Best RTX 2080 Graphics Cards For 2022 – GPU Buying Guide
Taking a look at the best RTX 2080 graphics card models available.
Today is the day we get to sit down with Nvidia’s new Turing GPU’s which were released back in Sept of 2018. To be more specific we are going to compare the top aftermarket iterations of the long awaited RTX 2080 which boasts some very handsome new technologies including AI enhanced graphics and Real-time ray tracing which will be touched upon shortly.
So you might be asking yourself, why did they change from GTX, to RTX, and it’s very simple, RTX stands for ray tracing technology and is, in a nutshell, the future of graphics and gaming. It’s a new way in which picture and light is written by the graphics card giving a much more realistic final product. A long side the new processing cores, Nvidia have equipped the RTX range with the latest GDDR6 memory making the RTX much faster than its counterpart, the GTX, and much more efficient. All in all the new RTX range seems very appealing but lets find out which aftermarket card is best, how it stands up to the 1080 ti and whether or not it’s time to invest.
Our Top Picks
The Best RTX 2080
In-depth Review
EVGA Geforce RTX 2080 XC Gaming 8GB
EVGA Geforce RTX 2080 XC Gaming 8GB
EVGA snap up the top performance spot for our best RTX 2080 buyers guide and for good reason. When it comes to performance with a GPU it doesn’t just boil down to how efficiently the card performs ingame. We also take into consideration areas such as temperature, fan efficiency, and design.
The XC Ultra Gaming comes to shelves with a base clock of 1515Mhz and a boost clock of 1815Mhz making it one of the fastest on our list. Thanks to the monstrous heatsink that EVGA has equipped this card with the XC ultra is the largest card in the guide. However, it allows for much more overclocking headroom as the card will naturally stay cooler for longer.
Just be aware when purchasing this card that your case has enough room to accommodate this thing, cause it really is huge.
The design has a translucent shroud which is something we’ve seen in previous Pascal GPUs. Overall I think the design looks great and only boosts the lasting impression I get with this card.
ASUS GeForce RTX 2080 8GB OC Edition
ASUS GeForce RTX 2080 8GB OC Edition
As regular readers will know, products from the ROG range usually appear heavily in our best of guides and that’s thanks to the excellent build quality, fantastic performance levels, and all-around cutting-edge designs that come with the name.
The OC 2080 edition is absolutely no different. It comes in matte black and has a pretty hefty heatsink, the design of this thing just looks gnarly and when paired with ROG’s signature RGB the 2080 comes to life with a sea of color.
Performance-wise the OC 2080 is one of the best on the list boasting impressive clock speeds when OC’d to 1890Mhz. A card of this power needs a solid heatsink to keep things from getting too hot and that’s exactly what ASUS has done. The heatsink is pretty reminiscent of older generation GPUs being both big and bulky. However, what you get with that are quality and efficiency. It was the quietest card we tested and never really felt or sounded like it was under any real pressure.
It is the perfect balance between performance, price, and style and takes the all-around spot in this guide. It’s also at the heart of $2000 build which we consider to be one of the best PCs we’ve built.
MSI Gaming Geforce RTX 2080 8GB Gaming X trio
MSI Gaming Geforce RTX 2080 8GB Gaming X trio
The runner-up position in our best of guide goes to MSI’s RTX 2080 Gaming Xtrio model, but only just. It was a tough choice sitting down and choosing the top 5 GPUs and categorizing them, mainly due to OEMs doing such a good job on their aftermarket offerings.
MSI is a company we think of when picturing high-quality products and the X trio 2080 is no different. 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a triple-fan cooling system, and a newly installed backplate help increase the overall build quality of this card.
Performance levels were slightly under par against the top 2, however, it was still an absolute beast in comparison to other cards available in today’s market.
My only issue with this card is its high-end price tag. You do get decent performance, build quality, and cooling for that price but just didn’t boast very good value for money.
If you’re an MSI advocate then you’ll not be disappointed by this, the RGB will make any build look stylish and the design is cutting edge and cool.
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080
The ZOTAC brand is usually renowned for providing consumers with excellent budget range hardware offerings and the RTX 2080 is one more to add to their ever-growing list.
The guys at ZOTAC really impressed us with their aftermarket model of the 2080 for a few reasons, the first of which was the price. It’s no surprise to anyone to see ZOTAC products at the lower end of the price spectrum and the RTX 2080 is no different. Unlike their 2070, the 2080 comes to the table with a triple-fan cooling system which is both quiet and efficient. It gives users more room for overclocking which is always welcome.
The design is very stylish and edgy which we love here at WEPC. Along with its cool angular shroud, the ZOTAC comes with impressive RGB zones which when installed look very nice. They really hit the nail on the head aesthetically with this one so hats off to the designers.
Performance-wise the clock speed comes in at 1830Mhz in OC mode and handles pretty much everything we threw at it with ease. Price/performance, this GPU scored very highly, again probably to no one’s surprise.
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the higher-end RTX 2080s but still want nice looks and performance, the ZOTAC is high on our list of recommendations.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Windforce 8G
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Windforce 8G
The budget RTX 2080 has been offered by Gigabyte and comes to shelves quite a bit cheaper than everything else in this guide. If what you’re looking for are solid performance benchmarks, a decent design, and effective cooling then the Gigabyte Windforce is probably the model for you.
The base clock is the same as the EVGA, however, the boost clock speed is slightly higher coming in at 1830Mhz making it an extremely good value for money. You might be asking yourself what’s the catch at this stage, how can the Gigabyte be quicker than the EVGA but less? Well, we can only chalk that down to the build quality and efficiency which you only see in the benchmarks.
The FPS on average was slightly less than others here but nothing to be too disheartened about. The heatsink was pretty sturdy and efficient but was quite a bit louder and seemed more stressed in most of the testing scenarios we put this through.
Overall looks decent and runs well, but as with most things Gigabyte has had to cut some corners to accommodate this low price. We still think it’s good value for money and would recommend this if you stick to a budget.
Final Word
And there you have it, our list of top RTX 2080s this 2022. When building one of these best of guides we always like to offer every budget and performance ranking an option. It’s difficult to do that when all the products are very good and around the same price but I feel we’ve managed to categorize them well.
If you’re looking for the absolute best performing card on the list to maximize in-game experience then the EVGA Geforce RTX 2080 XC Gaming 8G is our top selection.
You can check out our GPU Hierarchy right here if you’d like to see where the 2080 falls in our list of best GPUs you can buy today.