Palit RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC Review

1. Introduction2. Palit RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC3. Testing Methodology4. Game Benchmarks5. Clock Speed6. GPU Temperatures7. Memory Temperatures8. Acoustics9. Noise-Normalised Temperatures10. Power Draw and Efficiency11. Overclocking12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

Alongside our launch day review of the new Nvidia RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition, we also have a couple of partner cards in for testing. The Palit JetStream OC is one such model, featuring a stealthy matte black design, triple-fan cooler and factory overclocked core. Clearly designed to deliver a ‘no frills' experience, this GPU is targeting the £959 MSRP, so let's find out what it can bring to the table.

We've only just taken a look at Palit's RTX 4070 Super JetStream OC, and the RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC carries on in the same vein, eschewing extra bells and whistles like RGB lighting and Dual-BIOS in favour of a simpler approach. That helps it hit the £959 MSRP, but let's put it through its paces and find out just how it performs.

	RTX 4090	RTX 4080 Super	RTX 4080	RTX 4070 Ti Super	RTX 4070 Ti
Process	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4	TSMC N4
SMs	128	80	76	66	60
CUDA Cores	16384	10240	9728	8448	7680
Tensor Cores	512	320	304	264	240
RT Cores	128	80	76	66	60
Texture Units	512	320	304	264	240
ROPs	176	112	112	96	80
GPU Boost Clock	2520 MHz	2550 MHz	2505 MHz	2610 MHz	2610 MHz
Memory Data Rate	21 Gbps	23 Gbps	22.4 Gbps	21 Gbps	21 Gbps
L2 Cache	73728 KB	65536 KB	65536 KB	49152 KB	49152 KB
Total Video Memory	24GB GDDR6X	16GB GDDR6X	16GB GDDR6X	16GB GDDR6X	12GB GDDR6X
Memory Interface	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	256-bit	192-bit
Memory Bandwidth	1008 GB/Sec	736 GB/Sec	716.8 GB/Sec	672 GB/Sec	504 GB/Sec
TGP	450W	320W	320W	285W	285W

First, a quick spec recap. Unlike the RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti which use cut-down versions of the AD103 GPU, the new 4080 Super is a full implementation of AD103 silicon, with the die measuring in at 379mm². This means the RTX 4080 Super offers a total of 80 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), each housing 128 CUDA Cores, for a total of 10240. We also find 80 RT cores, 320 Tensor cores, 320 Texture Units, and 12 ROPs.

TSMC's N4 node has Nvidia cranking up the clock speed significantly this generation, with the RTX 4080 Super sporting a 2550MHz rated boost. That's 45MHz faster than the rated clock speed of the RTX 4080, though Palit has added an extra 25MHz on top.

The memory configuration is almost identical to the RTX 4080, too. The 4080 Super comes equipped with a 256-bit memory interface, paired with 16GB GDDR6X running at 23Gbps, putting total memory bandwidth at 736 GB/s. L2 cache remains unchanged at 65536KB.

Considering the slightly increased core-count, it's interesting that power draw remains the same as the RTX 4080, with the new Super model still boasting a 320W TGP. This is something we focus on closely in this review, using our enhanced GPU power testing methodology, so read on for our most detailed power and efficiency testing yet.

Palit's RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC ships in a greenish and grey box, with a desaturated image of the graphics card visible underneath the large JetStream logo. On the back, key features of the card are highlighted in multi-lingual text.

Inside the box, the only included accessory is a dual 8-pin power adapter – meaning there are no quick start guides or other pieces documentation to be found.

Taking a look at the card itself, the design is visually identical to the 4070 Super JetStream OC we reviewed earlier this month. That means we get the same matte black plastic shroud, featuring some design elements which Palit describes as ‘geometric block patterns' to add some visual interest, but it's a very low-key design. Some may love this, some may find it a touch boring, but I quite like the understated aesthetic.

We also get a look at three Gale Hunter fans, each measuring approximately 95mm in diameter. These come fitted with ‘winglets' on each fan tail, something Palit claims can help concentrate airflow and avoid the ‘vortex effect'.

 

It's the same exact size as the 4070 Super model too, measuring 328.9 x 130.5 x 63.5 mm, while it weighed in a touch under 1.5kg on my scales.

 

The front side of the card is home to the GeForce RTX and Palit logos, though do note these are only printed in white text and do not illuminate once turned on.

As for the backplate, this is a full-length metal design, though there's some large cutouts towards the end of the card to allow air to pass directly through the heatsink. Palit is also using what it describes as an Anti-Gravity Plate as part of the internal construction of the card which should help prevent sagging.

