INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The PC has always been about gaming for me, perhaps not so much for the past decade or so but when i first started using it back in the early 90's that was just about all i did with it (as did most kids my age). As a matter of fact, even today with the limited amount of free time i do have i still manage to spend several hours per week enjoying my favourite games while at the same time testing various peripherals. And in order to enjoy gaming what's more important than a good graphics card? Well, it's actually been quite some time since i last did a graphics card review but with prices finally on their way back to normal/recommended levels (especially for LHR models - still far from there however) i decided to take a closer look at one of the most sought after NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB models in the world, the Hall Of Fame (HOF) OC Lab Edition by GALAX.

   Founded in Hong Kong in 1994 formerly known as Galaxytech, GALAX has been fully committed to bringing the most innovative computer hardware to the growing worldwide market. By recruiting talented designers and sourcing the most advanced manufacturers, GALAX established its renowned reputation in creating sophisticated computer hardware and began its long-term AIC partnership with NVIDIA in 1999. GALAX now produces the best mid to high range graphic cards on the planet and continues to set the bar high and break world records.

   As mentioned before in past reviews the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB is based on NVIDIA's 2nd generation RTX technology (GA102 chip - 8nm) that sports CUDA cores with FP32+INT32 instructions (for simultaneous floating point and integer math), 2nd gen RT cores, 3rd gen Tensor cores and ray trace motion-blur effects. In terms of numbers the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti packs 10240 shader units, 320 texture mapping units, 320 Tensor cores, 112 raster operators, 80 ray tracing cores and 12GB GDDR6X RAM based on a 384-bit memory bus with an effective clock speed of 19Gbps. What immediately sets the GALAX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition graphics card is its all-white color which extends all the way to the PCB. This of course makes the GALAX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition 12GB graphics card quite unique and thus a one way if you're looking for a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and you own a white system. Under the hood however the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition graphics card has many more strong selling points including an 14+6+4 phase (total 24 phase) DrMOS power design (ideal for overclocking - requires 3x8pin power connectors), Aurora ARGB Sync lighting (tri-zone), dual-BIOS (performance & silent), tri-fan custom cooling solution with zero-RPM mode (2x102mm & 1x92mm fans - dual aluminum heatsinks with 6 heatpipes), aluminum backplate, 1 click OC button and a decent factory overclock of 1815MHz for the boost clock. As for available connectors the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition comes ready with 3 DP v1.4a ports and a single HDMI v2.1 port (these support a total of 2 displays simultaneously with resolutions of up to 8K/7680x4320p). So, let's see what exactly has made the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition by GALAX so popular among gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For their HOF cards GALAX uses a white and gold box that just has the model’s name at the front and of course their logo.

 

 

The key features along with the product serial number and a 2D barcode are all placed at the base of the box.

 

 

At the rear we find 6 pictures showcasing the main product features (the Ampere architecture features are listed at the bottom).

 

 

The interior of the box is primarily filed with black foam to ensure perfect protection during shipping for both the card and its bundle.

 

 

Along with the card inside the box you'll also find an aluminum support weight bracket, pair of black gloves, ARGB cable, three 8-pin connector extensions, quality control certification, feature guide and the setup guide.

 

 

THE GEFORCE RTX 3080 TI 12GB HOF OC LAB EDITION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GALAX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition 12GB is a massive tri-slot card that measures no less than 352mm in length and 160mm in height.

 

 

As with other GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB cards the HOF OC lab Edition by GALAX is using three fans (102mm for the side fans and 92mm for the center fan) all of which spin counter clockwise (the center fan is also one of the three ARGB zones).

 

 

The main cooler consists by 2 large aluminum heatsinks all of which are connected via 6 heatpipes.

 

 

I was a bit surprised to see that the far left side of the card is covered so hot air can’t exit from there (probably so it can exit from the right side).

 

 

The model of the card at the top is one of the three available ARGB zones.

 

 

GALAX equipped their 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition graphics card with three 8-pin power connectors to provide more juice for serious overclockers.

 

 

The rear aluminum backplate looks very nice and the company logo seen here is also the 3^rd and last ARGB zone.

 

 

You can find the dual-BIOS switch on the far left of the rear.

 

 

Moving at the front of the card we find the 1 click OC button, 3 Display Port 1.4a ports and a single HDMI 2.1 port.

 

 

ARGB lighting is not all over the place which is fine, still I would had liked it more if all 3 fans were illuminated.

