ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC Edition review - Introduction

ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC Review: The Silent Powerhouse

In this review, we take a closer look at the ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC variant. After reviewing the 3080 model a year or so ago, we were curious to see if the Noctua edition lived up to its promise of high performance and low noise. Although the aesthetics and layout of the card may be a topic for debate, the custom-designed cooling solution created in partnership with Austrian business Noctua is a clear success. The thick aluminum fin-stack heatsink, paired with large 120 mm Noctua fans, prioritizes low noise above all else while delivering maximum performance. Where GeForce RTX 4090 is Nvidia's flagship model in the new series, the GeForce RTX 4080 16GB takes a step down. This product is configured with 9728 shading cores offering 49 Shader-TFLOPS of power for traditional rasterized graphics rendering. Add to that 304 Fourth Generation Tensor Cores and 76 Third Generation raytracing cores and you're bound to get some serious performance. NVIDIA claims the GeForce RTX 4080 is twice as fast as the GeForce 3080 Ti, but it uses almost 10% less power and costs the same as the GeForce 3080 Ti, which is $1199. As with all GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs, the RTX 4080 is full of Ada innovations. These include Shader Execution Reordering (SER), the new RT core engines, and DLSS 3, which will give upcoming RTX games like Racer RTX and Cyberpunk 2077 with RT: Overdrive mode up to three times the performance of the RTX 3080 Ti. The RTX 4080 is great for making difficult content and gives the best gaming performance. Creators will also benefit from the extra memory when rendering larger scenes, editing 12K RAW video, and using multiple apps simultaneously. Experience feature-rich RTX acceleration in the best creative apps, world-class NVIDIA Studio drivers designed for maximum stability, and a suite of exclusive tools that use the power of RTX for AI-assisted creative workflows. Initially, NVIDIA wanted to release two distinct GeForce RTX 4080 versions. A GeForce RTX 4080 12GB with GDDR6X RAM. Nvidia also announced a 16GB model of the RTX 4080. Due to market reception and confusion, NVIDIA decided to remove that 12GB version from its deck of cards (likely, it'll end up being a 4070 (Ti)). The card's shader engine clock frequency is 2.21 GHz, with a boost clock of 2.51 GHz. This card has a 256-bit memory bus.

ASUS and Noctua team up for custom graphics card with improved cooling

The goal of this graphics card is to provide gamers with a nearly silent gaming experience, achieved by enhancing the cooling system. ASUS used the RTX 4080 TUF PCB as a foundation and partnered with Noctua to bring this graphics card to market. The 4.3-slot design is massive, measuring 310mm in length, 145mm in height, and 88mm in thickness, but it promises efficient and quiet performance. The sample weighs just under 2kg, indicating the sturdiness of the card. Noctua designed a custom shroud that houses two 120mm NF-A12x25 PWM fans in their house color beige and cream scheme. While the shroud's colors may disappoint those who prefer RGB lighting, it is still a solidly built piece of equipment.The card comes with a dual BIOS that switches between two modes. With a boost clock of 2625 MHz in OC mode and 2595 MHz in Default mode, the ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC Edition 16GB is worth considering for anyone looking to upgrade their gaming setup. ASUS and Noctua aims to provide gamers with a premium graphics card that delivers efficient and quiet performance, and it looks like they've succeeded. Let's take a peek, and then get started on the photography and review.