In this buyer’s guide, we’ve taken a look at the five best RTX 4080 graphics cards to help you choose the best one for your needs.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the most popular of NVIDIA’s current-gen graphics cards, and one of the best graphics cards full-stop. With all the rendering prowess needed to game at any resolution on max settings, it’s a go-to for many looking to upgrade their high-end gaming PC.
Even the Founders Edition (FE) 4080 is expensive, but it’s still easier on the wallet than an RTX 4090. The only real high-end alternative is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, but with that GPU you’re missing out on DLSS 3 and much better ray tracing performance.
GPU Performance Comparisons:
- RTX 4080 vs RTX 4070
- RTX 4080 vs 4070 Ti
- RTX 4080 vs RTX 4090
- RTX 4080 vs RX 7900 XT
- RTX 4080 vs RX 7900 XTX
If you’re looking for a high-end GPU and have settled on the RTX 4080, you must now decide which model you want. There are several to choose from, and many are great for different reasons.
In this guide, we’ll tell you all you need to know to figure out the best RTX 4080 for you.
Table of Contents
– Best RTX 4080 Graphics Cards
1. MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio (Top Pick)
2. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080 OC (Overclocking)
3. MSI RTX 4080 Suprim X (Air Cooling)
A Quick Look at the Best RTX 4080 Video Cards
Below is a table of our picks for the best RTX 4080 graphics cards currently available.
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|
NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TOP PICK
|
 |
MSI Gaming X Trio |
|
/10 | |
|
OC
|
 |
ASUS ROG Strix OC |
|
/10 | |
|
COOLING
|
 |
MSI Suprim X |
|
/10 | |
|
CHEAPEST
|
 |
ASUS TUF Gaming |
|
/10 | |
|
LIQUID
|
 |
Gigabyte Xtreme Waterforce |
|
/10 |
*If you want to read our full overview on each of the RTX 4080 graphics cards listed above, click on the “Read Review »” and you’ll be taken to our write-up on it.
1. MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio
Best Overall RTX 4080
MSI’s Gaming X Trio graphics cards are the go-to all-rounder GPUs for many gamers. They offer decent clock speeds and temperatures, and they rarely break the bank, making them an ideal choice. They also tend to have great aesthetics, and the 4080 Gaming X Trio doesn’t buck this trend.
The MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio looks fantastic, without a doubt. Three diagonal strips of RGB lighting punctuate its sleek gray design. These lights ebb into white by default, but you can change the colors via software and sync it to whatever is being played.
Spec-wise, the RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio is better than the FE but not as good as other AIBs like the Strix OC. It features a respectable 2,595MHz boost clock (2,610MHz in OC mode), but its 16x 50A VRM setup only allows a max current of 800A and its max power limit is only 15W higher than the FE’s at 370W.
Perhaps notably, this card is also very quiet. In fact, TechPowerUp found it runs quieter than almost every other 4080 model they tested. And while it’s not the coolest of the bunch, running slightly hotter than the FE, it should keep well under 70c while gaming.
Given current prices, the RTX 4080 MSI Gaming X Trio is probably the best all-rounder. For only $100 more than the Founders Edition or TUF Gaming 4080, you get better aesthetics, a higher boost clock, and a quiet, capable cooling setup. Price, aesthetics, temperatures, and quietness: this card should leave most gamers happy.
2. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4080 OC Edition
Best RTX 4080 for Overclocking
The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC would sit on top of this list if it wasn’t for its price. This 4080 is expensive, but if you’re into overclocking it might be worth the cost.
Its default clock speeds are no joke, with a boost clock of 2,625MHz (2,640MHz with an ASUS software overclock toggle), and this makes it one of the best-performing 4080s straight out of the box. But where this graphics card really shines is when it’s manually overclocked.
Also Read: How to Overclock Your GPU to Boost Performance
The ROG Strix OC RTX 4080 can achieve some impressive overclocks primarily because of its stellar VRM and max power limit. Its 18 voltage phases, each rated for 70A of current, give it a maximum total current of 1,260A, and its max power limit is 420W, 65W higher than the FE’s limit.
In case you were wondering what this amounts to in practice, note that TechPowerUp achieved an average GPU clock of 3,079MHz with the 4080 ROG Strix OC—higher than any other 4080 they tested.
The only real downside to this card is its price. Considering its current going pric, you might wonder whether you should spend just $50 extra for a 4090. But, of course, 4090s can’t always be found at MSRP and often cost much more, and the ROG Strix OC 4080 might drop in price.
