDDR5X, which COLORFUL doesn't touch, leaving it at 11Gbps. There are the same 2560 CUDA cores on the 16nm FinFET process, while COLORFUL includes a one-key OC that pushes the base/boost GPU clocks up to 1759MHz and 1898MHz, respectively.

Cooling Tech - SWORIZER

SWORIZER + iGame LCD Display

COLORFUL has deployed a great-looking but super-functional cooler on the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC, with a cooler they call SWORIZER keeping the card under 60C during all of our testing.

SWORIZER is a redesigned thermal solution that COLORFUL has shifted all of the heat from the GPU into one copper base, with a C-type design that reduces thermal resistance and improves heat conduction efficiency. The heat sink is cooled by 3 x 92mm dual ball-bearing Saw Sickle fans that cool 86% more surface area than double-groove coolers.

But it has to be the inclusion of the iGame Status Monitor that will turn heads and makes the COLORFUL iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC one of the most unique GTX 1080 graphics cards on the market.

The iGame Status Monitor can display GPU clocks, core temperature, fan speed, and VRAM used. You can control this from COLORFUL's own software, as well as the RGB LEDs on the card for the ultimate in personalization.

Detailed Look

COLORFUL will attract your eyes in retail stores and online with a great box, that stands out from the others, yet still features the classic hero on the front. I think they want us to feel like owning the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC we will be the warrior of our ages, like the dude on the box.

As you can see, the box looks great.

I seriously love the look and style of the card; it gets me every single time. Great work by COLORFUL on the design and style of their Vulcan X OC cards.

You can't say the back of the card doesn't look unique, but I wish the red accents on the back of the card were lit up by LEDs.

The stand out feature on the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC is the LCD display, which displays GPU temperatures, RAM usage, and more.

There's some hefty cooling going on, as it doesn't ever reach over 60C under full 100% load.

Another unique feature on the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC graphics card is that COLORFUL includes a 'Turbo' button that cranks the GPU clocks up to their maximum, and the triple-fan SWORIZER cooler up to 100%.

Test System

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:

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Overclocking & Performance Analysis

Overclocking

The 8GB of GDDR5X can be overclocked significantly, as I was able to reach the dizzying heights of 11Gbps (up from the stock 10Gbps frequency). With an overclock of 504MHz (5508MHz) the memory bandwidth shot up to 352GB/sec, providing some good headroom for high-res gaming and benchmarking.

I could overclock the GPU to 2100MHz maximum, with the SWORIZER cooler keeping the card under 60C at all times. Even when I was testing Ethereum mining performance, the COLORFUL iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC graphics card didn't see temperatures of over 60C, and that's with the GDDR5X @ 11Gbps and the GPU at stock frequency (heck, even when it was overclocked it didn't go above 60C).

Performance Analysis

For the gamers out there who have a 1080p gaming display, NVIDIA still rules the mainstream game with the GeForce GTX 1080. We can see that the COLORFUL iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC can handle its own at 1080p, beating the reference card, and coming close to the GTX 1080 Ti since you're more CPU bound at 1080p compared to 1440p, or 4K.

Rise of the Tomb Raider running at 117FPS average on the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC, compared to 129FPS on the GTX 1080 Ti FE, and it's just 1FPS faster than the GTX 1080 FE. We have a little more power in Shadow of Mordor, with 164FPS average compared to 156FPS average on the GTX 1080 FE. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE and Radeon RX Vega 64 LCE are both 10FPS+ better than the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC.

Final Thoughts

COLORFUL has come out swinging with their iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC, which hits a market that is strong - it's not all about the GTX 1080 Ti. The GeForce GTX 1080 is still a powerhouse card for 1080p and 1440p gamers, and the custom iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC kicks out more than enough performance to enjoy 60FPS+ in most games.

The LCD is a great touch, and while it's not something you're going to be looking at in the middle of your game, for tweakers, it's a second home. The stats you need right on the card itself, perfect. For modders, the iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC is a great fit because of its style. You could craft a really awesome looking gaming PC around the style of the card, with an LCD showing MSI Afterburner or GPU-Z, for example.

The inclusion of a 'Turbo' button brings me back to my 486; I loved pressing it. But really, it's just something new for a market that is different to what we're used to in the US. I think all graphics cards should have turbo buttons, that crank everything to 100% including the fans.

Finishing up, COLORFUL has sparked interest in the GTX 1080 market with their new iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC with some daring style and the inclusion of the LCD display. If you're on the fence about a new GTX 1080 and can get COLORFUL's new iGame GTX 1080 Vulcan X OC in your country, you will not be disappointed here.