ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC, RTX4080-O16G-NOCTUA, 16GB GDDR6X, 2x HDMI, 3x DP

Mit den Noctua-Editionen der bisherigen beiden Varianten setzte ASUS in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Kühler-Spezialisten neue Maßstäbe, wenn es um die Kühlung einer Grafikkarte geht. Die ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC Edition soll dies in der aktuellen Generation wiederholen. Im Test wollen wir uns nun genauer anschauen, welche Vorteile die Karte gegenüber den anderen Modellen hat und ob es auch Nachteile gibt.

Nach RTX 3070 und später auch RTX 3080 schickt Asus mit der GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC nun auch eine RTX-4000-Grafikkarte ins Rennen, die mit einem Kühler aus der Kooperation mit und Lüftern von Noctua ausgestattet ist. Das auf einen leisen Betrieb getrimmte Modell trifft auf eine Konkurrenz, die so stark ist wie nie zuvor.

The ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 Noctua OC variant is an outstanding graphics card that performs its duties with great precision and efficiency. One of the most noteworthy features of this card is its quiet operation, which is achieved without the need for liquid cooling systems. While many people believe that the Noctua variant is exceptionally quiet, it's worth noting that other high-end graphics cards, such as the MSI TWiNFrozer and the ASUS STRIX, offer comparable levels of noise reduction. Despite this, the Noctua card's premium pricing is justified in its overall quality and brand reputation. In silent BIOS mode, the card operates at an almost inaudible level, and including a Noctua cooler has been a long-awaited addition for many gamers. However, it's worth noting that the card's 4-slot size may surprise some users who are used to smaller form factors. Regarding game performance, the Noctua OC variant delivers a modest 0~1% improvement over the founder edition in the most GPU-intensive situations. While it is true that the card's brown and beige color scheme may not appeal to everyone, but it doesn't detract from its impressive performance. One of the card's most convenient features is its dual BIOS, which provides a failsafe option as well as the ability to switch between silent and OC modes. However, the OC BIOS mode doesn't offer any significant performance gains, so it's recommended to stick to the default silent setting. NVIDIA is placing a significant emphasis on the use of DLSS, with the inclusion of vastly improved Tensor cores that aid in the new DLSS 3.0, which currently offers a 2x performance increase. With correct implementation in future games, NVIDIA claims a 3x or 4x performance boost is possible. However, there is ongoing debate about the value of frame injections beyond higher framerates. Ultimately, the visual quality displayed on the monitor is what counts, and in this regard, the GeForce RTX 4080 delivers. One obstacle that high-end graphics cards from NVIDIA face is pricing. Starting at $1299 and likely reaching prices of 1500 EUR, these cards are becoming increasingly unaffordable for most consumers. Additionally, the new power connector may raise concerns as bending the cable too close to the connector, combined with poor quality, can lead to hazardous situations. To avoid this, it is recommended to bend the cable 3-4cm above the connector level. Despite these concerns, all cards tested to date have been checked with FLIR imaging, and no issues have been observed on our side.

ASUS and Noctua are easily two of the most recognizable and respective brands in the PC component industry. Back in 2021, ASUS reached out to Noctua to start a collaboration that brought Noctua's expertise in designing high-quality cooling solutions, including fans, and the ASUS wizardry at building top-notch graphics cards together. In today's review we're covering the ASUS RTX 4080 Noctua OC, which is the company's third ASUS x Noctua graphics card after the RTX 3080 Noctua (May 2022) and RTX 3070 Noctua (Oct 2021).