The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is NVIDIA’s new flagship gaming GPU, based on the NVIDIA Pascal™ architecture. The latest addition to the ultimate gaming platform, this card is packed with extreme gaming horsepower, next-gen 11 Gbps GDDR5X memory, and a massive 11 GB frame buffer. The GeForce GTX 1080Ti has been the most awaited GPU by the enthusiasts and the gamers alike for it offers almost the same performance as that of the TitanX Pascal. The GeForce GTX 1080Ti is a cut-down version of the GeForce GTX TitanX Pascal yet at affordable price.

The GeForce GTX 1080Ti features 3584 Cuda cores spread across 28SM with memory bandwidth of 484GB/s on 352-bit interface and 12 billion transistors. It is based on 16nm FinFET lithography with chip size of 471 mm2.  We have 11GB of VRAM clocked at 11Gbps. Chip is clocked at 1480MHz base clock and 1582MHz boost clock with thermal limit of 90C at 250W power. We have total 88 render output units on the GeForce GTX 1080Ti. The new dualFET design by the Nvidia allows the card to run at more power yet with more efficiency than the GeForce GTX 1080.

When it comes to PC Components, AsusTek is among one of the best names we have in the market. It was founded in 1989 in Taiwan. Ever since its foundation, Asus has seen a phenomenal growth and diversity in its business line. When it comes to Asus, the first associated name that comes to mind is ROG or Republic of Gamers. ROG brand was introduced in 2006 and it focuses on mainstream gamers/enthusiasts with products ranging from Motherboard, Graphics Cards to Peripherals. ROG is now pinnacle of the Asus products lineup. Strix has been a new addition to the ROG lineup and here is what Asus is saying about it: “ROG Strix is the newest recruit into the Republic of Gamers. A series of specialized gaming gear designed for the rebel in all of us, Strix exemplifies ROG’s premier performance, innovative technology, and leading quality, but with its own confident and dynamic attitude. Featuring bold designs and bright colors, this exciting new series possesses a spirit of fierce individualism that charges every gaming experience with thrilling energy. ROG Strix equips players with the necessary speed and agility to dominate their game. A new generation of force has arrived. Join the Republic and experience the power of ROG Strix.”

Today, I will be reviewing the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G edition. This graphics card has triple slot design for optimal cooling effectiveness and it does that with the silent operation. Aura plays important role in adding a much subtle touch to the looks and feels of the card.

Product: ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G

Manufacturer: Asus

Price: $779 / £799 [At the time of the review]

Specifications

Packing

The graphics card comes in a standard cardboard box. On the front side we have a ROG brand name and the logo printed on the top left side. The graphics card model is printed under the picture of the card. Asus, AURA Sync and OC are printed on the bottom left side. Salient features of the Pascal are printed on the bottom right. Strix in multi-color is printed diagonally crossing from the upper left side to the bottom mid. It signifies the RGB effect on the card.

ROG brand name and logo are printed on the top left side. STRIX GAMING GRAPHICS CARD is printed right next to the ROG logo. The graphics card’s model is printed on the top extending towards the right end. There are 6 pictures highlighting the salient features like MaxContact technology, Wing-Blade IP5X certified fans, AURA SYNC etc. Under the ROG logo is another picture featuring the VR Readiness of the card.

The left side of the packing box has Minimum system requirements info printed in 14 different languages. UPS, EAN, Part No, Serial No label are printed on the right side of the box. These requirements are:

• Minimum 600W PSU with 42A on 12V rail.
• PCIe Compliant motherboard with dual-width graphics slot.
• 300MB of free disk space.
• 8GB System memory (16GB recommended)
• Microsoft Windows 7 and above (x32, x64)
• 2 8 8-pin PCIe connectors

The right side of the box has ROG brand name and logo printed on the left side while the graphics card model no is printed on the right side.

Opening the box would reveal another container box with the STRIX printed in the middle.

Opening that container box would reveal the contents of the packing. We can see a black color container with the Asus brand name printed on the middle. This is nicely placed inside the top protective covering. This container has the User Installation guide and the installation disk.

Removing the top protective container would reveal the graphics card wrapped inside a protective antistatic sheet. A 2-6pin to 8pin converter cable is included along with two stylish Velcro strips with Republic Of Gamers name and logo printed on them.

