ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

For gamers and technology enthusiasts alike, the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 WHITE OC Edition stands as a standout option in today's graphics card landscape. With its unique white design and powerful performance capabilities, this graphics card promises not just aesthetics but also cutting-edge technology. In this review, we will explore its specifications, design, performance, and assess whether it truly lives up to the hype.

Technical Specifications of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

Packaging and Accessories

Upon unboxing the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080, we find an impressively designed package that reflects the quality of the product inside. The box is large and features an eye-catching image of the graphics card on the front, while the back highlights its key technical characteristics.

Inside, the card is safely nestled within a second cardboard box, protected by a foam frame and an anti-static bag. Among the included accessories, users will find:

• Adjustable GPU support
• NVIDIA official adapter cable for 3 PCIe 8-pin to 12V-2x6
• ROG silver ring
• ROG fabric strip
• Shift key resembling the card's own design
• White ROG adhesive badge
• 20 cm rule styled like a PCB with golden accents

Design of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

The design of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 is nothing short of striking. With its white finish, this graphics card draws attention while remaining robust thanks to its steel frame. Measuring 357.6 x 149.3 x 76 mm, it occupies 3.8 slots on the motherboard, indicating a need for ample space in your build.

On the opposite side, a metallic backplate not only enhances its aesthetic appeal but also aids in cooling some components. The primary side reveals a massive aluminum fin radiator, which is complemented by an ARGB LED strip along the lower edge, providing a visually stunning effect when powered on.

Power Connector and Dual BIOS

The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 utilizes a 12V-2x6 power connector, allowing it to draw the specified 360W TGP, with potential to exceed this under certain conditions. Adjacent to the connector, there's a cover that conceals two PWM connectors for attaching additional fans, enabling precise control over their speeds. There's also a switch to toggle between two BIOS modes, one optimized for quiet operation.

PCI Express 5.0 x16 Interface

This graphics card connects to the motherboard via a PCI Express 5.0 x16 interface, the current standard for this generation of graphics cards. This interface offers double the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0, although in practical applications, the real-world differences are minimal.

Video Outputs: Enhanced Connectivity

Unlike many graphics cards that typically feature four video outputs, the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 stands out with five outputs. It includes:

• Three DisplayPort 2.1b
• Two HDMI 2.1b

This configuration allows for stunning visuals, supporting resolutions up to 4K at 480 Hz and 8K at 120 Hz, catering to the needs of high-performance gamers and content creators alike.

ROG Astral Cooler

The cooling solution in the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 is impressive. It features three fans on the main side and one on the reverse, generating a substantial airflow that travels through a thick aluminum fin radiator. Seven nickel-plated heat pipes, combined with a large vapor chamber, efficiently dissipate heat from the core and memory, ensuring optimal performance even under load.

The GB203-400-A1 Core: Power at Its Heart

Upon removing the heatsink, we see a spacious PCB outfitted with a robust VRM consisting of 23 phases rated at 80A. This design not only supports the demanding power requirements of the GPU but also indicates strong overclocking capabilities. The heart of this graphics card, the NVIDIA GB203-400-A1 chip, boasts 10,752 CUDA cores, 84 RT cores, and 336 Tensor cores, achieving a factory boost frequency of 2,760 MHz.

Complementing the core are eight Samsung memory modules, providing 16 GB of GDDR7 memory at 15,000 MHz, translating to 30 Gbps and an impressive 960 GB/s bandwidth via a 256-bit bus.

Testing Rig

The review of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 was conducted using the following testing setup:

• Thermaltake Core P3 TG Pro chassis
• MSI MEG Z890 ACE motherboard
• Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor
• Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 CUDIMM at 8,400 MHz
• MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 liquid cooling
• be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W power supply
• Windows 11 Pro operating system
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX driver version 581.29

Power Consumption of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

In terms of power consumption, we used NVIDIA's PCAT tool to measure the average power draw of this graphics card. We recorded a median consumption of 370W, with peak draws reaching up to 405W. This is about 40W to 45W more than the Founders Edition, though it is comparable to other custom models.

Temperature and Noise Levels

Temperature management is crucial for any high-end GPU, especially given their higher power consumption. The ROG Astral cooler is designed to maintain impressive thermal performance, although the additional fan does not significantly reduce noise levels.

Performance of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

In our performance tests, we ran several benchmarks across different resolutions: Full HD, Quad HD, and Ultra HD. We also included scenarios utilizing DLSS technology and Ray Tracing to assess the card's capabilities thoroughly.

Overclocking Potential

This graphics card allows for substantial overclocking. Using the GPU Tweak III software, we increased the power limit to 112% and the CPU voltage to 100%, pushing the TGP to around 400W. Notably, this application also provides real-time amperage readings for each of the cables connected to the 12V-2x6 connector, which is essential for diagnosing potential issues.

Thanks to this additional power, we achieved a core frequency of 3,036 MHz, resulting in an extra 276 MHz, while the memory speed increased to 34.5 Gbps, an additional 4.5 Gbps. The overall performance improvement was between 4% and 5%, on top of the already impressive factory settings.

Final Thoughts on the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 White OC Edition

The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 is undoubtedly one of the most compelling options in the RTX 5080 lineup. Its robust cooling system not only offers a striking design but also ensures excellent temperature management while maintaining reasonable noise levels. However, its 357.6 mm length and 3.8-slot footprint demand significant space in any chassis.

This graphics card is a powerhouse, featuring some of the best RTX 5080 chips combined with a powerful 23-phase VRM, allowing for exceptional overclocking potential. While the factory overclocking is impressive, enthusiasts can push it even further.

Availability and Pricing

The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 WHITE OC Edition is currently available for 1,688 euros. This price represents a significant premium of over 500 euros compared to more basic RTX 5080 models, making it a challenging justification for many buyers, despite its aesthetic appeal and the quality of its cooling system and VRM.

From El Chapuzas Informático, we award the Silver Award to the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 WHITE OC Edition.

AMD Zen 6 will use Strix Halo Fan-Out D2D for IOD and CCD connection

Amazon Echo Show 5 Now 39% Off Before October Prime Day

BMW UI chief dispels CarPlay myth about in-car navigation