Nvidia Releases The Beast – Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Review

Nvidia RTX 2080 SUPER

The RTX 2080 SUPER packaging could be easily mistaken for a regular RETX 2080 if the SUPER logo was to be missed.

Here we see the RTX 2080 SUPER uncapped, and just like its previous brethren, it also has the bright chrome center applique. Other than that and the bright green SUPER logos on the front applique and the backplate, it would look like just another Nvidia reference model card.

Here is everything that comes in the box. the little accessory box is recessed into the lower carton foam and has a pull tab to retrieve it. Once inside you get the essentials.

• 1x Displayport to DVI Adapter
• 2x small manuals to help get you started

I will admit, Nvidia spared no expense as we know another quick start guide would work fine for RTX or even an all in one manual but Nvidia made manuals specific to the SUPER variant models.

Here we see the RTX 2080 SUPER out of the box. as mentioned both ends of the card are finished with the bright green SUPER logo. The chrome while at first glance on the initial cards seemed like it might be tacky, it does actually grow on you and I feel like it adds a bit of character, or completes the metallic look of the two fan openings. The backplate is a metal design with a few thermal pads to assist cooling form the back of the PCB. The tiny screws on the backplate are still just as fragile as ever.

Here you can see the rear I/O of the card and its bevy of connectors.

• 3x Displayport
• 1x HDMI 2.0b
• 1x VirtualLink (USB Type C)

Now, this looks like standard fare with the exception of USB Type C… Well for those not in the know, this is for the new VirtualLink connection which will power next-gen VR HMD’s (Head Mounted Displays) and it will carry not only power but the display/data connection all through a single cable. This means a much easier plugin for future VR headsets vs the multiple connections needed for current-gen headsets with Oculus needing 4-6 cables to have everything connected including sensors.

The power for the RTX 2080 SUPER is fed by an 8-Pin and a 6-pin PCIe power connector. This is the same power arrangement the standard RTX 2080 used and the SUPER model is rated at 35W higher power at 250W vs the standard RTX 2080 of 215W.

Here you can see with the NVLink connector, on the RTX 2080 SUPER. This means you can SLI (NVLink) two of these cards for enhanced performance, just keep in mind that support may be limited to non-existant depending on your game. Also, the TU104 GPU has a single x8 link vs the TU102 which is a dual x8 link. Therefore the amount of available bandwidth over the NVLink interface will be a bit lower.