ASUS today announced an all-new graphics card series based on the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPUs. Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers an incredible leap in performance and fidelity with acclaimed features such as ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS performance-boosting AI, NVIDIA Reflex latency-reduction, NVIDIA Broadcast streaming features and additional memory that allows it to speed through the most popular creator applications as well. And in the hotly contested midrange of the market, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti brings more CUDA, RT and Tensor cores to bear for mainstream systems.
ASUS has taken advantage of these new, more-powerful GPUs to create custom designs that serve up high clock speeds, low temperatures and whisper-quiet noise levels. ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is our first RTX 30 Series card to use a hybrid liquid-cooled design for incredible performance potential, while ROG Strix and TUF Gaming versions of both GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti deliver distinctly different takes on air cooling.
ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti: Chills out under water
To unleash the potential of the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, we turned to a solution that PC builders the world over already know and love: we put it under water. This card’s fusion of speed and style starts with an angular shroud and addressable RGB LED accents that shine through bold striations on its surface. This time around, we designed a stealthier metallic accent for the cooling shroud.
It largely omits our trademark cybertext accents for a clean look that’s ready to integrate with the colourful lighting, monochrome tones and diverse textures of other ROG hardware. We also enshrouded the fan and lighting cables in the anti-abrasive webbing on each coolant hose for an especially refined presentation.
Underneath the shroud, a custom full-coverage water block transfers heat from the GPU and GDDR6X memory directly into a liquid-cooling loop rather than the inside of the case. Coolant passes through extra-long 600 mm hoses to a 240 mm radiator. The generous length of these hoses, combined with the broad case compatibility of the 240 mm radiator, means that enthusiasts can confidently install ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in even the most cavernous enclosures.
This versatility lets system builders experiment with the best airflow path for their graphics card’s needs, too. The radiator can be mounted at the top of the case to let exhaust heat bypass the case’s interior entirely, or to the front with the fans configured as intakes to chill the card with the coolest possible airflow.
The liquid-cooling loop is the star of the show for ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, but this card would be nothing without its fans. A pair of custom-designed 120 mm units, optimised for both high cubic feet per minute (CFM) and high static pressure, keep plenty of air moving through the dense fins of the remote radiator. A low-noise blower fan under the card’s shroud cools a low-profile heatsink to ensure those crucial components stay cool under stock or overclocked loads.
ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti also the card’s fan-control intelligence to be extended to two case fans using a pair of our trademark FanConnect II headers. Rather than using a rising CPU or motherboard temperature as an imperfect proxy for increases in GPU temps, the FanConnect II headers can monitor the temperature of the graphics processor itself to increase airflow right when it’s needed for optimal temperatures over long gaming sessions.
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti: Take air cooling to new heights
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3070 Ti boast all of our latest refinements and innovations in air cooling. A massive 2.9-slot heatsink comes wrapped in an aggressively angular shroud with a full-length addressable RGB LED array on the left edge for a look that’s undeniably fresh yet unmistakably ROG.
The new look extends to the full-length metallic backplate, where contrasting textures and subtle monochrome shades surround an eminently functional cooling cut-out that allows heated exhaust airflow to rise into the case’s natural airflow path.
Three fans built using our latest axial-tech design spin in a counter-rotating pattern to deliver a smooth, directed stream of air through the high-surface-area fin stack. Higher blade counts on each fan increase both static pressure and the CFM of airflow available, all without undesirable increases in noise levels.
Notched barrier rings on the outer two fans and a solid barrier ring on the central fan further manage turbulence and ensure that cooling air consistently reaches the hottest parts of the heatsink for the lowest temperatures and highest performance. At idle, the fans drop into a 0 dB mode that helps to minimise the system’s noise levels, while FanConnect II headers allow case fans to deliver a blast of cool air right when it’s needed.
Ampere graphics cards deliver a large performance-per-watt improvement compared to their predecessors. To fully exploit these improvements, they can draw more power overall. The massive ROG Strix heatsink and a carefully designed PCB allow us to support that improved performance with large amounts of raw electrical power.
Up to three eight-pin PCI Express (PCIe) power connectors draw current directly from the PSU for less stress on the motherboard, and a high-resolution transient-sensing circuit monitors that flow of power for dips that can negatively impact system stability. This sensitive circuit can save hours of troubleshooting frustration in the event that the power supply can’t keep up.
TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti: Keep it stealthy
For DIY PCs built to fly under the radar, TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti are the perfect fit. Both cards embrace an ultra-stealthy new aesthetic. A blacked-out, brushed-aluminium cooling shroud wraps around a 2.7-slot heatsink cooled by a trio of fans built with our proven axial-tech design. Like their Strix brethren, these TUF Gaming cards can stop their fans entirely at idle for silent running.
A full-length aluminium backplate boasts a cooling cutout at the front of the card to help heat flow into the case’s natural airflow path. And a single Aura RGB LED accent at the front of the card integrates with Aura Sync lighting schemes without drawing undue attention.
TUF Gaming graphics cards aren’t just tough on the outside. Auto-Extreme assembly technology, used across our lineup, precisely places and solders components without human intervention to boost reliability and build quality. Extra-sturdy capacitors in the power-delivery subsystem are selected for long life spans under gruelling conditions, and a 144-hour testing regime at the factory ensures that each card is ready to perform from the moment it is installed in a system.
For even more tech news, click right HERE.
