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The ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Advanced Gaming AURA ‘A8G' is a good choice if you are in the market for a high-end Pascal GPU, especially given the thermal and acoustic performance of the superb DirectCU III cooler.
Overall performance from the A8G is good. The GPU holds steady at around 1911MHz when playing games and that puts the card very close to the performance of Gigabyte's factory-overclocked G1 Gaming GTX 1080. A consistent performance improvement is shown over the GTX 1080 FE by virtue of ASUS' out-of-the-box overclock which is rated at 1671MHz on the core (before GPU Boost is applied).
Overclocking performance was also decent. We managed to put the memory up by 10% and the GPU boosted to 2025MHz during gaming, which is around 6% faster than what observed out-of-the-box.
As already highlighted, the triple-fan DC3 cooler is superb. Its trio of wing-blade 92mm fans were able to provide better cooling performance than Gigabyte's G1 Gaming offering whilst also being quieter. While ASUS' implementation of the direct-touch (well, when they actually touch) heatpipes may leave one scratching one's head, there is little room for complaint from the card's cooling performance balanced with the noise levels. As our thermal imaging shows, the backplate is a worthwhile addition from a cooling perspective.
AURA-compatible on-board LED lighting is good to see but we'd be telling lies if we highlighted it as a stand-out point for a premium piece of gaming hardware in 2016 – the year of RGB everything. What is a praise-worthy addition, however, is the pair of on-board 4-pin fan headers. Giving a degree of chassis fan control to the GPU is very smart since it is highly likely to be the hottest-running, highest-power piece of hardware inside one's gaming system.
If you are in the market for a DirectCU III-cooled, ROG STRIX GTX 1080 from ASUS but aren't happy with the limited supply and inflated pricing of the ‘O8G' OC model, the ‘A8G' Advanced Gaming alternative is a good choice and leaves the credit card groaning to a lesser degree.
The ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Advanced Gaming AURA ‘A8G‘ is available from Overclockers UK for £659.99 (inc. VAT).
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Pros:
- Superb DirectCU III cooler with low noise operation and good cooling performance.
- Relatively power efficient.
- GPU-controlled 4-pin fan headers.
- AURA-compatible RGB lighting.
- Silent 0dB fan mode.
- Two HDMI ports is good for VR gamers.
Cons:
- Gigabyte's GTX 1080 G1 Gaming is marginally faster but slightly cheaper.
- Similarly-priced GTX 1080 cards are clocked higher out-of-the-box.
KitGuru says: An excellent high-end graphics card with a superb cooler and smart added features.
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