Accessories

Accessories include the installation guide, the Installation CD, Velcro Strips and the converter cable.

Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G is a beautifully designed graphics card. It carries the same shroud design as was introduced with the release of the Pascal generation cards. It is a triple slot design yet with aesthetically pleasing looks and feels to it. Aura Sync adds the subtle touch when in operation and it speaks for itself. This design really complements the ROG series motherboards from the Asus. My test bench features the Asus ROG Rampage V Edition 10 and this card has complemented the looks of the motherboard very well.

Let’s dig deep in the design elements of this card and explore the might and the beauty of it. This card has the most unique and stylish cooler shroud than other brands in the market. The cooler shroud is made of plastic. Top and bottom cutouts on the cooler have LEDs on them which can be controlled with AURA Graphics Card software available on Asus website. The Central fan has ASUS brand name printed in white color on its fan hub whereas the other two fans have ROG Eye printed on the fan hub. With the curves, edges grooves Asus not only has able to maintain the typical Strix looks it is known for but has given the user what could be described as one of the most stunning design.

Asus has taken a different approach with the ROG Strix 1080Ti cooler design. They have increased the width of fin stack by 40% which has enabled them to have more sink surface area for more effective heat dissipation across the complete surface by doing that they have made the card to be effectively a 2.5 slot design. Asus is claiming this design to bring 30% more cooling and 3X quieter gaming performance.

Asus MaxContact is an industry-first GPU cooling technology that features an enhanced nickel plated copper plate that makes direct contact with the GPU. This plate is 10 times flatter than the traditional plates. MaxContact utilizes precision machining to provide a surface that makes up to 2X more contact with the GPU than traditional heat spreaders, resulting in an improved thermal transfer.

This card has 3 90mm fans with wing-blade design. The Central fan has Asus sticker pasted on the fan motor hub. The left and the right fans have ROG sticker pasted on them. These fans have an IP5X certification which means they are more dust resistant which would improve their reliability and a longer lifespan. Patented wing-blade fans delivers maximum air flow and 105% greater static pressure over the heat sink while operating at an up to 3X quieter volume than reference cards.

Innovative 0dB technology stops the fan completely when the GPU temperature remains below a 55C, letting you enjoy light gaming in complete silence. Please note that thermal limit would vary from model to model and brand to brand. 55C is for the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti.

Let’s take a look on the top side of the graphics card. STRIX is printed on the lower left part of the shroud. GeForce GTX is printed on the upper part of the shroud opposing the STRIX. This is a new edition in the design which was not present on the previous models. Fins are straight not angular as can be seen from the fin stack. Shroud is not fully covering the fin stack which is a must for effective heat dissipation. “Republic of Gamers” brand name and logo are on the top left side of the shroud. They have LED underneath and light up under operation.

The card requires two 8-pin power connectors to power it up. Both connectors have LED beneath them to indicate their action. Static white color would normal power is connected and red when power is not connected.

Let’s have a look at the top front side of the graphics card. Shroud end is not fully covering the heat sink. Heads or terminating ends of the 5 heat pipes are visible. Underneath we have two PWM fan headers. ASUS FanConnect II features two 4-pin, hybrid-controlled headers that can be connected to both PWM and DC system fans for optimal system cooling. The connected fans reference both the GPU and CPU, operating automatically based on the one with the higher temperature. One fan power connector and the RGB LED power connector are visible on the left side.

This end of the shroud has extended over the PCB and the heat sink which adds to the looks of the card from the front side and gives the impression of one complete design.

On the back side of the graphics card, we have a same metal back plate as has been on the other models under Pascal generation. It has printed lines in a pattern to signify Strix concept. We’ve large size ROG Eye in white background. This section is implemented with RGB LED and really adds to the cool looks of the card when in use. We can see 8-pin and 6-pin power connectors. There are what seem to be soldered overclocking tweaking points right next to the power connectors. One of the screws on the GPU bracket is covered with a white sticker. Peeling or tearing that would void the warranty.

Two SLI fingers are visible and that section is exposed not being covered by the backplate. VRM section is exposed as well for effective heat dissipation. ASUS and STRIX are printed on the top side of the back plate.

