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Best RTX 2080 SUPER Graphics Cards for 2021 (GPU Buyer’s Guide)

Are you in the market for a new high-end video card for your gaming PC? Check out this list of seven of the best RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards currently available.

We recently took a look at the best RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards and today, we’re going to look at nine of the best RTX 2080 (SUPER and regular editions) video cards going into 2021. Like the NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti GPU, the RTX 2080 SUPER isn’t a viable option for the majority of gamers because they simply cost too much.

However, despite the high price tag associated with the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER (most options come in at between $680-$800), they are still much less expensive than the higher-end RTX 2080 Tis (which come in at at least ~$1,100). So, if you’re someone that is looking to build a high-end gaming computer and you have a budget in the $1,500-$2,000 range, you probably have enough to get an RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 SUPER, but not quite enough to get an RTX 2080 Ti (at least, not without sacrificing in other areas.)

The good news, though, is that the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER provide excellent performance. In fact, in most benchmarks, the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER perform on par with, or outperform the older GTX 1080 Ti (at least, when ray tracing is turned off). With an RTX 2080 SUPER GPU, you should be able to run games on a 4K monitor at higher-to-max settings with a solid framerate. And, te 2080 would be an excellent option for anyone looking to run a 1080P 240Hz display, or a 1440P 144Hz display.

But, of the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards that are out there, which option is the best? Well, that’s what our goal with this guide was. So, if you’re looking for an RTX 2080/RTX 2080 SUPER to put in your system, the seven options below are probably your best bets. (If you’re looking for less expensive options, check out our recommendations for the best RTX 2070s and RTX 2060s.)

A Quick Look at the Best RTX 2080 Graphics Cards

For a quick look at our top picks for the best RTX 2080 video cards, the table below showcases four options that stand out from the rest for various reasons. We chose the best RTX 2080 SUPER, our pick for the best regular RTX 2080, the top option that comes with an AIO cooler, and a super affordable refurbished option.

NAME SPECS RATING
SUPER
ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC

ASUS Dual EVO OC

    1860 Mhz

    2 Fans

    8GB VRAM

    10.5″ Long

9.3/10

Check Price

Read Review »

REGULAR
Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS

Gigabyte AORUS

    1845 MHz

    3 Fans

    8GB VRAM

    11.4″ Long

9.2/10

Check Price

Read Review »

w/AIO
EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3

EVGA FTW3

    1845 MHz

    w/AIO

    8GB VRAM

    11.5″ Long

9.2/10

Check Price

Read Review »

RENEWED
ASUS RTX 2080 DUAL Renewed

ASUS Dual

    1830 MHz

    2 Fans

    8GB VRAM

    10.5″ Long

9.0/10

Check Price

Read Review »

*To check out our full overview on each of the video cards listed above, hit the “Read Review »” link and you’ll jump to our overview on that card. You can also check out our Honorable Mention selections by scrolling further down on this page.

1. ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC

The best RTX 2080 SUPER

ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC
    1860 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Dual Fan Cooling

    10.5-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.3/10

Check Price on Amazon

If you’re looking for an NVIDIA RTX 2080 SUPER GPU that features robust cooling, higher overclocking potential, and silent fan operation, the ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC might be the option for you. The Dual EVO OC does only come with a dual fan configuration and it doesn’t have any RGB lights, but it is also the most affordable RTX 2080 SUPER out at the moment and it has the highest boost clock rate (1860MHz) among all of the SUPER edition cards.

The card does have a larger-than-normal heatsink, but it only comes in at 10.5″ long, which makes it the shortest RTX 2080 SUPER on this list. So, while this card may not be ideal in some mini gaming PC builds, it can probably be utilized in a lot of modern mini-ITX cases.

Along with its lower pricetag and higher boost clock rate, the Dual EVO OC card also comes with one HDMI 2.0 ports, and three DisplaPorts (1.4).

Ultimately, the ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC combines a very competitive pricepoint with an advanced cooling configuration and a high boost clock rate—and that’s what helps give it a better price-to-performance ratio over the other RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards on the market. And, while there are other options out there that will deliver excellent performance, we felt that, for the price, the DUAL EVO is the best option currently available.

2. Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS

Top regular RTX 2080 for the money

Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS
    1845 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Triple Fan Cooling

    11.4-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.2/10

Check Price on Amazon

Like the ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER Dual EVO OC listed above, the Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS stands out mostly because of its lower price tag. As of right now, the Gigabyte AORUS is the most affordable standard RTX 2080 currently available.

The Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS comes in at just under ~$660 and the next closest option out there is the MSI Ventus (mentioned in the Honorable Mentions section below). However, the Gigabyte AORUS offers a more robust triple fan cooling configuration, is decked out in RGB lights, and it has a higher boost clock rate (1845MHz vs 1800MHz). All of those factors will help it deliver more performance than most of the competition.

You can get the ASUS Dual RTX 2080 for less, but that is a ‘renewed’ (which basically just means refurbished) graphics card and so there is some added risk there.

