GeForce RTX 3080 TDP: power limits of reference cards

Videocardz reports that the reference GeForce RTX 3080 will have a 350W power limit. The Founders Edition pushes this cap to 370W. However, some reference cards will also feature a 320W TDP.

This is a critical detail, as a higher power limit directly translates to higher GPU clock speeds.

According to Videocardz's benchmarks, a lightly overclocked reference GeForce RTX 3080 hits an average of 302 watts, with peaks up to 318 watts:

The tested GeForce RTX 3080 sample had a 320-watt power limit.

The "Pwr" PerfCap Reason indicates the graphics card hit its factory-set power limit, doing so even at 317 watts.

Therefore, from an overclocking perspective, opting for a 320-watt reference GeForce RTX 3080 seems ill-advised. The Founders Edition, however, is a different story; its 370-watt limit should allow for significantly higher clock speeds.

However, we still lack complete information on TDP limits for NVIDIA's AIB partner designs. It's possible some vendors will get the "green giant's" approval to exceed the 370-watt factory limit.

Source: WccfTech