If you can find a 4080 ROG Strix OC for substantially cheaper than a 4090, and if you’re into manual overclocking, it’s probably the 4080 for you.
3. MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Suprim X
Best Air-Cooled RTX 4080 for Low Temps
If you’re looking for an air-cooled RTX 4080 that stays cool, the 4080 Suprim X is probably your best bet. Just like with the 4090 Suprim X, the 4080 Suprim X is a step ahead of the rest when it comes to cooling.
This Suprim X uses the same stellar cooling setup as the 4090 Suprim X, which already cools the 4090 very well. Because of this, it dissipates heat from the 4080 with ease, making it one of the coolest and quietest RTX 4080s on the market, as confirmed in multiple online reviews like those from PCGamer and TechPowerUp.
Saying that, with this card you might have to decide between super-low temps or super-quiet fans. If you want a super low temperature, you’ll have to enable the Gaming BIOS and gain a little noise—but even in Gaming mode it should be quieter than many other 4080s on the market, including the FE.
Apart from its stellar thermal performance, the 4080 Suprim X comes with a stock boost clock of 2,625MHz (2,640MHz with a software OC toggle), the same as the Strix OC. But, unlike the Strix OC, the Suprim X only has 900A max current (18x 50A phases) and a slightly lower power limit of 400W. So, it probably won’t manually overclock as well as the Strix.
While it likely can’t be pushed quite as far as the 4080 Strix OC, the 4080 Suprim X has amazing thermals and—here’s the crucial part—is currently cheaper than the Strix OC.
And did we mention it looks glorious, too? It pretty much ties the 4080 Gaming X Trio in aesthetics. MSI sure knows how to make good-looking graphics cards.
4. ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4080
Cheapest RTX 4080
Prices may change, but for now it looks like the ASUS TUF Gaming (non-OC) RTX 4080 is the best value 4080. This is because it’s currently retailing on some sites (like Newegg) for the same $1,199 price as the Founders Edition 4080.
While the difference isn’t massive, the TUF Gaming RTX 4080 can perform a little better than the FE card, too, because it has a slightly higher boost clock of 2,535MHz (30MHz higher than the FE’s 2,505MHz) when in OC mode, but the same as the FE in default mode. It also features a triple-fan cooling setup just like the TUF OC 4080, which should keep it running cooler than the already cool FE model.
There isn’t much else to write home about with this non-OC TUF Gaming RTX 4080, but there’s nothing notably bad about it and that makes it great value for the price. Most 4080s perform about the same regardless of the model, so for just $1,199, you can’t go wrong with a card that performs the same as, or slightly better, than a 4080 FE.
5. Gigabyte AORUS RTX 4080 Xtreme Waterforce
Best RTX 4080 for Liquid Cooling
If you want a water cooled RTX 4080 without having to install the water block yourself, this Gigabyte Xtreme Waterforce card is about your only option. Thankfully, it’s not a poor option at all, and it has several benefits over the other air-cooled cards on this list.
Also Read: Liquid Cooling vs. Air Cooling: Which Style CPU Cooler is Best?
First, it can run very cool and quiet. As is almost always the case, a liquid cooled component has a much better temperature-noise ratio than any air-cooled component. Second, it’s small. Considering air-cooled 4080s are three-slot behemoths, this two-slot (40mm height) card is very slender. (Of course, the connected radiator itself is large.) Finally, its sleek design looks very smart in practically any gaming rig.
Gigabyte hasn’t cheaped out on its cooling setup, either. Blowing cool air over the 360mm radiator are three double ball bearing 120mm aRGB fans—big enough to keep the 4080 running cool with little in the way of an audible hum or whirr.
Spec-wise, the AORUS 4080 Xtreme Waterforce is pretty middle-of-the-road. It comes with a boost clock speed of 2,565MHz, which is 60MHz higher than the Founders Edition and 30MHz higher than the ASUS TUF Gaming 4080, our pick for the cheapest non-FE RTX 4080.
Unfortunately, for this admittedly sleek, quiet, and cool piece of kit, there’s a hefty price tag. This card isn’t in stock everywhere, and when it is in stock it tends to be priced well above other RTX 4080s, pricing it smack-bang in RTX 4090 territory. But while air-cooled 4090s might sell for the same price, you’re usually looking at spending a lot more for a liquid-cooled 4090, so from that perspective the AORUS Xtreme Waterforce 4080 isn’t priced too badly. Liquid GPU cooling has its premium cost, sadly.
