ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition Review

So here it is, the new Backwell generation of NVIDIA graphics cards, which the manufacturer unveiled at CES 2025. The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition is one of the most powerful models with an RTX 5080 chip to reach our test lab, which we naturally took a closer look at in the test.

Technical data

The product	Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080
BUS Standard	PCI Express 5.0
Memory	16 GB GDDR7
Memory bandwidth	960 GB/s
Base clock	2,300 MHz
Boost clock	2,760 MHz (2,790 MHz OC mode)
TGP	360 watts
Fan	4
Connectors	2x HDMI 2.1b; 2x DisplayPort 2.1b
Size	3.8 slots
price	€ 1,737.47 *

ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC review: Four fans in a discreet look

The 357 mm x 149.3 mm x 76 mm ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC uses a 3.8-slot design with a total of four fans, three of which are located on the top and one on the bottom.

	RTX 5090	RTX 5080	RTX 4080 Super
GPU	GB202	GB203	AD102
architecture	Blackwell	Blackwell	Ada Lovelace
SMs	170	84	80
FP32-ALUs	21.760	10.752	10.240
Base clock	2.010 MHz	2.300 MHz	2.295 MHz
Boost clock	2.410 MHz	2.620 MHz	2,550 MHz
L1 cache	21,760 kB	10,752 kB	10,240 kB
L2 cache	96 MB	64 MB	64 MB
Memory interface	512 bit	256 bit	256 bit
memory	GDDR7 (28 Gbps)	GDDR7 (30 Gbps)	GDDR6X (23 Gbps)
Memory capacity	32 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Memory bandwidth	1,792 GB/s	960 GB/s	736 GB/s
TGP	575 W	360 W	320 W
Price of	2.329 Euro	1,169 Euro	1.109 Euro

This makes the custom design from ASUS ROG one of the largest for the RTX 5080. Competitors from Gigabyte, MSI or PNY rely on a maximum of 3.5 slots, in some cases even just 3. However, ASUS also offers the highest boost clock of 2,760 MHz. However, the manufacturer has to pay a considerable premium for this, which makes the Astral one of the most expensive custom designs.

ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition — Elegant custom design

	ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming OC 16G	MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Vanguard SOC Launch Edition
RRP	1,589 Euro	1.299 Euro	1.469 Euro
Boost	2.760 MHz	2,730 MHz	2,730 MHz
Power limit	360 W	360 W	360 W
Dimensions	358 x 149 x 76 mm	340 x 140 x 70 mm	357 x 151 x 66 mm
Slots	3,8	3,5	3,3
Fan	4	3	3
Dual BIOS	Yes	Yes	Yes

The GPU is connected via PCI Express 5.0 and is supplied with power via a 16-pin connector. ASUS uses a power supply unit with at least 850 watts of power to operate the graphics card.

The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition weighs around three kilograms, which is partly due to the fourth fan, but also to the robust and high-quality metal construction. All four fans have a diameter of 105 mm, which promises impressive cooling performance.

The design is absolutely elegant and high-quality and leaves a robust impression. ASUS promises a sturdy full metal die-cast housing and a PCB protective coating to protect against moisture, dust and extreme temperatures. The whole thing is combined with attractive RGB lighting on the frame, which can of course be synchronized with AURA Sync.

Technology of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition

The ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition has a 12V 2×6 connector and a BIOS switch, as well as two fan connectors to which case fans can be connected directly to the GPU in order to regulate the fan control via the graphics card. The cooling itself takes place via a phase-change GPU thermal pad.

In terms of connections, the graphics card is extremely versatile. Two HDMI 2.1b and two DisplayPort 2.1b ports are available.

The ASUS ROG GPU has increased its boost clock in particular compared to the Founders Edition. Instead of 2,410 MHz in Boost, ASUS has increased it to 2,760 MHz, which can be further increased to 2,790 MHz in OC mode. This should make it possible to run all modern AAA games in 4K resolution with maximum details and ray tracing.

With Neural Rendering, DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation, as well as NVIDIA Reflex 2, the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition naturally features the latest technologies.

ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition Review: Benchmarks

I naturally took a closer look at the performance of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition in various benchmarks.

Test system:

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X
64GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000
1000W – Corsair RMx Shift Series
be quiet! Silent Loop II – 360 mm
Windows 11 Home
NVIDIA Game Ready driver 572.42
GPU comparison: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB | Gigabyte Aero OC

I performed all benchmark tests in the maximum possible graphics settings of the games, with maximum ray tracing settings and in 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. For the DLSS tests, I set DLSS to “Quality” and activated Frame Generation as far as possible.

The temperature of the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition was 61°C according to all benchmarks, while that of the RTX 4080 Super was 60°C. The noise level under load of both cards is almost identical: the RTX 5080 is around 39 dB(A), while the RTX 4080 Super is slightly quieter at 36 dB(A).

In Quiet mode, however, the volume of the ASUS ROG card can be noticeably improved. ASUS has released a new BIOS update in the last few days that reduces the noise level to around 36 dB(A). The TDP is reduced from 400 watts to 360 watts, while the fan speed is limited to 1,300 rpm. As a result, the performance is only slightly reduced by a maximum of 5 percent, usually between 2 and 5 FPS.

4K performance (without DLSS)

Game	ASUS ROG RTX 5080	Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super	More performance
3DMark Port Royal	22,643 pts.	17,975 pts.	+ 26 %
3DMark Steel Nomad	8,182 pts.	6,412 pts.	+ 28 %
3DMark Speed Way	9,106 pts.	7,313 pts.	+ 24,5 %
F1 24	79 FPS	64 FPS	+ 23 %
The Finals	205 FPS	160 FPS	+ 28 %
Black Myth Wukong	77 FPS	48 FPS	+ 60 %
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	155 FPS	133 FPS	+ 16 %
Path of Exile 2	145 FPS	146 FPS	– 0,7 %

So we see: On average, the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition delivers over 20 percent more performance compared to the RTX 4080 Super, which is clocked at 165 MHz less (2,595 MHz compared to 2,760 MHz).

In the Black Myth Wukong benchmark, however, the new Blackwell GPU delivers a whopping 60 percent more performance, which makes the difference between perfectly smooth playability and normal playability. However, the differences are somewhat smaller, especially with older titles such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

4K performance (with DLSS)

Game	ASUS ROG RTX 5080	Gigabyte RTX 4080 Super	More performance
F1 24	159 FPS	104 FPS	+ 53 %
The Finals	228 FPS	168 FPS	+ 36 %
Black Myth Wukong	114 FPS	76 FPS	+ 50 %
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	218 FPS	185 FPS	+ 18 %
Path of Exile 2	172 FPS	175 FPS	– 1,8 %

DLSS 4 shows its strengths in the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition and delivers significantly more performance than the RTX 4080 Super. Performance can be increased by 50 percent or more in demanding games, but DLSS can also boost performance by up to 20 percent in older titles.

The jump between DLSS 3 and DLSS 4 depends on the game in question. The fact is: DLSS 4 delivers more performance compared to its predecessor without compromising image quality.

ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition review: Conclusion

With the ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition, the manufacturer delivers a really powerful graphics card that impresses with its elegant design and high-quality materials. However, the fourth fan does not provide any significant advantages in our tests, as the heat development is on a par with the previous generation.

Overclocking makes the Astral the most powerful RTX 5080 Custom Design variant currently available; the performance leap over the RTX 4080 Super in 4K gaming without DLSS is over 20 percent on average, while with DLSS 4, even 50 percent more performance or even higher values are possible.

Nevertheless, an upgrade is hardly worthwhile for owners of the RTX 4080 (Super) at present. However, if you are looking for a powerful new graphics card and don’t want to reach for the almost unaffordable RTX 5090, you will get impressive performance here.

However, the surcharge to the Founders Edition and the other custom designs, which ASUS already demands with the RRP, is hefty and not justified in our eyes. Not to mention the fact that prices are currently over €2,000, partly due to limited availability.