The GeForce GTX 1080 is (as of today) the company’s flagship graphics card and it’s the fastest card that NVIDIA can offer to PC gamers. Actually, the current fastest is the Titan X Pascal, but that’s not really geared towards the mainstream gamers, and probably a cut down version of the Titan X Pascal will be released soon. The GTX 1080 is the successor of the GTX 980, and is geared towards 1440 and 4K gamers. When the GTX 1080 was first announced, NVIDIA said that the GTX 1080 Founders Edition would retail for $699 and the non-reference graphics cards would retail for $599. At this point in time, it seems that stocks are slowly replenishing and prices are back to normal. I have listed below all or most of the known GeForce GTX 1080 released on the market. This list will help you compare the different specs (specially the clock speeds) and find out which is the fastest or best GeForce GTX 1080 around. Admittedly, this list may not be complete as it lacks actual benchmark scores. But generally and theoretically speaking, the higher the clock speed means the faster the card goes. Go ahead and check them below.
GeForce GTX 1080 Specifications Comparison
Basically, all of the GeForce GTX 1080 in the market shares the same GPU core from NVIDIA, and that’s very obvious. Each non-reference GTX 1080 from different companies have varying clock speeds out of the box, different cooler design, PCB layout and other gimmicks to attract gamers, enthusiasts and system builders. However most (if not all) will have the same overclocking potential, and could more or less hit the same highest clock speeds when manually overclock. Unfortunately, NVIDIA has implemented various limiters, so no matter how good the company designs their own GTX 1080, it won’t go significantly faster compared to other GTX 1080s on the market.
All GeForce GTX 1080s that are available today are based on the new 16nm FinFET process and features NVIDIA’s new Pascal architecture. It’s faster and significantly more power efficient compared to the previous Maxwell architecture. The GTX 1080 takes advantage of the full GP104 chip and is paired with a faster GDDR5X memory.
The GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card has 2560 CUDA cores, 8GB of GDDR5X memory with 320 GB/s memory bandwidth and 256-bit of memory interface. It comes with output connectors such as DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and Dual-Link-DVI; supports multi-monitor display and HDCP 2.2. They also require at least a 500W power supply and a single 8-pin PCI power connector. However some GTX 1080 requires a 6+8 pin (or even an 8+8 pin), and power draw varies from one model to another.
All GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards also features NVIDIA’s latest technology: Multi-projection, VR Ready, NVIDIA Ansel, NVIDIA SLI supporting SLI High Bandwidth Bridge, G-Sync, GameStream, GPU Boost 3.0, DirectX 12 API with level 12_1, Vulkan API, OpenGL 4.5, and PCIe 3.0.
The GeForce GTX 1080 is really an overkill for 1080p gaming, it is best suited for 1440p and 4K gaming. NVIDIA is actually pushing the GTX 1080 for 4K gaming, but I think it’s not the card yet for 4K with 60 fps across the board, max settings. Don’t get me wrong, the GTX 1080 can definitely run games at 4K UHD or 2160p, but for some games specially heavy and graphics extensive games, you will have to tone down the settings to achieve an average of 60fps. It’s still not that powerful, unlike a GTX 980Ti to a 1080p or GTX 1070 to a 1440p.
Listed below are the different GeForce GTX 1080s available in the market. Initially the list is sorted according to the graphics card’s name, but you can sort it according to clock speeds and etc.
Also, there are some GTX 1080s (like from Asus, MSI and Gigabyte) that comes with two clock speed modes. They have a so-called gaming mode and OC mode. I will place the gaming mode first followed by the OC mode inside a parenthesis, since the gaming mode is usually their default setting and the speed you get right out of the box.
