"Quieter than any other card in its class": Asus and Noctua launch the GeForce RTX 3080 Noctua Edition
After teaming up to release the Asus GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition in 2021, Noctua and Asus have teamed up once again to launch the Asus GeForce RTX 3080 Noctua Edition. The RTX 3080 Noctua Edition features a quad slot design with two 120 mm NF-A12x25 fans and a custom heatsink. According to the joint press release, the card produces reduced noise across the fan speed range with a reduction of 9 dB at maximum speed and 2 – 5 dB at lower speeds compared to Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080. Additionally, the memory temps are reportedly reduced by up to 20 C.
Going into more detail about the improvements to noise reduction and temperatures, the press release states that, when fans are set to auto-speed, the RTX 3080 Noctua Edition is 4.5 dB quieter with 3 C lower GPU and 14 C lower VRAM temperatures. While the fans shut off completely when the temperature drops below 50 C to achieve 0 dB noise output, the RTX 3080 Noctua Edition posts a noise reduction of 8.6 dB and a 12 C cooler VRAM temperature when fans hit their maximum speed.
Finally, RTX 3080 Noctua comes with a dual BIOS to give users the option to alternate between quieter operation and max performance for the lowest GPU temps.
The board will be available starting in early June 2022. However, the press release gives no pricing information. If last year’s RTX 3070 Noctua Edition is any indication, expect the RTX 3080 Noctua Edition to cost significantly more than the RTX 3080 Founders Edition.