The Asus Strix GTX 1080 is still one of the very best gaming GPU’s you can buy, period. It’s a must if you’re playing games at 1440P resolution or higher. At ultra settings, it holds its own and doesn’t hick-up one bit. You’ll also love the fact that it’s pretty quiet and barely dissipates any heat.
It’s definitely a top performer in our humble opinion.
If you can afford this bad boy, it won’t disappoint you. Sure there are other higher-performing cards on the market but this one will make a lot of gamers happy.
Asus Strix GTX 1080 Size and Design
Size-wise, it’s huge. It’s almost 12 inches long and has your typical triple fan setup and a massive heat sink. It has a metal backplate with the Republic of Gamers stamped on it, as well as the fans.
The black and gray color scheme is unassuming and has a clean look. The only eye-popping color you’re going to get is from the Asus Aura LED’s that make your new card glow orange.
Game Performance [Championship Fight]
I know what you’re thinking . . . that’s all fine and dandy but how does it perform with some of my favorite games . . . and who won the belt?
Well, I’m glad you asked because we ran the Asus Strix GTX 1080 through its paces to see just that. Each round (game) was played for about an hour, and you’re going to love what we found.
Battlefield 4 [Round Number 1]
How’d Round Number 1 go?
We tested the Asus Strix GTX 1080 on Battlefield 4 (online multiplayer) at the maximum on all graphics settings. We gotta say this, the results from Round Number 1 were pretty impressive.
On FRAPS, the frame rate never dropped below 100 frames per second at a 2560 x 1440P resolution.
GPU-Z yielded some pretty good results too. The Asus Strix GTX 1080 only got within two or three degrees of 70C, but never reached 70C.
Crysis 3 [Round Number 2]
Round Number 2 came against Crysis 3, an older but formidable opponent. Would Crysis 3 bring down the Asus Strix GTX 1080?
Again, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 performed as smooth as silk. Crysis 3 landed a nice left hook to the jaw of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 but barely flinched.
This is the only time it dipped to about 40 to 50 frames per second on FRAPS. The Asus Strix GTX 1080 consistently maintained 70 to 80 frames per second.
But, what did GPU-Z have to say about all of this?
And, did the Crysis 3 left hook to the head of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 bring the heat?
Well, you can’t get hit with a flush left hook and not feel it. The Asus Strix GTX 1080 showed the heart of a champion and came within one degree of 70C, the maximum it ever reached.
Metro 2033: Redux [Round Number 3]
Round Number 3 was a close round . . . but how close?
Metro 2033: Redux carries power in both hands and landed a left-cross right uppercut combo in this round temporarily wobbling the Asus Strix GTX 1080! Luckily, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 recovered nicely but took on more damage than in any other round.
On the maximum settings with full meshing (tessellation on), the powerful combo brought the Asus Strix GTX 1080 to about 18 to 21 frames per second according to FRAPS.
The Asus Strix GTX 1080 looked refreshed after the one-minute break in the corner. With the full meshing (tessellation) turned off, it hit Metro 2033: Redux with nice combinations in which we saw 80+ frames per second consistently. This, at 2560 x 1440P maximum settings.
Screen tearing was a bit of an issue but it was fixed by flipping to v-sync (60 frames per second) in the video settings. FRAPS recorded 60+ frames per second but even at this setting, the graphics display was really nice.
Witcher 3 [Round Number 4]
Witcher 3 came out swinging in Round Number 4 looking to take advantage of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 but to no avail.
The Asus Strix GTX 1080 weathered the storm and bobbed and weaved effectively, avoiding any damage whatsoever.
With all the settings cranked up high, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 responded the Witcher 3 attack with 70+ frames per second.
At one point, even laughing at Witcher 3 . . .
FRAPS concluded that at 70+ frames per second, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 won the fourth round easily.
GPU-Z concluded the same but called it a closer round, noting a temperature range from about 54C to 71C, for an average of about 63C. In any case, well below the maximum design temperature of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 of 92 to 94C. As compared to other cards such as the R9 390X
Not bad at all!
Unigine Heaven Benchmark Performance [Judge Scorecards]
The final score for the Asus Strix GTX 1080 came in at 3080+ on the 2560 x 1440P benchmark, not too shabby!
Score = 3082
Min/Max FPS = 19.4/276.2
FPS = 122.2
For comparison, this score was approximately 84% better than the R9 390X GPU (8GB) or almost double.
Test Rig
Many are asking where this championship fight took place and what testing equipment (glove size, ring size, etc.) was used? Where else than Las Vegas baby . . .
See the specifics below:
CPU = i5-4460
RAM = DDR3 (16GB)
Monitor = FreeSync
OS = Windows 10
Motherboard = ASRock
Power Supply = Corsair 550W 80 Plus Bronze Certified
You’re rig may or may not compare, but it gives you a pretty good idea of the performance of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 and the setup you would need to duplicate the test (fight) results.
Asus Strix GTX 1080 Specs
You’ll see that the Asus Strix GTX 1080 comes with some pretty nice specifications.
Chipset Architecture = Pascal 16 nm
Memory = 8GB GDDR5X
Memory Speed = 10,000 MHz
CUDA Cores = 2560
Core Clock = 1784 MHz
Boost Clock = 1936 MHz
Video Connectors = (2) Display Ports 1.4 and (1) DVI-D DL and (2) HDMI 2.0b
GPU Power Connectors = (1) 6-pin PCIe and (1) 8-pin PCIe
SLI Ready = 2 way
Concurrent Displays = (4) maximum
Length = 12 inches
Conclusion [Expert Commentator Final Thoughts]
All in all, the Asus Strix GTX 1080 is an excellent GPU offering from Asus. Whether it’s 1440P resolution games or even 4K games (with some setting adjustments), this video card will not disappoint hardcore PC gamers.
Even when the chin of the Asus Strix GTX 1080 got tested, it held its own like a true champion. It handled the heat well as it didn’t get too hot overall.
It was pretty quiet too, as it didn’t bother any of the gameplay action in the ring.
For those that want to get their game on for a reasonable price, look no further. The Asus Strix GTX 1080 will deliver game-playing pleasure to your eyes for some time.
Pair it with a better CPU (faster), and you should see a nice bump in frames per second.
Buy Yours Today!
This GPU offering from Asus may or may not be for you depending on your rig and current needs/wants. It’s a well-balanced video graphics card for hardcore gamers wanting to get the pleasure of vivid graphics and visuals while playing their favorite games.