Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1080 Graphics Card Review

A Closer Look

Gigabyte has adopted a stylish black and orange theme which remains flexible enough to be a suitable addition to a wide range of builds. Unlike the overdone red and black colour scheme, the orange highlights add a new twist and I believe this combination works incredibly well. Also, the understated design is refreshing and evokes a sophisticated feel, especially when compared to rival products which go overboard with RGB lighting. One of the most glaring elements to take note of is the GPU’s lightweight construction. This should reduce GPU droop and apply less pressure on the PCI-E slot. Additionally, the graphics card measures H41mm x L280mm x W144mm.

On a more technical note, the company’s Windforce 3X cooling solution has been deployed which revolves around 3 copper composite heat-pipes, a dense heatsink fin array and high-angled fan blades. These custom-engineered fans offer exceptional airflow while reducing turbulence. In theory, this provides a better noise to performance ratio and allow the end-user to enjoy a lower thermal output. Furthermore, the composite heat-pipes combine both thermal conductivity and phase transition to effectivity manage heat transfer between two solid surfaces. The composite heat-pipes coincide of axial grooves, sintered powder, a hollow pipe and liquid. According to Gigabyte, this enhances the cooling capacity by a staggering 29%.

The Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1080 opts for 8+2 power phases and ultra-durable materials to reduce the MOSFET operating temperatures and deliver a more reliable voltage output. Furthermore, the highest-grade chokes, capacitors and thick PCB contribute to a longer lifespan.

Here we can see the graphics card sports a fairly simplistic backplate design which adds rigidity to prevent unwanted droop. The backplate thickness is good too, making the product feel like a premium piece of hardware.

Gigabyte’s unique fan design is split by the triangle edge and guides smoothly through the 3D stripe curve on the fan’s surface. This increases the airflow by 23% compared to traditional fans.

Gigabyte has decided to stick with the default single 8-pin connector on this model and believe an extra 6-pin wouldn’t improve the card’s overclocking headroom.

Connectivity-wise, the graphics card has a single dual-link DVI-D, three DisplayPort 1.4, and one HDMI 2.0b.

Once powered on, the Gigabyte logo illuminates and cycles through each colour within the RGB spectrum. The lighting can be customised via Gigabyte’s XTREME GAMING ENGINE software and includes a number of effects such as static, breathing and flashing. Saying that, the options at your disposal are fairly limited and I’d like to see more transitions added in the near future. Also, the Fan Stop logo becomes annoying quite quickly and it tends to detract from the graphics card’s elegant design.