This fall, the gaming industry is undergoing a global transition to a new generation – and not just gaming consoles. If launch Xbox series x, Xbox series s and Playstation 5 will take place only in November, then a new era for PC gaming started back in September with the release GeForce RTX 30-series… However, there were some problems here.
In addition to delivery delays, the new generation NVIDIA allowed partners to use MLCC and POSCAP capacitors at once. The company itself uses both types of capacitors in its home solution, maintaining a balance between performance and economy, while third manufacturers use only POSCAP or MLCC. For instance, Zotac, who came to us for tests in the first days of the month, suffered from overheating problems, leaving after 10 minutes of reboot tests. It is assumed that the problem with overheating and overloading of this card lies precisely in the POSCAP capacitors. We had to return the card to the manufacturer, waiting for a more stable Zotac solution based on RTX 3070… But today we can still evaluate the capabilities of a new generation of graphics solutions based on NVIDIA’s own solution – GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition…
PACKAGING AND APPEARANCE
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition comes in a tight black box with a minimalist design. Inside the package is the graphics card itself, fixed on a stand made of polymer material, and a box with a 12-pin adapter. The PCI leg is protected by a rubber cap.
The card weighs 1.36 kg and occupies two slots in the computer, and its length is 28 centimeters, which is not much more than the previous solution – RTX 2080 Founders Edition. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition itself consumes 320 watts (for comparison, RTX 2080 Founders Edition consumes 225 watts) – it is recommended to use a 750-watt power supply. We used a 1200 watt CoolerMaster Platinum.
Externally, the RTX 3080 Founders Edition looks like a premium product made with quality components. The casing panels are made of aluminum, and the figure-eight or infinity-shaped edging is machined from a single piece of metal. The left fan drives hot air directly out of the case through the radiator grill, while the right blows it out to the top of the case. In many respects, this decision was implemented due to the freeing up of space and the rejection of a number of outputs on the rear panel. Compared to the previous revision, the USB Type-C port with DisplayLink support has disappeared. At the back are one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. After installing it in the case and turning on the computer, the card is automatically recognized by Windows 10. The GeForce RTX lettering on the device glows with a steady white light.
DLSS 2.0 AND RTX GAME TESTS
NVIDIA is committed to investing heavily in cutting-edge gaming technologies, including actively developing the ability to use AI algorithms to improve gaming performance. Deep Learning Supersampling or First Generation DLSS, an AI-powered technology, was created to improve performance when working with resource-intensive ray tracing, but in reality the effect was far from ideal. In the same Battlefield V, the picture was blurred and the machine upscale from a lower resolution was noticeable.
The new version of DLSS, introduced in December 2019 and called 2.0, uses the accumulation of samples from high-resolution frames, while the neural network adds all the small geometric and texture details, making the picture similar when rendering at native resolution.
DLSS 2.0 in the game settings offers three image quality modes: “Quality”, “Balance” and “Performance”, which control the internal resolution of the rendering. Performance mode now provides 4X super resolution.
Along with Amperes, a new DLSS mode was introduced, Ultra Performance, which uses a specially trained neural network to increase resolution from 1440p to 8K. It increases the number of pixels by 9 times. We selected several games that support this technology and tested them at maximum settings in 4K (3840 x 2160) with DLSS 2.0 set to the maximum quality – DLSS Quality.
First, we looked at cyberpunk action Ghostrunner, where, unlike Cyberpunk 2077, you can run along the walls and chop enemies in flight with a katana. DLSS has been tested at several levels. At stages with great detail and a lot of light and reflections, the card produced from 60 to 122 FPS, maintaining a stable 78 frames per second most of the time. In the down-to-detail stages in cyberspace, the frame rate ranged from 60 to 296 FPS, delivering the same stable 70-80 frames per second.
The second game tested with DLSS 1.0 was Shadow of the tomb raider… At maximum values in 4K, it produced from 59 to 110 frames per second. The average is 96 frames. At the same time, the frequency dropped in urban landscapes and increased in the jungle, which is surprising.
The third game, again with DLSS 2.0, was Death stranding… Hideo Kojima’s creation showed the most impressive result with a stable 142 frames and a maximum of 163 FPS. In heavy scenes, the project dropped to 68 frames per second.
And finally we tried Control c DLSS 2.0, which kept stable 60 frames per second in quality mode.
The RTX 3080 is 65-70% faster than the RTX 2080 in 4K when it doesn’t bump into the processor.
BENCHMARKS RTX
When checking the performance of video cards, we traditionally use several third-party benchmarks. Due to the high error rate, we abandoned 3D Mark and now only use Chinese Boundary Benchmark and domestic Unigine Superposition Benchmark… Both showed excellent results in the case of the GeForce RTX 3080. Ungine returned 18149 at 4K resolution at maximum settings, recording an average FPS of 108 frames. Boundary Benchmark showed 94 FPS.
SIMPLY 4K GAMES
In addition to games with DLSS support, we checked the most popular and recent projects. All were launched with maximum graphics settings of 4K (3840 x 2160) with V-sync off. In 2023, when a 4K monitor can be bought for less than 20 thousand rubles, there is no point in staying at Full HD.
Doom eternal demonstrated extreme performance with an average of 165 FPS in difficult scenes. Baldurs gate 3 from Early Access kept at a stable 78 FPS, sometimes dropping to 52 FPS. The game we love Tell me why in saturated moments it stayed at 69 frames and reached 250 FPS. Adventure thriller Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey showed a stable 77 FPS in an internal performance test. Horror Amnesia rebirth gave an average of 60 FPS, but there, apparently, there is a limitation on the frame rate, since the indicators should be higher.