Overall, if you can’t quite stretch up to get an NVIDIA RTX 2080 SUPER, the Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS is a cheaper alternative that will offer similar performance in most games. But, it should be noted that the price difference between the ASUS DUAL EVO SUPER listed above and the Gigabyte AORUS listed here is only ~$40. And, considering that you’re likely already spending a lot of money on your system, it shouldn’t be too difficult to stretch your budget a bit more to get the slightly better performance that the RTX 2080 SUPER offers.

So, if you can stretch your budget, we’d recommend that you do so.

3. EVGA RTX 2080 SUPER FTW3

Best RTX 2080 SUPER with an AIO

EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3
    1845 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Comes w/120mm AIO

    11.5-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.2/10

Check Price on Amazon

If you like the idea of water cooling your system’s components, then you might want to consider EVGA’s RTX 2080 SUPER FTW3 graphics card. The EVGA FTW3 comes paired with a 120mm AIO cooler.

By offloading the majority of the cooling to the AIO cooler (it does also have a single fan built onto the card as well), the EVGA FTW3 doesn’t rely on a large heatsink and multiple fans.

The EVGA FTW3 also sports an 1845MHz boost clock rate and has a USB Type-C port, three DisplayPorts, and one HDMI port.

The EVGA FTW3 RTX 2080 SUPER does come in at ~$800, though, which makes it the most expensive option on this list. So, unless you prefer the aesthetics of the water-cooled GPU, you’d get more performance for the same money by opting for the ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER listed above, instead.

4. ASUS RTX 2080 DUAL

Best RTX 2080 Ti for the money

ASUS RTX 2080 DUAL Renewed
    1830 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Dual Fan Cooling

    10.5-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.0/10

Check Price on Amazon

If you don’t mind taking a chance on a refurbished product, then you might want to check out ASUS’ ‘renewed’ RTX 2080 DUAL on Amazon. Right now, you can get the renewed version of the ASUS RTX 2080 DUAL Fans for less than $600. That easily makes it the cheapest option on this list.

Amazon states that their ‘renewed’ products “work and look like new.” And, although there is some long-term risk in opting for a refurbished product, Amazon does offer a 90-day guarantee on all of their ‘renewed’ products. So, you do have some level of protection and you can at least guarantee that your card will operate correctly for a few months—and, if your card makes it that long without malfunctioning, there’s a good chance that it will last a lot longer.

As for specs, the ASUS DUAL comes with a dual fan configuration (shocker, right?), an 1830MHz core clock rate, and measures in at just 10.5″ long. It does not have any RGB lighting, though.

Overall, if you’re looking to add some extra room in your budget for additional upgrades to your existing system or upcoming build, you could save a lot of money by opting for a renewed NVIDIA RTX 2080 rather than paying full-price for a brand new option. And, in doing so, you won’t sacrifice any performance. So, if you’re willing to risk purchasing a refurbished item, the ASUS DUAL Fans is worth considering.

5. MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio

Honorable mention #1

MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio
    1845 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Triple Fan Cooling

    12.9-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.3/10

Check Price on Amazon

Another RTX 2080 SUPER option worth mentioning is MSI’s Gaming X Trio. If you like fancy RGB lights and aggresive designs, the Gaming X Trio might be for you.

There are some downsides to the MSI Gaming X Trio, though. For starters, the Gaming X Trio costs ~$20 more than the ASUS Dual EVO OC and it also comes with a lower boost clock rate. (Although, the performance advantage between the ASUS Dual EVO and the Gaming X Trio will be minimal.)

It does come with three fans, but considering the innovative dual fan cooling configuration on the ASUS Dual EVO OC, the difference in cooling performance between the two cards is probably negligible at best as well.

So, really, the main difference between the two cards is in aesthetics. And, while the Gaming X Trio sports more RGB lights and a more extreme-looking fan casing, some gamers might prefer the more simplistic design that the Dual EVO OC comes with. The bottom line is that if you don’t absolutely love the aesthetics of the Gaming X Trio, you’d probably be better off going with the ASUS Dual EVO OC listed above.

6. ZOTAC RTX 2080 SUPER AMP

Honorable mention #2

ZOTAC RTX 2080 SUPER AMP
    1845 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Dual Fan Cooling

    11.7-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.3/10

Check Price on Amazon

At just under ~$720, the ZOTAC RTX 2080 SUPER AMP is the second cheapest RTX 2080 SUPER GPU on this list. It still costs ~$20 more than the ASUS Dual EVO OC, though, and it comes with a lower boost clock rate (1845MHz clock rate vs 1860MHz clock rate). Again, though, at such a small difference in the boost clock rate, there likely won’t be any significant difference in performance.

The ZOTAC AMP comes with dual fans, an RGB-lit logo, three DisplayPort connections, and one HDMI 2.0 port.

In the end, though, unless the ZOTAC AMP drops to a pricepoint that is lower than the ASUS Dual EVO OC (which happens all the time in the graphics card market), there’s no real reason to choose it over the Dual EVO OC. If it were to drop to a price that is cheaper the ASUS DUAL EVO, though, it would definitely be worth considering.