The rear side has the IO panel for the output. We have two HDMI ports, two Display Ports and a DVI-D port. This configuration allows the user enjoy immersive virtual reality experiences anytime without having to swap cables by having a VR Device connected with other displays at the same time. Backside implementation allows the better cable management as well.

The bottom side of the card clearly shows the two fin stacks on the cooler. Thermal pads have been used on possible point of contacts between PCB and the cooler. PCB color is black.

This card has 10+2 power phases using Super Alloy Power II components. These components would enhance the efficiency, reduce the power loss and would achieve sustained thermal levels.

All ASUS graphics cards are now produced using Auto-Extreme Technology, an industry-exclusive, 100% automated production process that incorporates premium materials to set a new standard of quality. Auto-Extreme Technology ensures consistent graphics card quality as well as improved performance and longevity. This new manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly, eliminating harsh chemicals and reducing power consumption by 50%. 

Aura Sync

Featuring Aura RGB Lighting on both the shroud and the back plate, ROG Strix graphics cards are capable of displaying millions of colors and six different effects for a personalized gaming system. ROG Strix graphics cards also feature ASUS Aura Sync, RGB LED synchronization technology that enables complete gaming system personalization when the graphics card is paired with an Aura-enabled gaming motherboard. There are 6 modes which user can configure and select for the color effect.

• Static mode. A single color of user’s choice would remain lit.
• Breathing mode would fade in and out the user’s selected color.
• Strobing mode flashes the user’s selected color.
• Music Effect mode would produce the pulses of user’s selected color.
• Breathing mode will enable the user to select the color which will be then faded in and out.
• GPU Temperature will change the color depending on the load and the temps under those loads.

Test Bench

Following test bench setup was used to test the performance of the graphics card:

• Intel i7 6850k
• Asus Rampage V Edition 10
• Corsair Vengeance Red LED 8x8GB @ 2666MHz
• Reeven Justice RC-1204
• Corsair AX1200i
• Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD for OS
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for Steam Games
• WD Black 6TB for Origin and Uplay games

Previously, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 and Gear of Wars 4 were the part of the test games. They have been dropped from this test and onwards. Metro Last Light Redux will continue to be featured as this game based on its rich environment and taxing effects on the graphics card are handy to measure the performance of any given graphics card. Following games have been tested: –

• Battlefield 1
• DOOM
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Metro Last Light Redux
• Far Cry 4
• Far Cry Primal
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
• The Witcher 3
• Rise of the Tomb Raider

Microsoft Windows 10 x64 version 1607 was used. Nvidia graphics driver version 381.65 were used. FPS were monitored using GeForce Experience 3.5.0.70. Game settings were set from within the games, not from the GeForce Experience. Battlefield 1 and the Rise of the Tomb Raider were tested in DX11 and DX12 modes. From this review and onwards, 4k performance will also be measured and reported. All the reported framerates are average FPS.

Following synthetic benchmarks were used:

• 3dMark
• Unigine Superposition

Previously Unigine Heaven and Valley were a part of our testing but they have been dropped and only superposition will be featured from onwards.

SLI
Before moving on to the performance section, let’s have a few words on the SLI of the GTX 1080Tis. One can for sure have a heck of a beast setup with two of these performance packed cards but as has always been the hot topic of the debate, the scaling even today is at large game and app bound. Graphs have some interesting data for our readers. While many games would show the tremendous amount of the gain yet there are few with negative scaling or lower to no scaling at all on the lower resolution.

Let’s take a look on performance graphs.

SLI has dwarfed all the other scores here. I was so pleased to have a 99% better scores overall on the 3dMark website. Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11G has 0.6% lead over the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G which very marginal. Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G has 35% performance gain over the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 A8G which is a massive gain.

With SLI, Time Spy has a whopping graphics score of 19944. There is a 42% performance boost from Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 8AG to Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G.

Unigine Superposition

Unigine Superposition does not support SLI out of the box. One would need to tweak the SLI profiles to add SLI profile of the Unigine Superposition so that multi-card configuration can be tested. Numbers are speaking for themselves.

Battlefield 1 DX11

The Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080Ti O11G has outperformed all the graphics cards tested and even on 4k, FPS were above 60 mark on Ultra settings. This speaks for itself on how beastly this card is. SLI has as usual surprising result. Scaling was superb on 4k with average FPS count of 98 but lower resolutions have no scaling performance. I had to turn off the TAA under Anti-Aliasing so that SLI can work.

