Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER Founders Edition Review

The RTX 2080 SUPER is here at last. Sure, we've already tested the stupidly fast RTX 2070 SUPER, and we loved the boosted performance of the RTX 2060 SUPER too. All those links are on the last page of this review, so check them out afterwards. However, now it's time for the RTX 2080 series to get a big performance boost. The Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER Founders Edition should set the standard for what to expect from the RTX 2080 SUPER range. It's Nvidia's latest gaming monster, and while it's not expected to topple the RTX 2080 Ti, we think it's going to get pretty damn close to their flagship. The non-SUPER was no slouch, so this should be pretty special. Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER Founders Edition Nvidia is top of their game right now in more ways than one. They're still the performance king for the enthusiast gamer. However, with features like Ray Tracing, DLSS and more, they're also at the edge with innovation. That doesn't mean they don't have performance and pricing competition from AMD, because they do. However, as we've seen with the RTX 2060 SUPER and RTX 2070 SUPER, they're capable of delivering some damn impressive gaming hardware regardless. Now, with the RTX 2080 SUPER, we have a card that may be nearly as fast as the RTX 2080 Ti but at a more reasonable price point. Features GDDR6 memory63T RTX-Ops1815 MHZ GPU Boost Clock8GB of DDR6 Memory15.5 Gbps Memory ClockNvidia GPU Boost 48+6 pin Power Connectors2-slot thickenFounder Edition cooler design What Nvidia Had to Say "The NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ is powered by the award-winning NVIDIA Turing™ architecture with more cores, higher clocks, and faster memory for ultimate performance and incredible new levels of realism. It’s time to gear up and get super powers." - Nvidia Specifications For in-depth specifications, please visit the official Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER Founder Edition product page here. Photo Gallery How We Test We continue to update our testing methods around once per year. As such, we re-test older hardware to reflect changes over time. These can be driver updates, Windows updates, game patches, and more; all of which have an impact on performance figures. Furthermore, we update our test bench to newer and more relevant hardware. This means that our new reviews aren’t always comparable to those of older reviews, so please compare the testing methodology on older reviews should you be trying to compare them with newer ones. Replicate Our Results When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory and kept as simple as possible, although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of a graphics card, CPU, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Links are provided below, as well as the settings we use. We encourage you to not just look at how one product compares to any other, but how it compares to your own. If you’re looking to build a new system, you should benchmark your current PC using the benchmarks available to you. You should then look at the percentage improvement from your current hardware to the hardware tested here to give you a ballpark figure of how much of an upgrade this will provide you with. Graphics Card Test System Motherboard – Aorus Z390 Gaming MasterProcessor – Intel Core i9-9900K (Stock)RAM – Crucial Ballistix Gaming 32GB (4 x 8GB) 3000 MHzCPU Cooler – Noctua NH-D15SPower Supply – Be Quiet Power Zone 1000WMain Storage Drive – Toshiba OCZ VX500 500GBChassis – Thermaltake Core P5 TGOperating System – Windows 10 64-bitMonitor – AOC 28-Inch 4K Gaming Monitor Additional Hardware Killawatt style electricity usage meter wall plugPrecision Gold N05CC Decibel meter Gaming To gauge performance levels which are easily reproduced time after time, by both ourselves and our readers, we now stick strictly to games default profiles. We now use the “High” profiles for all games or their respective equivalent at all resolutions. V-Sync is always disabled in our testing, as are FreeSync and G-Sync technologies or similar. Graphics card power usage is set to optimised or balance, and the system power mode set to High Performance within Windows and the available GPU driver software. Identical settings are used for all resolutions unless otherwise stated. Games and Settings Used Shadow of the Tomb Raider DX12 High Preset1080p1440p2160pDeus Ex: Mankind Divided DX12 High Preset1080p1440p2160pGhost Recon: Wildlands High Preset1080p1440p2160pBattlefield V DX12 High Preset1080p1440p2160pBattlefield V DX12 High Preset (DXR