If you’re in the market a new high-end graphics card and you’re willing to spend a lot of money, then you might want to consider an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti. In this post, we’ve rated some of the best RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards to help you find the right video card for your needs.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti was released to give gamers the levels of performance the beastly RTX 3090 brings but at a lower cost. Both this card and its younger brother the RTX 3080 are based on the ground-breaking Ampere architecture—featuring third-generation tensor cores and enhanced RT cores.
This GPU slots into NVIDIA’s RTX 3000 series line-up as an upgraded RTX 3080—with the card just lacking the insane VRAM capacities of the RTX 3090 when compared side-by-side. The stock card can deliver around 1.5x the performance of the previous gen’s RTX 2080 Ti and at a similar MSRP.
If you’re looking to purchase an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, this guide will explore some of the best RTX 3080 Ti cards on offer right now.
NOTE: For a prebuilt gaming PC option, check out our recommendations for the best RTX 3080 prebuilt gaming PCs.
Table of Contents
– Best RTX 3080 Ti Graphics Cards
1. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 Ti OC (Top Pick)
2. GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti Xtreme (Runner-Up)
A Quick Look at the Best RTX 3080 Ti Video Cards
Below is a table of our selections for the best RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards currently available.
| | NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOP PICK |  | ASUS ROG Strix OC |
| /10 | |
| RUNNER-UP |  | GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme |
| /10 | |
| CHEAPEST |  | ZOTAC Trinity OC |
| /10 | |
| w/AIO |  | GIGABYTE Xtreme WATERFORCE |
| /10 |
*If you want to read our full overview on each of the RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards listed above, click on the “Read Review »” and you’ll be taken to our write-up on it.
1. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 Ti OC
The best RTX 3080 Ti overall
- 1845 MHz Clock Speed
- 12GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Triple Fan Cooling
- 12.5-inches Long
Our pick for the best RTX 3080 Ti graphics card is the ASUS ROG Strix OC. This card is one of the best performing RTX 3080 Ti’s on the market—with a great combination of clock speed, cooling and graphics horsepower.
With a boost clock of 1845 MHz, this card truly lives up to its OC name. The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti OC packs a monstrous 10240 CUDA Cores, and 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM.
Cooling this GPU is ASUS’s famous triple axial-tech fan design—configured for maximum air-cooling performance. ASUS has increased the surface area of this card with its 2.9-slot design to give even more thermal headroom. This is paired with a metal backplate for added protection and more cooling surface area.
So how does it perform? In the FP32 single-precision benchmark, the ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti OC delivers a theoretical performance of 37.78 TFLOPS. For context, this is on par with some overclocked 3090s and actually beats the reference Founders Edition NVIDIA RTX 3090. Wow!
In their testing, GPU Monkey found this card runs at an average of 117 FPS in Battlefield 5’s 4K benchmark. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the ROG STRIX OC delivers an average of 93 FPS in the 4K benchmark. This card punches way above its weight class firmly into RTX 3090 territory.
The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti OC is in many metrics the most powerful RTX 3080 Ti on the market. For those gamers wanting extreme performance, but don’t want to pay the extra few bucks for the RT 3090, the ASUS ROG STRIC OC is a tantalizing option.
2. GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti Xtreme
Our RTX 3080 Ti runner-up pick
- 1830 MHz Clock Speed
- 12GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Triple Fan Cooling
- 12.6-inches Long
Very close behind the ASUS ROG STRIX OC is the GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme. This card delivers very similar power and performance to the ROG STRIX, but comes just under it in our overall rating. However, if this is the only card you can get your hands on out of the two, do not hesitate to grab it.
Your first impression of this card will be its stunning boxy air cooler design—complete with addressable RGB lighting adorning the front façia. It’s called “MAX-Covered Cooling”, and it features two 115mm and one 100mm unique blade stack fans – with and alternate spinning for maximum cooling performance.
On the edge of the card, GIGABYTE has included an LCD monitor for graphics and display card information. Some may find LCDs on the side of GPUs a tad bit tacky, but it certainly can look cool when configured correctly.
Under the hood, this card is packing 10240 CUDA Cores and a graphics chip overclocked to 1830 MHz. As is standard with the RTX 3080 Ti, this card features 12GB of 384-bit GDDR6X VRAM.
Also Read: How Much VRAM Do I Need for Gaming?
In the FP32 single-precision benchmark, this card delivers a theoretical performance of 37.78 TFLOPS. Like the ROG STRIX, this is on par with some overclocked 3090s and actually beats the reference Founders Edition NVIDIA RTX 3090.
Other benchmark results include 116 FPS in Battlefield 5 4K and 92 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s 4K benchmark.
3. ZOTAC RTX 3080 Ti Trinity OC
The cheapet RTX 3080 Ti right now
- 1695 MHz Clock Speed
- 12GB GDDR6 VRAM
- Triple Fan Cooling
- 12.5-inches Long
If you’re looking to save a few bucks, it’s worth looking at the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Trinity OC. ZOTAC’s cards are usually more affordable than other aftermarket graphics card manufacturers.
With a boost clock of 1695 MHz, and with a CUDA core count of 10240, you aren’t giving up that much performance. The ZOTAC Trinity OC is kitted out with an impressive triple-fan IceStorm 2.0 cooling configuration, along with Spectra 2.0 RGB lighting.
So how does this card perform? In the FP32 single-precision benchmark, the ZOTAC Trinity OC RTX 3080 Ti delivers a theoretical performance of 34.1 TFLOPS.
According to GPU Monkey, this card churns out an average of 111 FPS in Battlefield 5’s 4K benchmark. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the ZOTAC Trinity delivers an average of 90 FPS in the 4K benchmark.
If you’re looking to save a few bucks but still need the memory and power of the RTX 3080 Ti chip, the ZOTAC Trinity OC is a fantastic choice. Or, if you want to save even more money, try checking out ZOTAC’s RTX 3080 or 3070 Ti options.
4. GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti XTREME WATERFORCE
The best RTX 3080 Ti w/an AIO cooler
- 1770 MHz Clock Speed
- 12GB GDDR6 VRAM
- 240mm AIO Cooler
- 9.9-inches Long
For those who are looking for maximum performance and prefer a watercooled AIO, the GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti XTREME WATERFORCE is the GPU for you. For all intents and purposes, this is a watercooled version of our runner-up, the ordinary XTREME WATERFORCE.
GIGABYTE bill this card to be “the ideal way for PC enthusiasts to enjoy the benefits of water cooling without complicated installations”. The AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE’s 240mm AIO provides an all-round cooling solution as critical parts like GPU, VRAM and MOSFET are actively cooled to ensure system stability under high overclocks.
Packing in 10240 CUDA cores, and clocking in at a boost clock of 1770 MHz—this card delivers 36.52 TFLOPS. According to GPU Monkey, the GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti XTREME WATERFORCE gives 114 FPS in the Battlefield 4K benchmark. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the average is 91 FPS at 4K.
Ultimately, the GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Ti XTREME WATERFORCE is the perfect option for anyone who is looking for an all-in-one liquid cooling solution for their high-end graphics card.
Is an RTX 3080 Ti Right for You?
With the release of NVIDIA’s new 4000 series GPUs, the RTX 3080 Ti is probably not the best option right now for anyone with a large budget. However, it is still a GPU worth considering if you have a moderately high (but, not infinite) budget. If you can score it for a good price, it will offer excellent in-game performance.
Also Read: How to Build Your Own Gaming PC (Step-By-Step)
Also, if you want to avoid having to build your own PC (although, it’s not that difficult to do) you can check out our recommendations for the best RTX 3090 gaming desktops here.
