Cool running RTX 3080 or hot running RTX 3080 ti

[Sleepy Dobe]

Sorry if this is repeated. I tried searching the forum but couldn't find anything similar.

 

I'm currently planning a new build to replace my pre-built i5-4440 and GPU prices in my country have come down to a level that I can just about get a RTX 3080. Looking at the ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 3080 OC as most reviews show it to have one of the lowest temperatures even when under load. My ambient temp here is usually around the high 20s degC, sometimes even 30degC. However, if I stretch my budget a little, about the equivalent of USD80-100, I can get the ZOTAC RTX 3080ti Trinity OC. I know it's a substantially hotter card than the ASUS but it's a 3080ti. Should I spend the extra money and put up with higher temps or louder noise from the fans, or stick to the ASUS? I do not foresee upgrading my GPU or CPU for the next 3-4 years. The objective is to be able to get at least 60FPS on AAA games in quality settings in 4K, with RT on if the game supports it, for the next 3-4 years. At most maybe I drop the settings to high or medium as game developers make more GPU-taxing games in the near future. Any thoughts from the experts here?

 

These are the components I'm planning:

 

Ryzen 7 5800X

X570 Tomahawk Wifi

G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600MHz 32GB

Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB

Crucial MX500 1TB

Toshiba HDD 2TB (transfer from pre-built)

Corsair RMx 850W Gold PSU

Noctua NH-D15

Fractal Design Torrent ATX Tower

 

PS: I know I'm using Gen3 stuff on a Gen4 mb, but it's for future upgrades. Plus the board is cheap here now.

[SpookyCitrus]

If you're going for high visual fidelity and 4K 60fps for as long as possible you're going to want to get the best GPU you can get when you build it. In this case it sounds like the 3080ti is that card. I doubt the card will be much louder or hotter than the 3080.

[jones177]

If the 3080 has 12gbs vram you are good but it will not come close to reaching your goal.

 

I sold my Strix 3080 10gb because in some games I was already using 9.5gb vram dedicated, not allocated.

 

The is SOTTR on Ultra at 4k with RT on using a budget 3080 ti(EVGA XC3 Ultra). 

The Strix did about the same frames as the XC3 but with 12gbs vram it was a keeper and the Strix was not. The XC3 is hotter as well.

 

The TUF is a 340 watt card so not a great performer since the Strix uses 370 watts stock and a FTW3 Ultra is a 380 watt card.

The ZOTAC is a 350 watt card. By contrast my FTW3 Ultra 3080 ti ia 400 watt card. 

 

You do have one of the best cases for keeping GPUs cool so I don't think the extra heat will be an issue.

[varrys]

You could always consider undervolting the 3080ti to keep it a bit cooler while not losing much fps at all. I am in Florida now, so hotter than when I lived in northern US. I did a light undervolt with my 3080 and it dropped the temp noticably with just 1-2% fps drop, which at 1440p is a non-issue.

[Sleepy Dobe]

20 hours ago, jones177 said:

The TUF is a 340 watt card so not a great performer since the Strix uses 370 watts stock and a FTW3 Ultra is a 380 watt card.

The ZOTAC is a 350 watt card. By contrast my FTW3 Ultra 3080 ti ia 400 watt card. 

 

You do have one of the best cases for keeping GPUs cool so I don't think the extra heat will be an issue.

Yeah, I did note the relatively low power limit on the ZOTAC compared to many other 3080ti models, including the FE. Max power limit on the ZOTAC is reportedly 385W while the FE is at 400W. But I figured the power limit will only really matter when I want to OC the GPU. I don't think I'll be running it in manual OC at any time during use. I'll probably check its silicon potential once before returning it to its default setting.

[Sleepy Dobe]

14 hours ago, varrys said:

You could always consider undervolting the 3080ti to keep it a bit cooler while not losing much fps at all. I am in Florida now, so hotter than when I lived in northern US. I did a light undervolt with my 3080 and it dropped the temp noticably with just 1-2% fps drop, which at 1440p is a non-issue.

Yeah, have read about people doing this. Haven't tried under-volting anything before but I understand there are a few youtube tutorials on it. It is something that I'm fairly keen to try if it's not too complicated. So long as it doesn't involve messing around with the GPU's BIOS. Don't wanna brick it.

[Sleepy Dobe]

Am loving this forum. At least I'm not getting meaningless sarcastic remarks, but actual helpful tips. Guess that's why it's called Linus Tech Tips, and is started by LMG.

 

So current consensus appears unanimous that I should go for the 3080ti then. It does make sense, doesn't it? A maximum additional 100 bucks for a higher class GPU. Even if it's not one of the faster, more powerful ones, it's still a band higher.

 

Thanks everyone.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Sleepy Dobe
Added further comments.

[e22big]

1 hour ago, Sleepy Dobe said:

Yeah, I did note the relatively low power limit on the ZOTAC compared to many other 3080ti models, including the FE. Max power limit on the ZOTAC is reportedly 385W while the FE is at 400W. But I figured the power limit will only really matter when I want to OC the GPU. I don't think I'll be running it in manual OC at any time during use. I'll probably check its silicon potential once before returning it to its default setting.

Honestly, the wattage between different models doesn't make any different to performance at all. You're looking a single digit different at best, not to mention you can manual OC your card easily to reach that kind of stock performance. 

 

The main different between the OEM models are sound, if it cheap, it could be made with cheap fan and that could be loud. I have the TUF OC you're looking for and while it can be hot at stock, it run dead quiet. My friend who got his Gigabyte Eagle have his card run quite a bit louder but it's also cheaper (by the time we both got them anyway, that's when the original MSRP cards were still a thing) 

 

*Personally, if the price are close I'll go with the ti or 12 GB, if not, go with 10 GB. The performance different are very marginal, and in some game, I can basically match or even 3090 with a bit of fiddling. Unless it's some extreme edge case, 10 GB should be enough for 4k in the vast majority of games. At least I haven't find any that the performance between mine and 3090 system are significantly different.