When Nvidia released the GeForce GTX 1080 final month, it was the biggest intergenerational performance leap that we've seen in six years. The GTX 1080 offers a massive 60% increase in performance over the GTX 980 that it'due south replacing. It does this while staying in roughly the aforementioned ability envelope, making the GTX 1080 the most impressive GPU we accept seen in contempo memory.

The GeForce GTX 1080 hit retail shelves on May 27th, and, unsurprisingly, sold out in short guild. Now, as I write this two weeks later, major online retailers such every bit Newegg list over half a dozen GTX 1080 models, most of which are withal sold out.

Among the sold out graphics cards you will observe the new Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming. It'due south a triple fan cooled 1080 that also boasts a redesigned PCB. Even though it's currently out of stock pretty much everywhere, we expect availability to improve shortly. Products similar the G1 Gaming will likely see strong demand for some time, as they are already cheaper than the Founders Edition cards, and likely to become fifty-fifty less expensive.

For now, the Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming is coming in at GTX 980 Ti money, though we do await the $650 asking price to somewhen hit the $600 MSRP set for the board partner cards.

Since starting time testing the reference GTX 1080 a month ago, nosotros take been eagerly anticipating getting our hands on the board partner versions. The Nvidia GTX 1080 Founders Edition is one of the better 'reference cards' we have tested, but its thermal performance does leave something to be desired.

When it comes to custom designed graphics cards, Gigabyte almost always does a great job -- for instance, nosotros specially liked the pattern of their Gigabyte GTX 780 GHz Edition and Radeon R9 290X OC graphics cards. Then, when nosotros got the opportunity to check out the new G1 Gaming version of the GTX 1080, we pounced right on it.

GTX 1080 G1 Gaming

Sitting next to the Founders Edition 'reference' graphics card, the G1 Gaming looks more geared towards the younger gaming crowd with orange highlights and an athwart, 'edgy' plastic fan shroud (i.due east. all edges). Not to say at that place's annihilation incorrect with the design as such, it simply doesn't exude the same degree of craftsmanship as seen from the Founders Edition.

Interestingly, the G1 Gaming card feels considerably lighter than the Founders Edition. Moving on, the G1 Gaming should be better cooled than the Founders Edition, seeing as information technology's supported past three 75mm fans moving air over 2 large arrays of aluminum fins connected by composite copper heat-pipes.

Gigabyte hasn't just slapped one of their WindForce 3X coolers on and chosen information technology a twenty-four hour period either - the PCB has been redesigned and upgraded. Replacing the five+2 stage power design of the reference lath is an 8+ii design, which is better for load balancing, and should meliorate stability and help lower temperatures, specially when overclocked.

While Gigabyte has upgraded the power circuitry on the PCB, the card isn't able to swallow any more power than the reference Founders Edition carte du jour. This is because Gigabyte has stuck with the unmarried 8-pin PCIe ability connector, so the G1 Gaming shouldn't be able to draw more than 225 watts in all, at least in theory.

Out of the box, the GTX 1080 G1 Gaming operates at a cadre clock of 1695MHz base of operations and a boost clock of 1835MHz, a mere five% manufactory overclock out of the box. Using Gigabyte's Xtreme Engine software, it is possible to select the OC mode, a preset offered by Gigabyte which increases the clock speeds further.

Using the OC manner the G1 Gaming at present runs at a base of operations clock speed of 1721MHz (7% higher than reference spec) which results in a boost clock speed of 1860MHz.

Gigabyte usually gets the virtually out of their custom designed graphics cards -- their GTX 980 Ti Gaming, for example, boasts an impressive 19% factory overclock. Then over again, the 980 Ti is a proven overclocker, so Gigabyte's mild 5% factory overclock on their GTX 1080 could exist interpreted as a sign that we won't be seeing much in the way of extra operation out of the partner cards.

Getting back to the G1 Gaming cooler, we find 200 x 100mm worth of heatsink sitting above the PCB. There are two primary banks measuring 100 x 100mm each, and they are continued via three 8mm thick copper heatpipes. A black plastic fan shroud directs the air from the iii fans over these heatsinks. Naturally, the shroud comes consummate with RGB lighting. Let's face it - if a production has 'Gaming' in its name, it pretty much has to as well accept RGB lighting. Come to think of it, practically everything released in 2022 so far fits this description, and at that place's no reason to believe things will change anytime soon.

Still, the lighting isn't over the top on the G1 Gaming, so there's that. Owners tin can too wait forward to the Gigabyte logo lighting up, as well as the 'Fan Stop' indicator turning on when the fans are inactive.

No doubt many of you will be pleased to find a full length back plate protecting the G1 Gaming. The plate itself is somewhat plain looking, though there is something to exist said for the peachy and tidy design.

Coming to the dimensions, the G1 Gaming PCB measures 270mm long, though the libation which overhangs the PCB takes the total length to 283mm.

Now that we know what it looks like, feels similar, and how it'southward built, on to the benchmarks!