GeForce GTX 1080 Specs Compared
Photo | Model | Base Clock (MHz) | Boost Clock (MHz) | Memory Clock (MHz) | Cooler Type | Power Connectors | Length | Width |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asus TURBO GTX1080 8G | 1607 | 1733 | 10010 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
Asus STRIX GTX1080 8G GAMING | 1607 (1632) | 1733 (1771) | 10010 | DirectCU III triple fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 11.73" | 2-slot | |
Asus STRIX GTX1080 A8G GAMING | 1670 (1695) | 1809 (1835) | 10010 | DirectCU III triple fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 11.73" | 2-slot | |
Asus STRIX GTX1080 O8G GAMING | 1759 (1784) | 1898 (1936) | 10010 | DirectCU III triple fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 11.73" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 GAMING | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 GAMING ACX 3.0 | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | ACX 3.0 | 1x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0 | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | ACX 3.0 | 2x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 SC GAMING ACX 3.0 | 1708 | 1847 | 10000 | ACX 3.0 | 1x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0 | 1721 | 1860 | 10000 | ACX 3.0 | 2x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW HYBRID GAMING | 1721 | 1860 | 10000 | Hybrid AIO Liquid | 2x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
EVGA GTX 1080 CLASSIFIED GAMING ACX 3.0 | 1721 | 1860 | 10000 | ACX 3.0 | 2x 8-pin | 11" | 2-slot | |
Gainward GTX 1080 Phoenix | 1607 | 1733 | 5000 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Gainward GTX 1080 Phoenix GS | 1708 | 1847 | 5000 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Gainward GTX 1080 Phoenix GLH | 1746 | 1885 | 5250 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 Virtual Edition | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 281mm | 2-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 EX OC | 1657 | 1797 | 10000 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 296mm | 2-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 EX OC SNPR White | 1657 | 1797 | 10000 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 371mm | 2-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 EX OC SNPR Black | 1657 | 1797 | 10000 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 371mm | 2-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 HOF | 1733 | 1873 | 10000 | Triple Fan | 2x 8-pin | 330mm | 2.5-slot | |
Galax GTX 1080 HOF Limited Ed. | 1809 | 1961 | 10000 | Triple Fan | 2x 8-pin | 330mm | 2.5-slot | |
Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming | 1695 (1721) | 1835 (1860) | 10010 | Windforce 3X | 1x 8-pin | 280mm | 2-slot | |
Gigabyte GTX 1080 WINDFORCE OC 8G | 1632 (1657) | 1771 (1797) | 10010 | Windforce 3X | 1x 8-pin | 280mm | 2-slot | |
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming | 1759 (1784) | 1898 (1936) | 10206 (10400) | Windforce Stack 3x | 2x 8-pin | 287mm | 2.5-slot | |
Gigabyte GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming Water cooling | 1759 (1784) | 1898 (1936) | 10203 (10400) | Waterforce AIO | 2x 8-pin | 264mm | 2-slot | |
Inno3D GTX 1080 TWIN X2 | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | HerculeZ Dual Fan | 1x 8-pin | 266mm | 2-slot | |
Inno3D iChill GTX 1080 X3 | 1759 | 1898 | 10400 | iChiLL X3 PDCS (3 fans) | 6-pin + 8-pin | 302.2mm | 2.5-slot | |
Inno3D iChill GTX 1080 X3 V2 | 1733 | 1873 | 10400 | iChiLL X3 PDCS (3 fans) | 6-pin + 8-pin | 302.2mm | 2.5-slot | |
Inno3D iChill GTX 1080 X4 | 1759 | 1898 | 10400 | iChiLL X4 APCS (3 fans) | 6-pin + 8-pin | 302.2mm | 2.5-slot | |
Inno3D iChill GTX 1080 X4 V2 | 1733 | 1873 | 10400 | iChiLL X4 APCS (3 fans) | 6-pin + 8-pin | 302.2mm | 2.5-slot | |