 

 

As a small bonus for this review, I also managed to get the EAGLE GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB by GIGABYTE so this model will also be included in the charts.

 

 

XTREME TUNER SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Xtreme Tuner software by GALAX allows you to overclock your card manually or automatically and control its ARGB feature.

The info tab includes information on your card and the driver version.

 

 

Inside the OC tab you can adjust voltages, set clocks and even raise the power and temperature thresholds.

 

 

GALAX has placed numerous ARGB effects you can use with their GeForce RTX 3080 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition card.

 

 

From the fan control page, you can adjust the fan speed or the fan curve.

 

 

If you click on the smartphone drawing on the top right corner a 2D barcode will popup which you can use to connect the xtreme tuner smartphone app.

 

 

XTREME TUNER SMARTPHONE APP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty much whatever you can change via the Xtreme Tuner software you can also change via the smartphone app, to do that you just need to install it and scan the 2D barcode from the software (you will need to scan the 2D barcode every time you use the app however).

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Since i moved to the X299 test rig for graphics cards tests, i also moved to another screen (Philips BDM4037UW) in order to also offer 4k Ultra HD tests. Of course, 2160p (3840x2160p) is not the only resolution i'll be testing cards with, 1080p Full HD (1920x1080p) and 1440p (2560x1440p) are also included. Also, because far too many gamers own Ultra-Wide screens at first i wanted to use the AOC AGON AG352UCG monitor in order to also have its resolution of 3440x1440p in the charts but since it's plugged into another other test rig several meters away from this one i really had to choose (and 4k seemed like the better choice). This time over i also updated the list of benchmarks/games to include the Time Spy benchmark by UL, Assassin's Creed Odyssey by Ubisoft, Devil May Cry 5 by Capcom, Dreadnought by Yager, GEARS 5 by The Coalition, Metro Exodus by 4A Games, Star Citizen by Cloud Imperium Games, The Outer Worlds by Obsidian Entertainment, Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Project* and DCS World by Eagle Dynamics**.

   As with the past options like power saving, sharpness and overlays are all disabled in the cards I'm testing (to achieve maximum performance) and all tests are repeated a total of 3 times in a fresh Windows 10 Pro installation with all updates installed until the day of review (same as all the games used). Room temperature is as usual controlled and steady at 23 degrees Celsius for all tests and to record the temperatures of the cards i use AIDA64 and GPU-Z. Recording noise levels is done with an ExTech HD600 dBA meter from a distance of no more than half a meter away (exterior of case) while power consumption is measured again using GPU-Z.

* Since February 2021
** Since August 2021

 

 

TEST RESULTS - 3DMARK TIMESPY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Spy was added in 3DMark back in 2016 with only 1 simple goal, to test the graphics of systems with Windows 10 and DirectX 12. Time Spy was used at default settings.

 

TEST RESULTS - ASSASSINS CREED ODYSSEY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an action role-playing video game set in the year 431 BC and the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and is based on the AnvilNext engine. For our tests we use the built-in benchmark of the game with FPS limit off, V-Sync off and the graphics set at high quality (because Assassins Creed Odyssey auto-detects your graphics card and sets settings accordingly the same graphics quality needs to be set manually every time).

 

TEST RESULTS - BORDERLANDS 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borderlands 3 is an action role-playing first-person shooter video game released back in late 2019 and is powered by Unreal Engine 4. Borderlands 3 has a very basic built-in benchmark which we set at DirectX 12 with unlimited frame rate and overall quality set to High.

 

TEST RESULTS - DEVIL MAY CRY 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devil May Cry 5 is an action-adventure hack and slash video game released in March 2019 and is based on the RE Engine like other titles by Capcom. Devil May Cry 5 doesn't feature his very own built-in benchmark so for that purpose we're using the latest version of Rivatuner Statistics Server with V-Sync Off, variable frame rate and all graphics settings set at High.

 

TEST RESULTS - DREADNOUGHT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreadnought is a space combat simulation game released for the PC in late 2018 and is the 3rd game in our tests based on the Unreal Engine 4. Dreadnought used to come with its own built-in benchmark but since that was removed, we decided to use Rivatuner Statistics Server with V-Sync off and graphics set to High (this game is capped after all so I removed that and did all tests again – unfortunately I no longer have all the cards here).

 

TEST RESULTS - GEARS 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter video game released back in mid-2019 and is powered by Unreal Engine 4 just like Borderlands 3. Gears 5 features a very convenient (not to mention fast) built-in benchmark which we use with V-Sync off, unlimited frame rate (none for minimum) and Ultra graphics quality.

