Aorus GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G Review

By Igor Wallossek
published

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Final Analysis

A couple of engineers, a lot of copper, light metals, a screw fetishist, a printed circuit board, a box full of components, an accountant, and PR specialists all meet up. After lots of trial and error, the result of their efforts is on the table in front of us. It's visually stunning, and then you pick it up. Weighing almost 1.5kg, the Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G is a heavy bundle of joy that should keep enthusiasts enthralled.

Gigabyte leaves little to be desired when it comes to cooling. That's pretty rare these days. The company's board layout and component choices are reasonable as well. Our only criticism involves the software. Its pre-defined overclocking settings are a little too optimistic, since they don't bump the power target up high enough relative to the other values. If you end up with a lower-quality GPU, you'll want to abstain from overclocking altogether, adjust the settings you use manually, or try a utility like Afterburner instead of this one.

But if all goes well, this card certainly pushes a few boundaries. Its power target can be set well beyond the cooling hardware's ability to remove heat. Of course, a practical ceiling of around 350W (100W more than stock) for slightly better benchmark scores is a matter of taste and opinion, particularly when the 250W default setting gets you more performance at lower temperatures and less noise than Nvidia's Founders Edition version.


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Igor Wallossek
23 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Lkaos
    It takes 3 slots!? OMG, this is getting ridiculous...
    Reply
  • FormatC
    2,5 slots. As the most of these fat cards ;)
    Reply
  • drwho1
    I wait till this cards drop under $300...

    Although by then I might want "that other new one" ....
    Reply
  • Bloody Chainsaw
    Correction. In the specs chart, the Titan's memory bus is listed as 38-bit. Should be 384.
    Reply
  • Kevin-M
    At that absurd price point you would think there would be more generosity than the inclusion of one of the most common elements on the planet! Thanks but no thanks, I will remain a smart shopper and wait until the price point comes down to a realistic one!
    Reply
  • FormatC
    Expensive is relative. Mostly all non-smokers have money enough. It is the question, which priority you set. :)
    Reply
  • SiggeLund
    Will you be reviewing any of the 1080ti cards with closed loop coolers?
    Reply
  • FormatC
    If I get one as sample, yes. But closed loop isn't a solution. This are more or less toys.
    Reply
  • TMRichard
    I must say I think I got a Golden Sample then, my card stays at a stable 2012MHz GPU clock under 65C with fans @ 75% Just waiting on EK to get their block ready so I can add it to my loop!
    Reply
  • FormatC
    As I wrote in my review - it is a pure lotto. The test sample is running with GPU- und VRM-Waterblock with the AB Extreme and 1.093 Volts at 20°C (chiller) stable 2166 MHz. Other cards neets 1.2 Volts (I have a NO2 BIOS from another card) to crack the 2100 MHz barrier stable. If you buy a card, you get no warranty which GPU quality you get.
    Reply