Introduction
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 review went live yesterday so now its time for NVIDIA’s board partners to show off their custom designs with the formal launch of the RTX 3080 today. You can read our full review of the RTX 3080 Founders Edition here.
For today’s review we have a couple of products for your consideration, vying for that RTX 3080 savings fund you probably kept during this pandemic for this eventuality. Today, NVIDIA’s is formally launching the RTX 3080 together with its partner vendors and as announced earlier, AIC’s will be able to launch both reference and custom PCB designs today. I’d like to stress that the reference PCB is not the one on the Founders Edition, but a more traditional design.
One of our review today will look at just that, the custom-cooled but reference PCB design version of the RTX 3080 with the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity.
About the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity
The ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity is one of the launch model from ZOTAC’s RTX 3080 lined-up which were announced earlier this month. The Trinity is available in a stock SKU and an OC SKU, we’re looking at the stock SKU in this review. This model will be directly 1:1 to NVIDIA’s reference design but since there isn’t a card in NVIDIA’s portfolio representative of their reference cooling, it’s pretty much free for all for all their partners but as we’ve seen already, the NVIDIA RTX 3080 with a relatively beefy cooler.
As a stock model, this card features a the same 1710Mhz base clock as well as memory configurations. The main highlight here how ZOTAC has designed this card’s cooling to tame temperatures and allow it to keep up with the expectations from the custom designed Founders Edition’s flow-thru cooler.
One of the key highlights as well is the lack of the microFit 12-pin connector on this card. That will be the case with most partner designs but they do have the freedom to use the 12-pin connector if they want but with 99.99% of users having only stock 8-pin connectors, all partners will be sticking with traditional two 8-pin on launch models.
The Trinity cooler heavily follows the original ZOTAC stock cooler from the RTX 20 series but the new Trinity cooler features a denser fin stack arranged in a more ornate arrangement. The PCB itself is still reinforced and a backplate rounds out the card design with a nice ZOTAC Gaming logo on the back decked with RGB. Speaking of RGB, the ZOTAC Gaming logo on the side is illuminated as well and has support for ZOTAC’s Spectra lighting. The card is approximately 2.5x slot thick.
RTX 2080 Ti FE | RTX 3080 FE | ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Architecture | Turing | Ampere | Ampere | |
CUDA Cores | 4352 | 8704 | 8704 | |
Boost frequency | 1635Mhz | 1710 MHz | 1710 MHz | |
Memory | 11GB GDDR6 | 10GB GDDR6X | 10GB GDDR6X | |
Memory frequency | 14 Gbps | 19 Gbps | 19 Gbps | |
Memory bus | 352-bit | 320-bit | 320-bit |
PCI Express Gen3 vs. Gen4
This section is borrowed from our NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition review and is used here for clarification and reference.
We’ll start this off with the most frequently asked question: do I need to have PCIe Gen4 to maximize the RTX 3080? We’ll answer that here. Given that PCI Express Gen4 is only present on AMD platforms, this test will answer two questions: 1) does Gen4 have an impact and 2) do we test with Intel or AMD?
Test Setup: Intel | |
Processor | Intel Core i9-10900K |
Motherboard | ASUS ProArt Z490 Creator 10G |
RAM | Gskill TridentZ RGB DDR4-3600 32GB (8GB)x4 CL16 |
VGA | NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition |
Storage | Patriot Viper VPN4100 1TB |
Power Supply | Seasonic Platinum 1050w |
Test Setup: AMD | |
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
Motherboard | ROG Crosshair VIII Formula |
RAM | Gskill TridentZ RGB DDR4-3600 32GB (8GB)x4 CL16 |
VGA | NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition |
Storage | Patriot Viper VPN4100 1TB |
Power Supply | Seasonic P1000 Platinum 1000w |
Here are our two test bench that we maintain for situations like this. I was already considering switching to AMD earlier this year but with Intel still holding on to their performance crown by a little bit, we stay for 1 more generation. Back to our test, our two systems will help us show show which system to use for this review.
For testing, we use the Final Fantasy XV benchmark. I find this benchmark more realistic than 3DMark Time Spy but speaking of 3DMark, here’s a quick summary of some tests done with 3DMark for our Gen3 vs Gen4 comparison:
This tests goes through the feature tests as well as the more intense benchmarks from the 3DMark suite. We have a 2080 Ti on the Intel system just for a quick comparison if we do get a massive jump. There is a PCI Express test in 3DMark and we can see have an improvement there, proving that gen4 is still indeed present but in actual GPU performance, Gen4 does not really impact everything as the Intel system proves the better system from pure synthetics.
