Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 Graphics Card Review

Nvidia RTX 40 SERIES SPECS

We’re at the final leg of the RTX 40 SUPER series launch as embargos for both the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER MSRP, non-MSRP, and OC cards lift today. Inno3D is once again present for our RTX 4080 SUPER round-up but this time with the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 graphics card. Let’s see how this new 2-slot GPU competes with behemoth-sized RTX 4080 SUPER graphics cards.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The RTX 4080 SUPER despite being the most powerful in the RTX 40 SUPER series, actually has the least improvements over its non-super counterpart. Compared to the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s and RTX 4070 SUPER’s 10% and 20% core count increase over their non-super counterparts, the RTX 4080 SUPER only has a 5% increase over the RTX 4080. However, the RTX 4080 SUPER sports the largest “discount” over its non-super counterpart at an 18% discount compared to the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s 12.4% discount.

Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 – Unboxing and Overview

Consistent with what we’ve seen with the Inno3D RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Twin X2 and Inno3D RTX 4070 SUPER Twin X2, the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 has a warmer shade on its packaging design to distinguish itself from its non-super counterpart.

Apart from the 12VHPWR adapter, PSU guide, and warranty card, Inno3D includes an anti-sag bracket for the RTX 4080 SUPER X3.

The Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 features three 96mm fans hence the X3 moniker. The triple fan cooling shroud design looks much more premium compared to Inno3D’s Twin X2 line thanks to the more symmetrical gun metal and black separation.

Inno3D might’ve missed the chance to call this the “Thin X3” coming from the usual Twin X2 cooling shroud. The impressive thin dual-slot profile may fool you of this length. The Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 measures 337mm x 141mm x 40mm.

Inno3D includes a full-coverage metal backplate on its RTX 4080 SUPER X3. Unlike the Twin X2 designs which had a gamer-y crosshair design on the backplate, the one on the X3 is more professional looking. There’s also a cutout of the backplate where the PCB ends exposing one 96mm fan to allow for ample airflow.

The Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 has the common display outputs namely three Display Port 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 port.

Despite is very thin form factor, the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 is one of the longest and widest GPUs we have across our RTX 4080 SUPER stack next to the ROG Strix 4080 SUPER. So while it may only consume two slots, SFF builders may find themselves in a tricky situation when it comes to case compatibility.

Benchmark Setup and Test Methodology

Gadget Pilipinas’ testing philosophy is to provide detail-oriented results as accurately as possible so that our readers can replicate our tests given that these conditions are met. Different benchmarking apps and sequences are used depending on the component or device being tested.

We use CapFrameX 1.7.2 Beta as our primary FPS capture and analysis tool for all our gaming benchmarks. The latest build version of Windows 11 Pro and WHQL-certified drivers are used for our benchmarks. Readings such as temperatures and power draws are recorded using HWINFO64, and other relevant software for cross-checking.

For more information read our Benchmark Methodology article.

Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 Synthetic and Productivity Benchmarks

3DMark Firestrike and TimeSpy

3DMark is the go-to benchmark for gamers because of the ability to share and compare results online. We test GPUs both in DX11 Firestike and DX12 Timespy to get a gauge of the performance.

Blender

Blender is a widely used, free, open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the whole 3D pipeline process from modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, and even motion tracking. Blender has become a standard for CPU benchmarks with the BMW27 and Classroom Scene most used. This prompted the company to release Blender Open Data Benchmark in 2018, a benchmark-specific version allowing users to run a preset benchmark and share the results online like 3DMark.

VRAY 5

V-Ray Benchmark is a stand-alone version of V-Ray developed by Chaos Group. It is designed to test the CPU and GPU by rendering sample scenes at a fixed amount of time. V-Ray is a plug-in mostly utilized by 3D computer graphics software applications mainly for industrial design, product design, architecture, film, and video game production. V-Ray is not limited to 64-threads as it supports multi and mega-threading. 

GeekBench 6.2.2

Geekbench is a multi-platform benchmark used to gauge CPU performance and compare them across Windows, Mac, and Mobile. Geekbench 6 is the latest version and test are done in both OpenCL and Vulkan to gauge a CPU’s compute performance.