 

 

TEST RESULTS - METRO EXODUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter video game released in 2019 and is based on the 4A Engine. The latest game in the Metro series also features its very own benchmark utility which we set at DirectX 12 and Ultra graphics quality (we're also running RTX tests with that setting set at Ultra).

 

TEST RESULTS - STAR CITIZEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star Citizen is an upcoming multiplayer space trading and combat game the main development of which started back in 2012 and is currently based on the Lumberyard game engine. Not only does Star Citizen come without any built-in benchmark (or utility) but it’s still in Alpha status meaning that this is not the most stable game title to use for our benchmarks (numerous graphics optimisations are expected between now and launch day). Still, we wanted to have it in our charts for anyone interested and so we did by using Rivatuner Statistics Server with V-Sync turned off and the graphics set at High.

 

TEST RESULTS - THE OUTER WORLDS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Outer Worlds is an action role-playing game released back in late 2019 and is also based on the Unreal Engine 4. The Outer Worlds is yet another title we had to use Rivatuner Statistics Server with V-Sync off, unlimited frame rate and graphics set at Very High.

 

TEST RESULTS – CYBERPUNK 2077

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest game by CD Project and is based on their REDEngine 4. Benchmarks were run on game version 1.12 with all settings set at High and with the help of Rivatuner Statistics Server.

 

TEST RESULTS – DCS WORLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DCS World by Eagle Dynamics is currently the leading combat flight simulator for the PC running on their very own in-house EDGE graphics engine. Benchmarks are run with graphics set on high with V-Sync off and once again with the help of Rivatuner Statistics Server.

 

TEST RESULTS - OVERCLOCKING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took me quite a bit of time to increase boost clocks from 1815MHz to 2005MHz and RAM clocks to 1348MHz from 1188MHz without touching the voltage which means that I’ve barely scratched the surface.

 

TEST RESULTS - POWER CONSUMPTION / TEMPERATURES / NOISE LEVELS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Before I move to my conclusion, I need to point out that power consumption was measured with hardware this time over and not with GPU-Z (seems that GALAX has disabled that feature in their card). My point is that this result might not be 100% accurate in terms of comparison to other cards, so do keep that in mind. With that out of the way it’s clear from the charts that the GALAX HOF OC Lab Edition is the fastest overall GeForce RTX 3080 Ti to arrive in the lab (although I just have 3 models in the charts) although it does exchange blows with the other two in most tests. Full HD 1080p performance is once again not quite on par with what I’d expect from one such card but it’s worth pointing out that these cards were marketed for 4k gaming and they do excel at that so I really have no complaints when it comes to performance. Temperatures are also very good but that comes at a slight cost in terms of noise levels so once again you win some and you lose some. Build quality is pretty much excellent across the board and even though white is not exactly my preferred color people who have white rigs will certainly like what they see (besides, not many white GeForce RTX models out there). As for overclocking potential thanks to the three 8-pin connectors and the 24 phase DrMOS power design serious overclockers should be able to reach far higher clocks than I so that’s obviously one more thing this card has going for it.

   Unfortunately, even though graphics cards prices are currently dropping the GALAX GeForce RTX 3080 TI HOF OC Lab Edition is nowhere to be found, at least not inside the EU or the USA. When the card made its way to the lab roughly 2 months ago, I was able to locate it for roughly USD1700/1700Euros in some online stores but not now so I have no idea really as to how much the new batch of these cards will cost when available again (still with how things are going I imagine closer to like USD1300/1300Euros). At the end of the day the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is NVIDIA’s third most powerful gaming card to date after the recently announced GeForce RTX 3090 Ti and the GeForce RTX 3090 before it (even though the 3080 Ti does surpass it in numerous games) so it couldn’t have possibly let me down. Add all the features GALAX has brought to the table like their 24 phase design, 1 click OC button, build quality, ARGB lighting and tri-fan cooling system and I’m sure it’s clear why it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Top Of The Charts Overall Performance
- Excellent Build Quality (Aluminum Backplate / Reinforced Frame)
- Rich Overclocking Headroom
- ARGB LEDs (3 Zones)
- Support Bracket Included
- Supported Technologies (2nd Generation Real Time Ray Tracing & Deep Learning Super Sampling)
- 1 Click OC Button
- PC & Smartphone Software
- White Color (For Some)

CONS

- Size (3 Slot Card – 352mm Long)
- Price (For Some)
- Current Availability