Back to Final Fantasy XV, testing on the same system with Gen3 against Gen4 we get the benchmark results below:
In an AMD vs AMD setup, the difference can be accounted to standard deviation. Here’s some further charts for your reference:
The final set of charts shows us that we still get a minimal advantage on an Intel system which ultimately led me to decide to stick with our Intel system. This testing was done 3 days ago and thankfully results are favorable in my case as I would need to retest the entire lot we have.
Power Draw, Clock Speed and Temperature
We’ll switch things up and open with the power and temperature behavior of the graphics card first. We use Final Fantasy XV Benchmark to simulate a gaming workload but for those looking extreme loads, we do put our cards through Kombustor on first installation for stress testing to check for stability. For our reviews though, we use Final Fantasy XV to simulate a true gaming scenario. Power draw is captured inline via PCAT or Powenetics so no other components affects readings. Readings are taken from the average 15 min idle readings for both load and idle. Ambient temperature is kept at 28*C.
Let’s take a look at clock behavior versus temperature:
Thermal Images
Sorry about the music. Homelander was still cussing the entire time in the background.
ZOTAC Spectra
ZOTAC FireStorm is still the default configuration software for ZOTAC’s RTX 30 series cards. Nothing much has changed since the last generation of cards. Users can use FireStorm to manually overclock their RTX 30 series card as well as changing the default fan speeds. The OC scanner can be used to optimized the card and set up an OC without advanced knowledge.
Users can also configure the RGB lighting on the card through the Spectra options in a submenu. There are animation controls and color as well as brightness controls but the card itself is minimally lit so there’s not a lot of options.
Test Setup and Methodology
Processor: Intel Core i9 10900K
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ DDR4-3600 32GB
Storage: WD Blue SSD 1TB SATA
PSU:Â Seasonic Platinum 1050w
Cooling: Corsair H150i Pro 360mm AIO
Monitor: ROG PG27UQ 4K 144hz HDR1000
VGA: Listed
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice.
For benchmarking methodology please see our game benchmark method guide.
Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX.
Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- DOTA2 – Kiev Major Grand Finals Game 5: OG vs Virtus.Pro (54:05 – 55:05)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: FPS Benchmark Workshop Map
- The Witcher 3 – Woesong Bridge
- Grand Theft Auto V – Palomino Highlands
- Rainbow Six: Siege – Benchmark Mode
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Kuwaq Yaqu
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 – Fog of War
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – Wildspire Waste
- F1 2020 – Benchmark Mode
See our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF. The AMD equivalent of these features are disabled as well.
You can click on any of the benchmark charts enlarge. You can also move forward and backwards to quickly navigate through our charts via gallery view. For this test, only the out-of-box normal mode will be tested.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, popularly known as CSGO, competes for Steam’s most popular game. It has found a resurgence in its popularity and has recently peaked in 2020 in the number of players that play the game. Based on Valve’s Source Engine, the game received major asset overhauls during the years since its inception nearly 10 years ago. Still, it’s a light game and can be played on fairly lighter systems but the competitive scene for CSGO has seen average players demand high FPS from their systems thus gaining favorable standing with GPU vendors just from the demand for higher FPS alone. CSGO is a game that can easily go past 500FPS on enthusiast systems on maximum settings. We’re including CSGO as requested by our community.
API: DirectX9 (default)
Maximum In-Game Settings
Texture Streaming Disabled
Vsync OFF
DOTA 2
Note: JUNE 2020 – DOTA2 has recently implemented a transition from DirectX9 to DirectX11 and new install of the game will prompt users to switch from DX9 to DX11. With that said, we are testing DOTA2 in DX11 from now on.
In contention for the most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports: DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out, with heavy action on screen especially during clashes, can really stress most systems. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition. We’re looking at consistently low frametimes in this game for the best experience
Our test uses actual game replay, using the segment from game 5 of the Kiev Major 2017 Grand Finals between OG and VP. The clash during the 54:05 to 55:05 of the game is a nice example of how much a system will get punished during intense team fights in DOTA2.