Inno3D iChill GTX 1080 Black | 1759 | 1898 | 10400 | Accelero Hybrid S AIO | 6-pin + 8-pin | 266mm | 2.5-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 AERO 8G | 1607 | 1733 | 10010 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 269mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 AERO 8G OC | 1632 | 1771 | 10010 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 269mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 ARMOR 8G | 1607 | 1733 | 10010 | Dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 279mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 ARMOR 8G OC | 1657 | 1797 | 10010 | Dual Fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 279mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 GAMING 8G | 1620 (1632) | 1759 (1771) | 10010 | Twin Frozr VI | 6-pin + 8-pin | 279mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G | 1683 (1708) | 1822 (1847) | 10010 (10108) | Twin Frozr VI | 6-pin + 8-pin | 279mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 GAMING Z 8G | 1733 (1771) | 1873 (1911) | 10108 | Twin Frozr VI | 6-pin + 8-pin | 279mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 SEA HAWK EK X | 1683 (1708) | 1822 (1847) | 10010 (10108) | EK Waterblock | 6-pin + 8-pin | 278mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 SEA HAWK X | 1683 (1708) | 1822 (1847) | 10010 (10108) | Corsair AIO Liquid | 1x 8-pin | 270mm | 2-slot | |
MSI GTX 1080 30th Anniversary | 1695 (1721) | 1835 (1860) | 10010 (10108) | EK AIO Liquid | 6-pin + 8-pin | 277mm | 2-slot | |
NVIDIA GTX 1080 Founders Edition | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 10.5" | 2-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 JetStream | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | JetStream dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 Super JetStream | 1708 | 1847 | 10000 | JetStream dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 GameRock | 1645 | 1784 | 10000 | GameRock dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 GameRock Premium Ed. | 1746 | 1885 | 10500 | GameRock dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 GameRock + G-Panel | 1645 | 1785 | 10000 | GameRock dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
Palit GTX 1080 GameRock Prem. Ed. + G-Panel | 1746 | 1885 | 10500 | GameRock dual fan | 6-pin + 8-pin | 285mm | 2.5-slot | |
PNY GTX 1080 XLR8 Gaming OC | 1708 | 1848 | 10000 | XLR8 Triple Cooler | 1x 8-pin | 11.5" | 2-slot | |
ZOTAC GTX 1080 OEM | 1607 | 1733 | 10000 | Blower | 1x 8-pin | 266.7mm | 2-slot | |
Zotac GTX 1080 AMP Edition | 1683 | 1822 | 10000 | Icestorm dual Fan | 2x 8-pin | 300mm | 2-slot | |
Zotac GTX 1080 AMP Extreme | 1771 | 1911 | 10800 | Icestorm triple Fan | 2x 8-pin | 325mm | 2.5-slot | |
Zotac GTX 1080 ArcticStorm | 1632 | 1771 | 10000 | Waterblock Liquid | 2x 8-pin | 300mm | 2-slot | |
Zotac GTX 1080 Mini | 1620 | 1759 | 10000 | Dual fan | 1x 8-pin | 211mm | 2-slot |
Note: If there’s a GTX 1080 not included in the comparison list above, hit the comment section below and we’ll add it.
Based on the GTX 1080 specs comparison table above, the GTX 1080 with the highest clock speed out of the box are the Galax GTX 1080 HOF Limited Edition and Zotac GTX 1080 AMP Extreme. However the Asus STRIX GTX 1080 08G Gaming has a (very slightly) higher clock speed vs the Zotac GTX 1080 AMP Extreme when the STRIX 1080 is set to OC mode using the Asus GPU Tweak; same goes with Gigabyte 1080 Xtreme Gaming. But take note, you can manually overclock the Zotac GTX 1080 AMP Extreme to match or get even higher clock speeds than the STRIX 1080. In fact most of the non-reference graphics cards here can be manually overclocked to run at around 2GHz to 2.1GHz; pretty much the limit under normal circumstances.
If you are planning to buy a GTX 1080 today, my suggestion would be to base your decision on your preferred design or cooling solution/performance/technology, followed by price. If you want to fastest GTX 1080 out of the box simply get the one with the highest clock speeds out of the box, especially if you are not comfortable tweaking the card’s settings. However, it saves a lot to learn how to overclock your card manually.
I hope this article helped you in one way or another. Please don’t forget to share this article to your friends if you find it useful and helpful.
Also check out our GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Compared, GeForce GTX 1070 Compared and GeForce GTX 1060 Compared.
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