Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 review

Pascal breaks down pixel barriers.

Nvidia’s latest Pascal architecture for new graphics cards has remained at the tip of the tongue for PC enthusiasts throughout the year. And for good reason, this is the first time we’ve seen a GPU architecture based on a manufacturing process below 28nm.

pros:

• Excellent performance;
• Makes 4K gaming viable;
• Quiet fans;

Minuses:

• High price at the start;
• Better performance third party cards;

Almost as small as Intel’s new Skylake (14nm) processors, Pascal is introducing Nvidia’s 16nm FinFET process as its next-generation GPU architecture. And this transition is accompanied by an increase in efficiency, due to the high density of transistors, therefore, productivity also increases. For us avid gamers, this update allows us to enjoy the flagship games of the market at the fastest frame rates, improves the overall VR experience, and offers the ability to take resolution to the next level.

Or at least in theory.

We turn on the power …

Finally, finally, we have the latest and greatest GPU from Nvidia, the GeForce GTX 1080. The highly anticipated product is packed with 2560 CUDA cores, 160 texture units, 64 ROPs, and 8GB of the latest GDDR5X Micron video memory, the GPU works with frequency 1733 MHz, is it any wonder that PC fans are so worried?

For those less technical jargon-savvy, the best way to compare the new card with the previous ones is the number of teraflops that measure performance. The GTX 980 delivers a respectable 5.5 teraflops, 980 Ti 6.5, Titan 7 teraflops.

And what about the GTX 1080? 9 teraflops.

Yes, in fact, the video card is almost twice as powerful as its predecessor, in almost every test scenario. At least in our review. So let’s get down to the details.

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Design and cooling

Overall, this is a cold card. Not as cold as some 980s two years ago, but it still stays within a chilly 82 degrees Celsius if you raise the power limit or unleash its potential with GPU Boost. In general, the video card performs well within the operating parameters.

What’s interesting about this graphics card is the inclusion of the DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity standard. The biggest limiting factor for 4K gaming is the lack of high refresh rate monitors. DisplayPort 1.2 is limited to 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz, meaning the stunning smoothness of 144Hz gaming panels was unattainable on high pixel density screens.

While there are no 4K 120Hz panels on the market, Nvidia claims that two 1080s in SLI will be able to squeeze 144Hz at 4K resolution. DisplayPort 1.4 also supports high resolutions up to 8K (7680 x 4320) at 60Hz with HDR or 4K at 120Hz with HDR.

It won’t be long before our dreams of high-end monitors come true.

The biggest challenge with early 4K Ultra HD content was finding a graphics solution to power all those pixels. 8,294,400 pixels are not that small. Any attempt to squeeze 60 frames per second out of the loudest games will require some serious processing power.

In most cases, multiple graphics cards are the best solution. It’s not uncommon to double-mount an Nvidia GTX 980 Ti, AMD Fury X, or other combination in an attempt to squeeze out the maximum performance.

However, the problem here is how Crossfire and SLI work. Namely, they require support from every game.

Take the latest Total War, for example. Want to run Attila in 4K with an SLI profile? It is a pity that the game does not support it, and your secondary video card, which costs more than 30,000 rubles, becomes a piece of plastic. This is why, among other reasons, a standalone and very powerful card becomes the best choice.

Should you bet on the GTX 1080 promises?

Of course! In our testing, Far Cry Primal, The Division and Ashes of The Singularity play exceptionally well in 4K, with an average frame rate of at least 40. Rise of The Tomb Raider and Total War: Attila did not perform well at around 20 frames per second.

But it is important to keep in mind that we use the maximum anti-aliasing settings where possible, and the games above are for graphics-capable systems. The reality is, however, that at 4K, the pixel density within the screen is so high that you’ll have to switch to less aggressive graphics settings to prevent tearing.

All this means that in fact, in regular use, you will put less load on the video card and get a higher frame rate, the video card is experiencing problems especially in tests.

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What GTX 1080 not enough?

It is not the final form of Pascal, though. This is the GP 104 architecture instead of the GP100 found in Nvidia’s HBM2.0 compatible Tesla series server boards. Think of the GP104 as a scaled-down version of the Maxwell series architecture.

This in no way means that the video card is bad. The overclocking potential hidden within this architecture is the best among Nvidia’s graphics cards. However, we will talk about overclocking later.

AMD fans among us will no doubt scoff at the lack of HBM memory on this “temporary” flagship, and yes, as long as this is true, GDDR5X does not allow scoffing at the card. With a 256-bit bus, 10,000 MHz clock speed and 320 GB / s bandwidth, the graphics card is more than capable of handling 4K and 1440p without worrying.

Overclocking

Thus, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 is the most powerful card that offers more transistors, better memory and 4K performance – but how much overclocked the flagship card can be.

Well, similar to Nvidia’s latest generation GTX 980, the Founder Edition GTX 1080 also overclocks. During testing, we managed to get an additional 260 MHz for the core and 525 MHz for the memory.

Sensible overclocking allowed us to bump the overall clock to an astonishing 2088 MHz, which in turn resulted in over 1000 points in 3DMark FireStrike benchmarks at each resolution. Impressive to say the least. In addition, the video card really does not require an excess of additional voltage and remains stable in any work.

A solid victory in the tests of our review.

Summing up …

Ultimately, our biggest problem with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 comes down to pricing. Early video cards in a clean edition cost about 5-6000 rubles more. Retail prices for third-party video cards will be significantly cheaper.

And there is not much sense in this mode. The design of the fans, despite their overall efficiency, cannot offer the potential for high-quality cooling under the conditions of high overclocking at more acceptable temperatures.

In addition, you should understand that the vast majority of third-party graphics cards will be overclocked as standard, which means you will get better performance with more optimized cooling and at a lower price. The only problem is the delay in the start of sales of third-party graphics cards, but today this is not a problem.

We likedIn short, the performance of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 is exceptional, there is no doubt that it is the most powerful stand-alone graphics card on the market. Those who want to play 4K will be glad to hear this, and with a little tweaking of AA-class games, it’s hard for us to imagine a game that doesn’t give an average score of 60 frames per second. Throw in the upcoming GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and the next-gen Titan soon to hit store shelves for a damn good year for fans of powerful graphics.

We didn’t like: Founder Edition cost. Simply put, this is a flagship whose price tag makes the graphics card unattainable for the average gamer, which is a disappointment. Without a doubt, over time, we will see prices drop, especially with the release of AMD Vega GPUs in October, among other Polaris offerings, but until then, the card carries the price tag of a perfect product.

Final thoughts

In terms of graphics card alone, the Nvidia GTX 1080 is absolutely astounding. The performance is almost double the GTX 980 in almost every game, astounding. Throw in fantastic 4K performance and you may be the first graphics card to make UHD gaming a reality. With low power consumption, a single 8-pin power connector, and stylish design, this graphics card is worth considering, especially if you are planning to buy a 144Hz 1440p gaming monitor or a 4K monitor.

However, if you’re willing to wait a month from release, you can find third-party graphics cards that are cheaper and offer better specs.