You can watch the replay of the actual game used in the benchmark here in Youtube or download the replay file here for your DOTA2 client: Game 3149572447. (save it to your DOTA2 replays folder)
API: DirectX11 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 240
Vsync OFF
Rainbow Six: Siege
Nearly 4 years later and Rainbow Six: Siege has become a phenomenon after a lukewarm beginning. The massive shift in focus of the game sees it stepping into eSports territory and the excellent mix of gameplay mechanics, good design and a dedicated dev team has put R6: Siege in a position it couldn’t even picture during launch. Rainbow Six: Siege focuses heavily on tactical and creative gameplay and its vertical levels and highly destructible maps encourage players to be quick on their feet so the action is always going. Powered by Ubisoft’s own AnvilNext 2.0 engine which powers some of Ubi’s recent visual masterpieces, R6:Siege also feature excellent graphics and can get very taxing at high detail settings. The game also features an Ultra HD texture pack download for those that want higher resolution textures but will of course demand more from the system.
API: DirectX 11
Ultra Settings
Anti Aliasing: TAA
Ultra HD Texture pack not installed
Ambient Occlusion: SSBC
Vsync OFF
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings. This game has found great resurgence in its playerbase thanks to the release of Netflix’ Witcher series.
API: DirectX 11
Frame Rate: Unlimited
Nvidia HairWorks: Off
Ultra Settings
Motion Blur: Off
Blur: Off
Anti-aliasing: On
Bloom: On
Sharpening: High
Ambient Occlusion: SSAO
Depth of Field: On
Chromatic Aberration: Off
Vignetting: On
Light Shafts: On
VSync OFF
Grand Theft Auto V
The fifth and most successful installment to date in the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto series brings a graphical overhaul to the PC version of GTA V which many have lauded as a superior approach in porting a console game to PC. Featuring large areas and detailing, GTA V is a highly challenging application in terms of scene complexity.
Our benchmark uses a run from Palomina Highlands running through a lush area to a remote road all the way to a neighborhood in our car to simulate multiple scene changes.
API: DirectX 11
FXAA Off
MSAA 4x
TXAA Off
Very High settings
Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
Motion Blur disabled
Advanced Graphics enabled
Vsync OFF
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest installment in the reboot run of the classic Tomb Raider franchise. The game follows the story set forth by the previous game which Shadow of the Tomb Raider short follows after. Technology-wise, the game uses the Foundation engine updated to meet the demand of developer Eidos Montreal to push the engine to its limits. The game supports DirectX 12 and is one of the launch titles to support RTX technology namely DLSS which launched a couple of months post-launch.
API: DirectX 12
Graphics Settings Preset: Highest
Texture Quality: Ultra
Texture Filtering: 8x Anisotropic
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
DLSS: OFF
Raytraced Shadow: OFF
Vsync OFF
Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019)
Call of Duty Modern Warfare is a reboot of the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare storyline, set in a different world where you, along with Captain Price have to stop the world from going to war. Call of Duty Modern Warfare reignites the franchise by introducing full crossplay support where Xbox and PS4 players can play together with PC players. On PC, the game features a new engine pushing photorealism for COD far beyond what their older engine is capable of. The new engine also introduces raytracing and the AI is designed to perceive light as well. With a revitalized multiplayer arena, the game will require fast frame rates.
API: DirectX 12
Render Resolution: 100%
Texture Resolution: High
Texture Filter Anisotropic: High
Particle Quality: High
Tessellation: All
Shadow Map Resolution: Extra
Particle Lighting: Ultra
DirectX Raytracing: OFF
Ambient Occlusion: Both
Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2X
World Motion Blur: Off
Vsync: OFF
Shaders Installed before benchmarks*
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Easily Capcom’s most successful game to date. Available in both consoles and PC, Monster Hunter World ranks in Steam’s top played games for the platform. The 2020 Iceborne update for PC brings the game to new PC frontier, introducing DirectX 12 support. The game features rich graphical detail settings and an Ultra HD texture pack for highend gamers. MHW’s features fast-paced action with traditional RPG farings and has captured a new market thanks to the transition from portable.
Our benchmark for this game uses an expedition track in the Wildspire Waste Southwest Camp (Area 1) and finishes in the Rathian nest at Area 12 in the caves. This run gives us runs from barren area, to watery area with lush vegetation to a cave which replicates the varied nature of exploration and monster combat in MHW.