Power is supplied by a single 12VHPWR/PCIe Gen5 power connector, though a dual 8-pin adapter is included in the box. Display outputs are standard, with 3x DisplayPort 1.4 and 1x HDMI 2.1 connectors.

Driver Notes

• AMD GPUs were benchmarked with the Adrenalin 23.12.1 driver.
• Nvidia GPUs (except RTX 4070 Super/RTX 4070 Ti Super) were benchmarked with the 546.33 driver.
• RTX 4070 Super was benchmarked with the 546.52 driver supplied to press.
• RTX 4070 Ti Super was benchmarked with the 551.15 driver supplied to press.
• RTX 4080 Super was benchmarked with the 551.22 driver supplied to press.

Results are only directly comparable where this exact configuration has been used.

Test System:

We test using a custom built system from PCSpecialist, based on Intel’s Rocket Lake platform. You can read more about this system HERE and configure your own PCSpecialist system HERE.

CPU	Intel Core i9-13900KS
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX
Memory	32GB (2x16GB) Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 6000MHz
Graphics Card	Varies
SSD	4TB Seagate Firecuda 530 Gen 4 PCIe NVMe
Chassis	Corsair 5000D Airflow Tempered Glass Gaming Case
CPU Cooler	Corsair iCUE H150i Elite RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Power Supply	Corsair 1600W Pro Series Titanium AX1600i Digital Modular PSU
Operating System	Windows 11 23H2
Monitor	MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD
Resizable BAR	Enabled for all supported GPUs

Comparison Graphics Cards List

• AMD RX 7900 XTX 24GB
• AMD RX 7900 XT 20GB
• AMD RX 7800 XT 16GB
• Sapphire RX 7700 XT Pulse 12GB
• AMD RX 6700 XT 12GB
• Nvidia RTX 4090 FE 24GB
• Nvidia RTX 4080 Super FE 16GB
• Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super Gaming OC 16GB
• Nvidia RTX 4080 FE 16GB
• MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X 16GB
• Gigabyte RTX 4070 Ti Gaming 12GB
• Nvidia RTX 4070 FE 12GB
• Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti FE 8GB
• Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle 10GB
• Nvidia RTX 3070 FE 8GB

All cards were tested at reference specifications.

Software and Games List

• 3DMark Fire Strike & Fire Strike Ultra (DX11 Synthetic)
• 3DMark Time Spy (DX12 Synthetic)
• 3DMark DirectX Raytracing feature test (DXR Synthetic)
• Alan Wake II (DX12)
• Assassin's Creed Mirage (DX12)
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (DX12)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (DX12)
• F1 23 (DX12)
• Forza Horizon 5 (DX12)
• Hitman 3 (DX12)
• The Last of Us Part 1 (DX12)
• Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (DX12)
• A Plague Tale: Requiem (DX12)
• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (DX12)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (DX12)
• Resident Evil 4 (DX12)
• Returnal (DX12)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DX12)
• Starfield (DX12)
• Total War: Pharaoh (DX11)

We run each benchmark/game three times, and present mean averages in our graphs. We use FrameView to measure average frame rates as well as 1% low values (99th percentile) across our three runs.

Here we test five games, all at 3840×2160 resolution using maximum image quality settings.

Our game testing throws up one curiosity – the JetStream OC 4080 Super actually ran marginally slower than our RTX 4080 (non-Super) Founders Edition. I do discuss this in our review of the 4080 Super FE, but it does appear that our vanilla 4080 FE is a particularly ‘good' sample, boosting to higher speeds than the 4080 Super, despite having a lower rated clock speed. As we will see on the next page, the JetStream OC also doesn't boost particularly high – leaving us in a weird situation where a higher-performing 4080 is actually faster than a slightly below-par 4080 Super! Of course, the differences are very, very small, but it is still a bit strange.

Here we present the average clock speed for each graphics card while running Cyberpunk 2077 for 30 minutes. We use GPU-Z to record the GPU core frequency during gameplay. We calculate the average core frequency during the 30 minute run to present here.

Looking at the JetStream OC's clock speeds, we saw it typically about 60MHz slower than the Founders Edition in our 30-minute stress test using Cyberpunk 2077, but in some games this difference was more like 100-120MHz. It is still above its rated boost clock, so it's not like it is thermally throttling or performing below spec – it's just not boosting as far as the Founders Edition, or the Gigabyte Gaming OC for that matter.

For our temperature testing, we measure the peak GPU core temperature under load. A reading under load comes from running Cyberpunk 2077 for 30 minutes.

Thermal performance is no problem for the JetStream OC. It did run fractionally hotter than the Founders Edition, but the difference was less than 2C, and as we will see, it is also quieter out of the box.

For our memory temperature testing, we measure the peak memory temperature under load. A reading under load comes from running Cyberpunk 2077 for 30 minutes.