Enabled) NVIDIA RTX Cards ONLY1080p1440p2160pMetro Exodus DX12 High Preset1080p1440p2160pMetro Exodus DX12 High Preset (RT, then RT and DLSS Enabled) NVIDIA RTX Cards ONLY1080p1440p2160pFar Cry New Dawn High Preset1080p1440p2160p The Division 2 High Preset1080p1440p2160p Software Used 3DMark Fire Strike (download)FireStrike Ultra BenchmarkUnigine Superposition (download)4K Optimised BenchmarkHWMonitor (download)GPU-Z (download)MSI Afterburner (download) Noise Everyone has a reasonable noise level preference when it comes to components on a computer. Some can handle all fans at 100% load to keep temperatures down; some want an entirely silent computer. To accurately gauge the noise output of a graphics card, we position a Precision Gold N05CC one meter above our open-air test bench and take an average reading at idle and load. Power Consumption We take power readings during the idle state with no background applications running. Then again at 50% completion of the Unigine Superposition benchmark, using the average as the final published result. Temperatures We take temperature readings after 10 minutes of desktop idle with no background programs running, then take the recorded maximum delivered from Unigine Superposition after a 4K optimised run, confirming the numbers are accurate with HWMonitor. Furthermore, the ambient temperature is always kept +/- 1c from 21c. Synthetic Benchmarks 3DMark FireStrike Ultra - 68633DMark TimeSpy - 10462Unigine Superposition 4K Optimised - 8566 3DMark FireStrike Ultra 3DMark TimeSpy Unigine Superposition Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be. Available now on Steam. Shadow of the Tomb Raider Performance 1080p Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1371440p Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1002160p Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 61 Now an experienced covert operative, Adam Jensen is forced to operate in a world that has grown to despise his kind. Armed with a new arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations, he must choose the right approach, along with who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy. Available now on Steam. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Performance 1080p Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 127.31440p Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 89.52160p Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 47.9 The Ghosts, an elite US Special Forces team, are sent behind enemy lines to wreak havoc, destabilize, and eventually break the alliance between the cartel and the corrupted government. Facing an almighty enemy in a massive and hostile environment, the Ghosts will need to make critical moral choices and engage in tough battles to complete their mission – their grittiest and most dangerous operation to date. Available now on UPlay. Ghost Recon: Wildlands Performance 1080p Ghost Recon Wildlands - 134.671440p Ghost Recon Wildlands - 101.722160p Ghost Recon Wildlands - 59.62 Enter mankind’s greatest conflict with Battlefield™ V in the most intense, immersive, and innovative Battlefield yet. Lead your squad to victory in all-new multiplayer experiences like the multi-map Grand Operations. Fight for survival in Firestorm – battle royale, reimagined for Battlefield. Witness a never-before-seen portrayal of WW2 in the single-player War Stories campaign. Assemble your Company of customized soldiers, weapons, and vehicles – then take them on an expanding journey where every chapter brings a new battlefield. You will never be the same. Available now on Origin. Battlefield V Performance 1080p Battlefield V - 1371440p Battlefield V - 1122160p Battlefield V - 63 Metro Exodus is an epic, story-driven first-person shooter from 4A Games that blends deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror in one of the most immersive game worlds ever created. Flee the shattered ruins of dead Moscow and embark on an epic, continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Russia in the greatest Metro adventure yet. Explore the Russian wilderness in vast, non-linear levels and follow a thrilling story-line inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn to the depths of nuclear winter. Available now on Epic Game Store. Metro Exodus Performance 1080p Metro Exodus - 93.421440p Metro Exodus - 71.062160p Metro Exodus - 42.65 Seventeen years after a global nuclear catastrophe, civilization re-emerges from the chaos to find a world dramatically changed. In Hope County, Montana, the remaining populace has gathered into different groups, each with their own rules for survival. In this new world order, the vicious Highwaymen, led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou, travel from place to place bleeding people dry of all available resources. As the Survivors try to defend their lands against the Highwaymen's relentless onslaught, it's up to you to come to their aid and lead the fight. In the latest instalment of the award-winning Far Cry franchise, you are the last line of defence in a transformed, post-apocalyptic Hope County. Help the community of Survivors grow stronger, craft a makeshift arsenal through Turf Wars and cross-country Expeditions, and form unexpected alliances to fight for survival in a dangerous new frontier. Far Cry New Dawn Performance Available now on UPlay. 