GTX 1080 Review: What Does This Latest Graphic Card Have To Offer?

For those of you waiting for a new release of Graphics Processing Units, the wait is finally over! NVIDIA and its competitors have seen fit to release new GPUs built according to the latest manufacturing nodes. Among the first of such cards was the GeForce GTX 1080 Founder’s Edition. You are sure to covet this card when you find out about the latest memory technologies, new features, updated architecture, and other features the GTX 1080 has to offer!

What Is the EVGA GeForce GTX 1080?

The GeForce GTX 1080 is a graphics card that is a completely enabled implementation of the GP104. It’s a high-speed, high-performing update, mainly due to the larger GPU and the impressive clock speed of 1733MHz. Around 2560 CUDA® cores are split among 20 SMs, so you can be sure that the updated performance is nothing to sneeze at!

Product Specifications

The GTX 1080 gives us a 78 percent increase in raw computing, along with a similarly improved form of geometry performance and texturing. The Render Output (ROP) unit has also been pumped up by 43 percent throughout. NVIDIA has also come up with some updated memory technologies to support it all.

Product Specifications

• Real Base Clock Speed: 1607 MHz
• Real Boost Clock Speed: 1733 MHz
• Size of Memory: 8192MB GDDR5X
• Unprecedented Performance as compared to older devices
• No added software needed to reach clock speeds described above
• EVGA Precision XOC included with DX12 OSD Support
• EVGA’s ACX3.0 cooling system that includes an MMCP Cooling Backplate, thereby reducing GPU and memory temperature by around 13 to 15 percent
• Warranty of three years
• 24/7 Technical Support with EVGA
• Lowest latency
• Compatible with the plug-and-play method of the top Virtual Reality headsets
• 8GB of GDDR5X
• Memory Bandwidth: 320GB/sec
• TDP Rating: 180 TW
• Slightly more power consumption than older models
• Dual Fans with 0db Cooling and double ball bearings
• Pascal architecture that’s supported by the PrecisionXOC software
• Straight heat pipes equipped with copper contacts that run across the whole body of this card.
• Finned aluminum heatsink

Pricing

The price range of the GTX 1080 is between $599 and $700, which is slightly more expensive than its older competitors and siblings. This price is around $100 more than the GTX 1070, and quite a bit more than the GTX 970 and 980. Of course, the older models also have a lower level of performance than the latest GTX 1080.

Pros and Cons

As with any other technological product on the market, the EVGA GTX 1080 graphics card has both its ups and downs. However, as compared to the similar options on the market, the downsides are much less problematic when you get this card for your system. In fact, the disadvantages of this purchase may not even be apparent to most users.

We’ll be taking a look at the pros and cons below so that you can make a more informed decision. After all, these cards cost a pretty penny, so you want to make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting and all the potential problems that come with it:

The GeForce GTX 1080 does have similarly-priced counterparts, but the technical details, features, and specifications for all of them are understandably different. What users of such graphics cards are looking for are the speed, compatibility, and general performance of such items.

There’s also the substantial question of the price involved, but we’ll mostly be looking at the performance within a certain price range. Without further ado, the main competitors for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 include the following:

Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ROG STRIX

​Ease of Use: ​This card allows users to switch between pre-made performance modes quite easily. You can also easily tweak several aspects of the graphics card performance. This is due to the software Asus GPU Tweak II, an overclocking tool.

Setup: 3-fan, with a “Republic of Gamers” brand in the middle. The fans have a patented wing design, meaning that their blades create a faster airflow. This helps to resist dust as well as generating better cooling.

Build Quality: ​Quality engineered heatsink, and MaxContact technology is included. This provides a superior dissipation of heat. It also has a completely flat surface that makes for maximum contact with the GPU.

Downsides: The GTX 1080 STRIX card has a similar software issue to one that the EVGA card does. The GPU Tweak II may have a lot of good qualities, but it does have some instability. The performance is powerful, but the FPS might drop, and the lagging might increase suddenly due to the OC too.

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X

Ease of Use: There’s a lot of dependence on VR support with this card. For this purpose, MSI gives its customers a TriDef VR license that lasts for three months. This is the useful software that enhances, facilitates, and smoothes out the user’s VR experience.

The overclocking tool of this card is one of MSI’s own releases, called the MSI Afterburner. This is a highly popular, powerful, and high-performing OC tool. There’s also a smartphone app which lets users access this tool remotely. This makes things a lot easier for any game that doesn’t allow players to press Alt-Tab on the desktop.

Setup: Comes with LED lights, similar to the ASUS card. There are two Torx 2.9 fans installed inside, which are both MSI-patented. These work towards increasing the air pressure and accelerating the airflow even further. This setup also helps to keep the cooling activity quiet, even when both fans are going at top speeds. The fans are also equipped with double ball bearings, making for a longer life expectancy.

Build Quality: The build quality of these cards is quite decent, especially since they have a slim appearance. This way, they differ from most other cards that are usually bulky and stand to block a PCI slot or two. With the slim MSI cards, you can be sure of saving space and have an easy setup.

Downsides: The GPU Clock for this card is somewhat lower than their main competitors. This is mainly due to the cooling performance being a bit lower than its counterparts. This GTX 1080 iteration is also not very appealing to look at. The design may be deemed a bit cheap and tacky for some picky players. However, the GPU performance is still one of the best qualities anyone can find in the gaming market today.

Which Card Is Right for You?

The final word on the best graphics card on the market would depend on what you as a user really prefer. It also, of course, depends on your budget. At the end of the day, though, the EVGA make of the GTX 1080 card seems to be the best one in this performance and price range. That’s because it gives the players higher quality with regards to the price. It will work on any good hard drive.

This card may not give the highest level of raw power nor a uniquely slim profile, but it does the job with quiet and simple brilliance. It will also give you a decent rate of overclocking provided you don’t have extreme requirements in that area. Get this card now, and you’ll be free of worries for several years, even if the technology and gaming development sectors grow as fast as they’re doing today.