Likewise for memory thermals, a peak of 70C is no problem at all for the JetStream OC, and this is a slight improvement over the FE, but it can't compete with the Gigabyte Gaming OC.

We take our noise measurements with the sound meter positioned 1 foot from the graphics card. I measured the noise floor to be 32 dBA, thus anything above this level can be attributed to the graphics cards. The power supply is passive for the entire power output range we tested all graphics cards in, while all CPU and system fans were disabled. A reading under load comes from running Cyberpunk 2077 for 30 minutes for 30 minutes.

The JetStream OC impresses with its out of the box noise levels, peaking at just 36dBa in my testing. This was with the three fans running at 37%, or just 1400rpm, putting it on par with the Gaming OC's Silent BIOS.

Following on from our stock thermal and acoustic testing, here we re-test the operating temperature of the GPU, but with noise levels normalised to 40dBa. This allows us to measure the efficiency of the overall cooling solution as varying noise levels as a result of more aggressive fan curves are no longer a factor.

Once we noise-normalised to 40dBa, there's honestly very little difference between the thermal performance of all three 4080 Supers tested. The JetStream OC is within 1C of the Founders Edition, while it's just 1.5C hotter than the Gigabyte Gaming OC

Noise-normalised memory thermals do show a slightly larger win for the JetStream OC over the FE, with a peak temperature that's 4C cooler, but the Gaming OC is the clear winner here.

We use Nvidia PCAT to measure power draw of the graphics card only, with readings from both the PCIe slot and the PCIe power cables combined into a single figure. We use Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p) for this testing.

Interestingly, power draw is actually a bit lower with the JetStream OC than the 4080 Super Founders Edition, by about 15W. It's not a massive difference, but I wonder if this is behind the JetStream OC's inability to clock as high as the other two 4080 Super cards tested.

Combining the power draw values shown above with the performance data, we present performance per Watt for each graphics card tested:

Overall efficiency is identical to the other 4080 Supers however, at the top of the chart.

For our manual overclocking tests, we used MSI Afterburner. Our best results are as below.

Unfortunately, Palit does not allow the power limit to be increased beyond 100%, or 320W, which limits overclocking headroom. I was still able to add 160MHz to the GPU and 1400MHz to the memory.

Even with a 160MHz core offset however, we were still looking at a real-world clock speed of below 2800MHz.

This resulted in minimal performance gains – 7% at best in Total War, but the difference were even smaller in Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield.

Power draw, however, did not change given the power limit remained at 100% the whole time.

Rounding out our launch day coverage of the new RTX 4080 Super, this review has focused on the Palit RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC, a relatively stripped-back card that targets the £959 price point.

By and large, it is a fine card, offering a decent cooler that just manages to out-perform the Founders Edition model when noise-normalised, while it also offers low out of the box noise levels, thanks to the three fans spinning at just 1400rpm.

We did, however, observe some interesting behaviour from the GPU, as it clocked anywhere from 70-120MHz slower than the 4080 Super Founders Edition. This could just be the silicon lottery and I was unlucky to get a slightly below-par AD103 chip, but it actually meant our 4080 (non-Super) Founders Edition was a frame or two faster. I don't think you'd notice the difference in the real world, but it does show how much of an underwhelming new GPU this is, considering a higher-performing 4080 is actually faster than a slightly below-par 4080 Super!

Overclocking headroom is also limited by Palit's decision to lock the maximum power limit at 100%, or 320W, meaning it cannot be increased. This saw the card ran at less than 2800MHz when overclocked, whereas the Gigabyte Gaming OC has a 400W power limit and was stable at over 3GHz in my testing.

Those two quirks are enough to give me some pause about recommending this card, along with the lack of dual-BIOS which hurts at this price point. The JetStream OC isn't bad, in fact the cooler is actually quite effective, but when you're spending almost £1000 on a graphics card, I think it's fair to want a little more than what is on offer here.

You can find the Palit RTX 4080 Super JetStream OC for £959 from Scan HERE.

Pros

• Simple, understated design.
• Cooler is a slight improvement over the Founders Edition.
• Fans are quiet under load, spinning at 1400rpm.
• Targets the £959 MSRP.
• Support for the full RTX feature set including DLSS, ray tracing etc.

Cons

• My sample didn't boost particularly high, meaning it was actually a touch slower than the RTX 4080 non-Super.
• Lacks dual-BIOS.
• Power limit cannot be increased.
• Appearance and lack of lighting won't appeal to everyone.

KitGuru says: If you find it at a good price and don't mind the lack of dual-BIOS, the JetStream OC has a solid cooler than runs quiet under load. It's just a shame my sample didn't run that fast, while it also has a locked power limit.

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