Battlefield 1 DX12

The performance hit is still visible on DX12 but the graphics card is still solid even on 4k. Unfortunately, I lost scaling under DX12. Even on 4k resolution, there was no scaling at all.

DOOM

DOOM was tested using Vulcan API and Ultra settings using SMAA. Both the 1080Ti are neck to neck. SLI shows no scaling even on a 4k resolution.

Metro Last Light Redux

Metro Last Light Redux was tested on Very High graphics settings with AX 16 and 2x SSAA. Oh boy, SLI of GTX 1080Ti has thrown this game out. Both 1080Tis were again in a tie.

Grand Theft Auto – V

Grand Theft Auto – V was tested with maxed out settings on Ultra with 4x MSAA. The Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G shown a good lead on 1080p which vanishes on higher resolutions and both GTX 1080Tis were again a tie. SLI was again surprising. We have a very good scaling on 4k but not that much on lower resolutions.

Far Cry 4

This game was tested with maxed out settings and 4x MSAA. Again with a 1-2 FPS difference both 1080Tis were neck-to-neck. Scaling was good on 4k but on a lower resolution, scaling was reduced though it was still a positive scaling. 

Far Cry Primal

The Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G takes the marginal lead in this game. I have experienced the worst scaling ever. This negative scaling would force the user to disable the SLI configuration as there are very good numbers on a single card configuration. Asus card was impressive on 4k.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Both cards have almost same performance though the Asus card has the marginal lead. SLI was good.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DX11

Again excellent performance by the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G followed closely by the Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11G. I observed the negative scaling in this game.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DX12

This is the only game on my test bench which seems to be taking advantage of the DX12 even for SLI configuration. Solid performance all over from the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G. Scaling was marginal on 1080p but on 1440p, we have a good scaling. I am hopeful that 4k results would have been much better with SLI.

The Witcher 3

On Ultra settings without Nvidia’s Hairworks, both 1080Tis performed exceptionally well. Even scaling was better in this game. 

Acoustics

Fans were left on default fan curve. Foneso Digital Sound Level Meter version A0 was used to test the sound level. 40dB is quite impressive.

Thermals

Room temp was 37C at the time of the testing. In an open bench table, the maximum temperature hit by the graphics card was 74C. With overclocking, a max temperature was 75C.

Power Consumption

The Corsair AX1200i is a digital PSU with monitoring enabled on the power consumption. Corsair Link was used to check the power consumption under stock clocks and overclocked clocks. Unigine Heaven and AIDA64 were run at the same time to check the combined power consumption of the system. On stock clocks the maximum power that PC draws from the PSU was 560W. With overclocked graphics card the maximum power drawn was 585W. Bear in mind that CPU was also overclocked to 4.3GHz at 1.350V. Power limit on this card is 120% as compared to 125% on the Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11G.

Overclocking

The Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G is a factory overclocked graphics card. O11G denominates Overclocked with 11GB video ram. In gaming mode, we have 1569MHz base clock as compared to the 1480MHz on the Nvidia’s reference design base clock. In OC mode the base clock is 1594MHz. I managed to get +60MHz on the core clock and +270MHz on the memory clock. These settings were tested on 50% voltage tweak. Voltage can only be unlocked in the Asus GPU-Tweak II though there are ways to make it work in MSI Afterburner. Card boosted to 1974MHz out of the box. With overclocking it boosted to 2035MHz stable though max it goes was 2050MHz but it was not stable in Superposition benchmark hence it was rejected.

Here are the results of the synthetic benchmarks and gaming performance with overclocked graphics card:

3dMark

Superposition

Battlefield 1

Software

Asus has designed comprehensive software to control and monitor their graphics cards. This software is known as GPU-Tweak-II. It has typical red and black color theme on it which represents ROG traditional colors. Though in recent times, ROG has taken a deviation from the Red/Black combo and is setting yet another tradition when it comes to colors on the brand.

Main window of the software shows three main indicators which are: –

• VRAM Usage
• GPU Speed
• Temperature

Red bar on these circles show the corresponding value of the indicator. On top we have model no of the graphics card on the left side with three buttons to its right, Home, Info and Tools.