1080p Far Cry New Dawn - 1301440p Far Cry New Dawn - 1122160p Far Cry New Dawn - 63 Seven months have passed since a deadly virus hit New York City and the rest of the world, crippling the population. When the virus hit, The Division, a unit of civilian sleeper agents, was activated as the last line of defence. Since then, Division agents have been fighting relentlessly to save what remains. For The Division, the stakes are higher than ever. Washington, D.C. – the most heavily protected city on earth – is at risk, leaving the entire nation on the brink of collapse. If Washington, D.C., is lost, then the nation falls. As a Division agent who has been in the field for seven months, you and your team are the last hope to stop the fall of society after the pandemic collapse. The Division 2 Performance Available now on UPlay. 1080p The Division 2 - 1671440p The Division 2 - 1142160p The Division 2 - 60 Ray Tracing Performance Currently, Ray Tracing is only available on Nvidia graphics cards. We only test this feature on RTX class cards at the time of writing. It can be used on some other cards in an emulated format, but not one that is well suited to benchmarking. Since SUPER is replacing non-SUPER cards, we have not tested the "older cards" just yet. The only exception being the RTX 2080 Ti, which hasn't been given a refresh release. Power Consumption Temperatures Acoustics Overclocking Performance How Much Does It Cost? The Nvidia RTX 2080 Super Founders Edition is available now with an MSRP of $699 / £669. There will be AIB cards too, but the lovely cooler and design from Nvidia both come with a premium of their own, as we all know. Personally, I don't mind paying extra given how well made the Founders Edition cards tend to be, but I can't tell you how to spend your own money. Overview The Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER Founders Edition is a welcome upgrade to the RTX 2080. However, I must admit that after using the RTX 2080, I didn't think it was particularly underpowered really. Of course, when it comes to gaming performance, frame rates matter, and there's no confusion here when it comes to the format of pay a little more and get a little more from the SUPER cards. What did surprise me is just how much of a boost you can get. Closing the gap on the RTX 2080 Ti while still being around half the price! Well, who doesn't love that? Gaming Sure, you can game at 1080p on this card, and if you're rocking a 144Hz+ display, you'll be able to keep those quality settings pretty much maxed out in whatever you choose to play. Even at 1440p using High settings, hitting North of 100 FPS is easy work, and I'd expect similar performance at 3440 x 1440 too. For 4K gamers though, it's just on that sweet spot for pretty much every game. You can keep the pixel count high, the quality high, and still hit the mark on your 60 FPS target. Added Value Ray Tracing and DLSS, of course! Without DXR enabled, we were hitting 100 FPS and 61 FPS at 1440p and 2160p respectively. However, with Ray Tracing and DLSS enabled, the game not only looked stunning but was running at 116 FPS and 77 FPS for the two resolutions. The fantastic Founders Edition cooler is still one of the best looking and best made on the market too. It ran pretty cool and quiet as one would expect, backed up with superb efficiency. Overclocking did give us a 5-6% performance boost, but honestly, I'd rather keep the card running cooler and quieter; it's not like it was slow anyway. Should I Buy One? If I were on the market for a high-end graphics card, which I often am, the RTX 2080 SUPER would be second on my list. I'd be looking at the RTX 2080 Ti with puppy eyes through the shop window, crying into my wallet, and then walk right in and buy the RTX 2080 SUPER. Despite that, I would have no regrets about the SUPER once it was in my rig. It's well made, it's only somewhat painfully expensive compared to the flagship card, and it's SUPER-fast when it comes to gaming; which is what we really want.