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Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 is the second most-powerful GPU on the market and the top choice of enthusiasts around the globe. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 serves as the successor to last gen’s GTX 1080 Ti with its excellent 4K performance and enabling of features like real-time ray-tracing in consumer GPUs. It is this ray-tracing “Turing” capability that earned its new moniker: RTX 2080; that’s why there’s no GTX 2080.
While the RTX 2070 and 2060 have released in the months since the 2080’s launch, this GPU still dominates the mind of 4K gamers everywhere at ultra settings. If you want to hop onto the RTX 2080 train, don’t worry: we’re here to help you every step of the way. But if you wish to get the latest Super cards, check out our RTX 2080 Super cards roundup instead.
Below, we’ve provided 6 GeForce RTX 2080s for you to choose from. Some target the RTX 2080’s MSRP closely, while others flaunt an extra budget toward features like RGB and liquid cooling. As long as you have the money to buy in this price range, you’re bound to find an option that’s right for you below.
If you need any help picking, we have a buying guide embedded after our picks and a comment section for you to use below.
Finding The Best RTX 2080 For You
In this section, we’re going to answer a few common questions and concerns. If there is anything you don’t understand about the RTX 2080 or how to make a selection from the cards listed above, we hope this will help.
If you’re interested in learning a little more about GPUs in general, including CUDA cores, then check out our general GPU guide.
How does the RTX 2080 perform in games?
In games, the RTX 2080 performance is stellar at 4K on high-to-max settings. If you ever need to compromise in 4K, the first thing to turn down would be anti-aliaising (especially since AA is fairly redundant at that resolution). Otherwise, you can trust that you’ll have consistently stellar framerates– even more so if you choose to run at 1800p or 1440p at ultra settings.
If you want a definitive set of benchmarks for the RTX 2080, look no farther than this TechSpot article. You’ll be able to see how this card performs in 30+ modern, popular titles– including your favorites, more than likely.
The RTX 2080 is rivaled only by the RTX 2080 Ti, but it’s nearly twice as expensive. No other GPU can match or exceed the RTX 2080’s gaming performance, so rest assured: you’re in good hands with this GPU.
What is the RTX 2080 MSRP, and how much more should I be spending?
The RTX 2080 MSRP is $699, but many RTX 2080 prices push above $800. Truthfully, you won’t find a lot of RTX 2080s at MSRP anymore: your best bet is the Founders Edition, but even that card never seems to be available nowadays.
If you pay extra for an RTX 2080, you probably aren’t gaining a lot of performance (more on that in a moment). That’s to say, an RTX 2080 comparison would only serve to tell us that all versions of the card have similar performance.
You may be paying extra for improved cooling or extra features like RGB lighting, though– whether or not that’s worth it depends on the kind of consumer you are. Chances are you don’t mind paying for luxuries if you’re buying in this price range, though.
Do factory OCs matter?
Yes and no. Factory OCs can improve your performance, but usually not by significant margins. CPU overclocking tends to get more performance gains than GPU overclocking, but what you get from user-end overclocking is always highly variable.
When it comes to factory overclocks, the best way to look at it is free gains in performance that you don’t have to squeeze out for yourself.
Ultimately, all of these cards are RTX 2080s at heart. Their performance will be near-identical, and even the best overclocks can’t change that by much. Expect 10% performance gains in the absolute best scenarios.
Do Width and Length matter?
Width matters a little bit less, since chances are you have plenty of PCI slots for your GPU to occupy.
Length is the real important one here. We’ve provided length measurements for each of the GPUs included in this article, and we seriously recommend using those alongside your case’s official GPU measurements to make sure your card will fit. Nobody wants to unbox their new GPU, open up their PC, and discover the card doesn’t even fit!