Home button is default and can be clicked at any time to bring the main window back on the screen. Info button will show the Graphics Cards specs with built-in GPU-Z implementation. Tools button has Game XSplit Game Caster, AURA Graphics Card and the ROG Furmark buttons to launch the corresponding app.

Below the model no, we’ve a triangle featuring the blend of most important factors that end user would want. They are Performance, Coolness, and Silence. A perfect combination of these three is what Strix is all about. One can have utmost performance with exceptional cooling yet silent operations. Our card has boosted to 1974MHz at just 40dB sound on the fans with 74C temps clearly indicating what Asus has achieved here. Red color span within triangle would vary with each profile showing how the card would manage all three with respective profile.

Next we have 4 profiles which are OC Mode, Gaming Mode, Silent Mode and My Profile. Gaming is a default mode with base clock of 1569Mhz and boost clock of 1683MHz. OC Mode will increase the Power factor of the card and it has base clock of 1594MHz and boost clock of 1708MHz. My Profile will allow the user to create custom profile based on user’s own settings. This can be done in Professional Mode where all the settings like Voltage Control, Power Level, Base Clock, Memory Clock, Fan Speed can be configured. Fan can be set on Auto or Custom fan curve.

Monitoring window can be activated by clicking on the Monitoring button at the bottom left side of the main window. Monitoring window shows all the critical variables for monitoring. Values are mentioned in Min, Max and Current value is shown on the graph. User has the option to monitor only the desired variables. Monitoring window can be disconnected from main window by clicking once on the chain button between both windows.

Gaming Booster option is at the bottom of the main window. Clicking this would open a new window. Here we’ve three options. Visual Effects, System Services, System Memory Defragmentation. Visual effects reduces the windows visual flares like animations, animated themes to reduce the performance hit these settings could have on the performance. System Services would allow to stop the not needed services to boost the performance. System memory defragmentation would help restore the wasted memory space and would boost the application handling.

In crux, this software has everything, user would have dreamt of to monitor and control their graphics cards. Plus, interface is easy to understand and once, you have launched it, it will get you going.

The Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti is the second GTX 1080Ti on my test bench and this card has beaten all the other cards tested on my bench so far. I have a clear winner here. It is none other but the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G closely followed by the Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11G. With its stylish yet beefy cooler, beautiful shroud suiting to the Strix concept, solid metal back plate, Copper based GPU base plate, 3 90mm fans with wing-blade design and IP5X certification, VR Ready, Aura Sync are few of the whopping features to list a few. The design is bold and aggressive. Users can have a sheer power at their disposal with this card. It is powerful yet silent. Though, it does not have more headroom for overclocking on the chip itself. This card has 10+2 power phases. Other than that, I really have no complaint with the card. Both 1080Tis that I have tested so far have less room for overclocking but Strix card allows more overclocking on the memory.

Value

This card is listed as $779. Definitely an expensive solution but for the $779 one would get the ultimate gaming experience. I have tested Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11G which is one step down offering as Extreme edition is there as well whereas Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G is an OC edition by the Asus. Both cards have same clocks out of the box. Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080Ti holds a better value in my opinion as it would set you back with $719 while offering almost the same performance. Though, at this point, we simply would not expect any offering to be carrying a drastic performance in terms of the clocks. Buying choice would probably be based on the brand preference, design, looks and feel, warranty etc.

Performance

I did not encounter any issue while gaming with this graphics card. It chewed and digested everything that I threw at it. 4k is still a demanding resolution to game at particularly on maxed out settings and I did not see this card to be an exception to that. But, with fewer settings adjustment one can get very good performance on 4k. In my opinion, users playing at 1440p and above with higher refresh rates should consider the GeForce GTX 1080Ti. It is overkill for the 1080p and 1440p (60Hz) resolution. But if you have a budget and are in the market for the new graphics card then we have a new winner on our test bench, Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G has got you covered.

With raw performance out of the box, stunning looks profuse by Aura Sync, a powerful cooling solution in the market, VR support with multi-display at the same time and simple yet effective software, the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080Ti O11G has won our performance award.

I am thankful to the Asus Pakistan for giving me the opportunity to review the Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080Ti O11G.