NVIDIA BROADCAST
NVIDIA is moving towards enhancing the gaming experience for PC gamers and expanding their gaming experience. One of the new solutions is NVIDIA Broadcast, a plugin that works on the basis of all the same neural networks and only with graphics cards based on the RTX architecture. The neural network helps to get a better product for the streamer. The system suppresses noise from mouse or keyboard presses. Frames and keeps you in focus as you move and offers a virtual backdrop without a green backdrop. Zoom for iPhone now has a similar feature. We have tested all three possibilities and are sharing the result with you.
Noise cancellation really removes the knocking of keys or just even tapping on the table, but sometimes it does not completely isolate speech, imposing an echo on the voice. The camera with backgrounds works in beta mode. In the format of overlaying the background or removing it, it does not glue the hair well, leaving traces of artifacts and cannot yet determine the normal chair, forcing it to appear and disappear while moving in the frame. Blurring the background also works unsuccessfully, leaving strange blurry objects in the frame and changing the sharpness. Cropping works a little better, but there are problems with defocusing.
It can be noted that the technology is promising, but clearly requires improvement. By analogy with the first generation DLSS, everything should be fixed by the next revision.
TECHNOLOGY RTX IO and REFLEX
Low latency in esports and multiplayer games is one of the main ingredients for winning. The lower the latency level, the higher your accuracy, and hence the chances of success. Along with the RTX 30, the company introduced Reflex technology, which works with major multiplayer projects including Valorant, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Call of Duty Warzone, and Fortnite.
By enabling Reflex Low Latency in the game, you increase responsiveness and accuracy. In fact, NVIDIA Reflex dynamically reduces system latency by taking advantage of display speed and GPU overclocking. This is what was previously called “maximum performance” in the settings, but with a few technical nuances.
Ideally, a PC with a 360Hz NVIDIA G-SYNC monitor and Reflex-enabled mice has the maximum advantage in 1080p resolution.
According to the first tests based on Apex legends it can be seen that the delay is almost halved compared to competitors’ solutions. The NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer Module, which is built into the new 360 Hz displays with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, provides real-time latency numbers. For those who do not yet have such a monitor, controllability in games should improve on the level of subjective feelings.
As for the RTX IO, this is a solution for the near future, which is already integrated into video cards based on the 30th RTX series. It should be the tool to solve the bottleneck problem for Gen 4 SSDs based on PCI 4.0 with read and write speeds of up to 7 gigabits per second. Typically, the GPU receives data from the drive indirectly, which leads to a decrease in speed. First, the data is received by the central processor, and only then it is sent to the GPU. RTX IO technology solves this problem by transferring most of the communication work from the CPU to the GPU. This not only reduces loading times, but also increases frame rates and improves the final image. This technology and the new API from Microsoft – Direct Storage – will allow you to increase texture resolution up to 2.5 times by pumping only the necessary texture detail levels directly from the SSD right during the game. In addition, you can stream any other effects – geometry and so on. This allows developers to more efficiently use the available video memory.
In addition to transferring data directly from the storage device to the graphics card, RTX IO technology is responsible for efficient lossless compression. The video card will unpack (unzip) the game resources into video memory, due to which the effective data bandwidth between the SSD and the GPU will actually be doubled. The main thing is that the technology significantly reduces the load on the CPU. As with DirectX Raytracing, NVIDIA is working closely with Microsoft to implement RTX IO in Direct Storage on Windows, and the first games with support for this solution should be available closer to the summer of 2023.
WHICH GAMES SUPPORT THE NEW FEATURES OF RTX 3080 AND RTX 3090
We’ve already mentioned games with DLSS 2.0 support and ray tracing, but there will be a lot more games this fall. In October-November 2023, they are waiting for you:
- Ghostrunner – released on October 27th with traced reflections and shadows, as well as DLSS;
- Pumpkin jack – released on October 23rd with traced reflections and shadows, improved lighting and DLSS;
- Xuan-Yuan Sword VII – Released Oct 28th with traced global illumination and DLSS.
Four Released Games Will Get RTX Capabilities With November Updates:
- Edge of eternity – the game is in early access, DLSS support is added;
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord – with DLSS;
- World of Warcraft: Shadowlands – with traced shadows.
Two More RTX Games Going to Early Access / Beta:
- Enlisted – Closed Beta comes out in November with traced global illumination and DLSS;
- Ready or not – traced reflections, shadows, background shading and DLSS will be available at the start of Early Access towards the end of 2023.
Do not forget about the long-awaited blockbusters:
- Watch Dogs: Legion – released on October 29th with traced reflections and DLSS;
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Released November 13th with ray tracing and DLSS.
Cyberpunk 2077 – Released on December 10th with traced reflections, background shading, shadows, global ambient lighting and DLSS.
RESULTS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition is the ideal solution for stable 60 FPS at 4K. Twice as fast in tracing as in 2080 for the same money. The gain in games with DLSS 2.0 support is more than noticeable here, especially against the background of the RTX 2080, in which the new product wins by more than half. Well, if you want to get the maximum aesthetic pleasure from autumn blockbusters such as Watch Dogs: Legion and Cyberpunk 2077, then you definitely cannot do without the GeForce RTX 3080.
Author: Alexander Loginov (xtr)
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