Best GTX 1080 Graphics Cards in 2022 – GPU Buying Guide
We Go Over The Best GTX 1080 Graphics Cards For Each And Every Need
While we’re always happy to cover GPU topics, including a huge list of the best GPUs in 2022, a few people felt like we left a favorite pick out.
Despite the release of Nvidia’s RTX series (including the recently released GTX 1660 and its Ti variant), the GeForce GTX 1080 remains one of the most popular GPUs on the market. However, since every big manufacturer gets to make their own card based on Nvidia’s reference design, you’re going to end up with dozens of different graphics cards with (slightly) differing gaming performance, (greatly) differing cooling performance, and size.
It can be a lot to handle and sort through, especially if you’re new to all of this. That’s why we’re here to help you choose which GTX 1080 to buy in 2022.
Our Top Picks
The Top 5 GTX 1080 Of 2022
In-depth Review
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 GAMING
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 GAMING
EVGA is well-known for their high-quality hardware, but most especially their excellent Power Supply Units and Nvidia graphics cards. Of the Nvidia GPU manufacturers, EVGA is renowned for their excellent customer support, build quality, and generally high-performing cards. It’s no surprise, then, that they dominate the out-of-box performance tier in this list. And since they don’t slack on cooling, you may be able to push the overclock even farther on your own.
Whether you’re a passionate overclocker or you just want the best out-of-the-box performance, the FTW2 GAMING is clearly a great pick.
ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080
ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080
There are two downsides to this card, and we’re going to get them out of the way now.
Problem one is the price. These can retail for much higher than your usual 1080, sometimes up to $100 more, but usually closer to $50 or so. Problem two is the size…if your wallet could handle this card, you better hope that your case can, too, because it is massive. However, that downside is because of one of the best parts of the card: its excellent cooling.
With a massive heatsink and three fan-setup, it’s pretty much impossible for this card to not have great cooling. Great cooling also means that this card should have plenty of overclocking headroom. Enough headroom to possibly push it past the EVGA FTW2, which would make this the fastest GTX 1080.
Even if you aren’t willing to do extra OC work, you’re getting very strong out-of-box performance, top-notch build quality, and even features like RGB lighting built into the card. While the STRIX might cost extra, we think it’s worth that extra money if you’re willing to spend it.
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini ITX
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Mini ITX
Let’s get this out of the way now: if you’re looking for an overclocking GPU, this one isn’t it. While it does have a modest factory overclock, you’re unlikely to push it much farther than that. In spite of that, it should stay pretty close to the other cards on this list in terms of performance.
But its strong suit really shines if you’re building an ITX PC, a console-esque PC, or HTPC. You simply aren’t going to find another GTX 1080 that is this compact while enabling true 4K gaming in a way that consoles simply cannot. If you want your PC tiny and powerful (and don’t have the money for a 1080 Ti Mini), this is the card for you.
Zotac GTX 1080 Mini
Zotac GTX 1080 Mini
Despite the “Mini” in its name, this card isn’t the smallest on this list, so it doesn’t win the Low Profile category. However, it does win the Budget category, since it’s the cheapest card on this list, and by extension the cheapest GTX 1080 we’re willing to recommend.
Despite being the cheapest, it actually does have a humble factory overclock, making its out-of-the-box performance superior to that of a few of the other options on this list. Despite its small size, it’s also competently cooled at this clock speed, though we recommend against overclocking it farther lest you risk crashing or overheating.
ASUS GTX 1080 TURBO
ASUS GTX 1080 TURBO
Last but not least is our balanced pick. While it and the Low Profile pick have the lowest factory overclocks on this list, don’t judge the book by the cover here: its cooler is pretty good, so you should be able to push the overclock a good bit farther without crashing or overheating your GPU. Size-wise, it’s about as long as your average GPU (ten inches), so it should be just fine for full ATX cases and many Micro ATX cases.
If you want a balanced pick and you’re willing to do just a little bit of your own tweaking this is the card for you.
Final Word
We hope that this guide helped you find the right GTX 1080 for you. Feel free to comment below and let us know which card you went with, or what you think of our picks. You can also just ask for help if you need it– we’re serious about monitoring our comments and making sure our community is being well-served.
You can check out our GPU Hierarchy right here.