7. MSI RTX 2080 Ventus

Honorable mention #3

MSI RTX 2080 Ventus
    1800 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Dual Fan Cooling

    10.6-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.1/10

Check Price on Amazon

Next, we have the MSI Ventus RTX 2080. The main selling point of the Ventus edition card is its low price point. At ~$670 it is one of the cheapest RTX 2080 graphics cards on the market.

However, the downside of the MSI Ventus is the fact that, for $10 less, you can get the Gigabyte RTX 2080 AORUS. The Gigabyte AORUS comes with a faster boost clock rate (1860MHz vs 1800MHz) and it measures in at pretty much the same size as well (10.5″ for the AORUS and 10.6″ for the Ventus).

Ultimately, just like with the ZOTAC AMP listed above, unless the MSI Ventus were to drop in price, there are better options out there that will offer better price-to-performance.

8. Gigabyte RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming OC

Honorable mention #4

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Super Gaming OC 8G Graphics Card
    1845 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Triple Fan Cooling

    11.3-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.3/10

Check Price on Amazon

Gigabyte has a few RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPER options as well. And, their Gaming OC RTX 2080 SUPER is another card worth considering. At the time of updating this GPU Buyer’s Guide, though, unfortunately, the Gaming OC lags behind a couple of the other options on this list in terms of price-to-performance.

Right now, the Gaming OC RTX 2080 SUPER comes in at just under ~$720, which  makes it a bit more expensive than the ASUS DUAL EVO listed at the top of this list.

The Gaming OC edition card comes with an 1845MHz boost clock rate and it does sport a triple fan cooling configuration. However, the larger heatsink on the ASUS DUAL EVO will likely mitigate the cooling performance difference between the two cards. So, at the moment, I’d say go with the least expensive option.

But, keep the Gigabyte Gaming OC RTX 2080 SUPER in mind, as Gigabyte often prices their cards below the competition. So, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them drop the price on this card as well. And, if it goes down to a price under the ASUS DUAL EVO, it would probably be the better option.

9. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2080 SUPER

Honorable mention #5

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Super Advanced RGB
    1860 MHz Boost Clock

    8GB GDDR6 VRAM

    Triple Fan Cooling

    11.8-inches Long

Our Rating: 9.3/10

Check Price on Amazon

Another ASUS RTX 2080 SUPER graphics card that is worth checking out is their ROG STRIX RTX 2080 SUPER. Like the ASUS DUAL EVO, the ROG STRIX RTX 2080 SUPER comes with an 1860MHz boost clock rate and a larger heatsink.

However, unlike the two-fan configuration on the DUAL EVO, the ROG STRIX comes with triple-fan cooling and RGB lights. But, in order to get that extra fan you will pay a premium because, at the moment, the ROG STRIX card comes in at a price of ~$770, which is about ~$70 more than the DUAL EVO.

If you want the extra cooling capabilities, though, and you have an unlimited budget, you can opt for the ROG STRIX over the DUAL EVO. However, the performance and cooling difference between the two cards will likely be negligible and so, in our opinion, you’d be better off saving that $70 for an upgrade on another component in your system.

Do You Need an RTX 2080 for Your Gaming PC?

Right now, NVIDIA’s RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 SUPERs make sense for gamers who have ~$1,600 to $2,000 to spend on a new gaming PC build. The RTX 2080 offers excellent performance when paired with a 4K monitor, or with a 1440P 144Hz display (for more competitive games). Just be sure that if you are going to invest in an RTX 2080/RTX 2080 SUPER GPU that you also pair it with a G-Sync compatible monitor to take full advantage of the RTX 2080s performance.

What Kind of Build Would an RTX 2080 SUPER Make Sense in?

Right now, we recommend an RTX 2080 SUPER in our $1,750 build on our Top Gaming PC Build guide. If you have a budget that is lower than that, you might want to consider dropping down to an RTX 2070 SUPER instead. The bottom line is that, while most of today’s top games rely heavily on GPU performance, you still cannot completely sell out on your budget at the sacrifice of other components.

Recap: The Best RTX 2080 SUPER and Regular Video Cards

Ultimately, this GPU buyer’s guide highlights our picks for the best NVIDIA RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards at the moment. We like the ASUS DUAL EVO for the price it comes in at, the cooling performance it offers, and the out-of-the-box performance it will deliver. There’s a lot of other great options out there, too, though. If you’re willing to risk your investment on a ‘refurbished’ product, the ASUS DUAL Fans card listed above is a ‘Renewed’ option via Amazon. And, while there is risk involved in buying a refurbished graphics card, you do still get a short warranty period—and, if the card works out, you will have saved a ton of money as a result.

The bottom line, though, is that if you’re looking for the best RTX 2080 graphics card (SUPER or regular) for your needs and budget, one of the options listed above should provide the performance you’re looking for.

Hey, I’m Brent. I’ve been building computers and writing about building computers for a long time. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. On YouTube, I build PCs, review laptops, components, and peripherals, and hold giveaways.

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