The GeForce RTX 3080 GPU is built on a new Samsung 8nm manufacturing process that allows 28 billion transistors. This means that the RTX 3080 is more efficient and offers more performance-per-watt than any other previous ray tracing card. With more than 8,000 CUDA cores, this card can support NVIDIA GPU Boost, NVIDIA FreeStyle, and NVIDIA ShadowPlay.
Released after the success of Nvidia’s Turing architecture, Ampere architecture packs 8,704 CUDA cores, nearly three times as many CUDA cores than the previous generation at 2944 cores on the RTX 2080. This is likely because of the latest Samsung 8nm manufacturing process, which allows for 28 billion transistors and the most recent GDDR6X memory as stated in the previous section. The RTX 3080 features 272 Tensor cores, 80 ROPs, and 68 RT cores to handle blurred objects. The double-width graphics card supports a 320W TDP and a new 12-pin power connector.
NVIDIA teamed up with Micron to use its GDDR6X memory on two of the GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs. Is it any wonder as to which two? The GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3090 GPUs, of course. The new GDDR6X memory is the world’s fastest graphics memory, which enables faster frame refresh rates. The 10GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gb/s combined with the 320-bit interface, which features 760 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a 70% increase compared to the GeForce RTX 2080 featuring a 256-bit interface.
The RTX 3080 has a one-of-a-kind, two fan design where there’s one fan on either side of the card. The front fan pushes hot air out of the bracket vents, which are individually shaped fins that direct airflow for better cooling. The backside fan draws air through the card toward the top and rear chassis exhausts. Inside the card, there is a hybrid vapor chamber with a heat pipe heat-sink that also distributes heat and allows air to flow through.
NVIDIA built the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card for performance but the unique cooling design is also getting its fair share of praise. Its 10GB of GDDR6X memory and 28 billion transistors allows for new levels of productivity. With all that this card has to offer it represents NVIDIA’s “greatest generational leaps” in performance.