API: DirectX 12
Graphical Settings: Manual (customized from High)
All variable settings set to High
Image Quality: High
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
Max LOD Level: No Limit
Volume Rendering Quality: High
Motion Blur: Off
DLSS and AMD FidelityFX: OFF
DLSS and Raytracing Quick Test
This section is borrowed from our NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition review and is used here for clarification and reference.
There’s no denying it, we’re not seeing the performance promise we many have initially and that’s the crux of the matter for the RTX 3080. It is a generational leap in performance, but to use word “greatest generational leap” is a bit circumstantial.
Most of our benchmarks and games are selected primarily to neutralize any proprietary technology. As the chart above shows, DLSS on the RTX 3080 suddenly puts us in 100FPS+ territory vs. the 2080 Ti. This puts NVIDIA’s promise to perspective: more than twice the performance of the RTX 2080 Ti is indeed possible, but only in situations wherein the technology of the RTX 3080 can be taken advantage off.
That puts us in a dilemma. From a price perspective, the RTX 3080 does present a visible performance uplift in most games but in general, this is a small increase compared to what initially expected and NVIDIA might’ve expected this and used the pricing to offset expectation. Given that, the main take here is that NVIDIA is pushing for DLSS and raytraced games given the amount titles they provided us during the testing of these cards. A
Conclusion
As the RTX 3080 Founders Edition is the de facto representative of performance for the RTX 3080 cards, its cooling isn’t really something we can use as a baseline for reference cards. The ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity is one such card. As the behavior of NVIDIA GPU is heavily impacted by how cool the graphics card is, better cooling will definitely influence performance.
This review will solely revolve around the value of the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity based on someone who is in the market for an RTX 3080. This review is not aimed to convince you about the merits of an RTX 3080. You can read more about that in our NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition review. With that said, let’s dive right into the my conclusion about the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity.
Everything will be about value at this point but the audience right now for the RTX 3080 will be divided: those that want an affordable upgrade over their RTX 20 series cards and don’t care about extras and then there are those that want a long-term investment. The ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity falls a little bit to the upgraders side. Although it can be used by both, I feel that in the case of those that want to use this card, they are better off getting the full potential of the GA102-200 silicon on their card. From our short time with the RTX 3080, we can see that this card still behaves much like older NVIDIA GPUs as it favors cooler temps to achieve far higher clocks advertised without manually overclocking the card. This makes cooler cards ideal for people who particularly don’t care or don’t know how to overclock. In the case of the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity, its definitely a good cooler but fans are not as aggressive or powerful enough to really see compliment the cards dense fin stack. I highly recommended setting up a custom curve pat 55*C to help keep the card in that magic sub-70*C range to reap the benefits of the stock boost clocks.
Again, looking at our gaming load chart we have the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity peaking at 72*C but managing to swing back to 70*C on lighter scenes. The higher temps make our GPU clock dip from 1850Mhz down to as low as 1750Mhz. Again, these are just purely stock numbers and OC figures might be more challenging so I’m curious about how the OC models behave and most especially the higher-tier class in ZOTAC’s stack play with their larger coolers.
Anyway, I’m sharing details about clock behavior to reinforce the idea of how cooling impacts performance and as you will see in custom card reviews, those definitely bring out more performance this card. That being said, a reference RTX 3080 is still a beast and despite NVIDIA’s overselling of the potential of the RTX 3080, 20-30% across the board from 1080p to 4K is still an acceptable generational improvement and even better at the same price.
The ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity is set to retail close to NVIDIA’s reference pricing for the RTX 3080. For those that cannot get their hands on the Founders Edition, the ZOTAC RTX 3080 Trinity represents a good alternative in terms of performance and while their coolers may be different, this will ultimately boil down to the user if the design is appealing to them. The product itself is well-built and the design is good, keeping in line with ZOTAC’s gaming design since the RTX 20 series with their sharp lines and curves with a slight touch of RGB for their Trinity cooler. The card is pretty straightforward but can be configured further using ZOTAC’s FireStorm tool to control fan speeds, RGB lighting and of course, overlocking the card.
There’s not a lot to complain about with a stock card. Its simple, it works and would be one the most readily available models when the RTX 3080 arrives in store. The ZOTAC GAMING RTX 3080 Trinity is, simply put, one of the easiest go-to reference cards for RTX 3080 buyers.
ZOTAC’s backs the RTX 3080 Trinity with an industry-leading 5-year warranty. We give it our B2G Recommended Seal.