CINEBENCH 2024

Maxon’s Cinebench benchmark is one of the most iconic benchmark applications used by reviewers and enthusiasts. The latest Cinebench 2024 now supports GPU rendering benchmarks which is why added Cinebench 2024 in our GPU benchmark suite.

Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 Gaming Benchmarks

RETURNAL

Returnal is one of the most technologically advanced game since the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Released last April 2021 on PS5 and February 2023 on PC, it uses Unreal Engine 4 and supports multiple technologies such as Ray Tracing, DLSS, VSR, and FSR.

COUNTERSTRIKE 2

CounterStrike 2 or CS2 is a the successor to the now retired CSGO and now uses the Source 2 Engine – the same engine used on DOTA 2. CS2 is a great FPS game to test out CPU performance. Our benchmark process uses a the replay function of the game.

DOTA 2

Dota 2 is a good repesentation among F2P titles especially MOBAs and RTS as it lands on the demanding side of the spectrum. Its gameplay and quality of life updates are far more frequently than most F2P titles thanks to its vast popularity. Our benchmark sequence is based on a replay of OG vs. Gaimin Gladiators in the ESL ONE Berlin Major Finals Game 4 from the team fight that happened from 23:00 to 24:00. 

SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony is one of the most popular PC port titles last 2022. It’s one of the few modern game titles that support upscaling technologies FSR, DLSS, and XeSS making it a great title to use for benchmarks.

F1 23

F1 23 is the official video game of the 2023 Formula One and Formula 2 championships developed by Codemasters. F1 2023 is the sixteenth installment in the franchise and uses the Ego Engine 4.0. F1 233 is a good representation of racing games thanks to its realistic graphics and fairly demanding spec requirements as well as support for Ray Tracing and the latest upscaling technologies such as DLSS, XeSS, and FSR.

ASSASSIN’S CREED: MIRAGE

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the latest Assassin’s Creed game from Ubisoft making it the thirteenth major installment in the franchise. It uses the AnvilNext 2.0 game engine and is the very first AC game to support the latest upscaling technology such as XeSS, FSR, and DLSS.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the most hyped game of 2020. Developed by CD Projekt Red, the dystopian open-world, action-adventure RPG sports is one of the most demanding titles to date. Cyberpunk 2077 also supports three Ray Tracing settings as well as DLSS which makes the game a great tool to measure Ray tracing performance for both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.

CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE

The latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise is a sequel to the much-loved Modern Warfare game that launched in 2019. Call of Duty Modern Warfare II is one of the most demanding titles to date, pushing the latest hardware from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. CODMW2 is one of the few games that comes with the DLSS feature without Ray Tracing.

Far Cry 6

FarCry 6 is an FPS game published by Ubisoft and uses the Dunia engine. It heavily relies on and takes advantage of DirectX 12 to render a realistic environment that makes it taxing to both the CPU and GPU. It’s also the first game of the franchise to support Ray Tracing.

Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Seige is one of the few popular AAA games that’s still popular in 2021 due to its competitive gameplay mechanics. R6S uses the AnvilNext game engine, which the game’s publisher, Ubisoft, developed. As of writing, Rainbow Six Siege is currently the most popular Tom Clancy title beating out Wildlands, Breakpoint, and even Division 2.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Shadow of The Tomb Raider or SOTR is the latest installment of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider franchise. Developed by Square Enix, SOTR uses the Foundation engine and is further enhanced by Eidos Montreal. SOTR is also one of the first games to come out with Ray Tracing and DLSS support.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus is the third Metro game trilogy based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels. The game is a first-person shooter with survival horror and stealth elements. The post-apocalyptic game uses 4A Engine by 4A games. Released last 2019, Metro Exodus remains to be one of the most graphically pleasing and demanding games that’s popular to date.

HORIZON ZERO DAWN

Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most popular console-port RPG developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Horizon Zero Dawn is a multi-award-winning action RPG, and its popularity resulted in an exclusive Complete Edition game bundle on Steam.

Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 Temperatures and Power Draw

RTX 80-class GPUs and above since the RTX 30 series have been thicker due to the immense cooling required for the performance. To see a mere 2-slot GPU peak only at 71.8°C is downright impressive and shows how these three-slot coolers are overkill for the RTX 4080 SUPER.

A peak power draw was recorded at 317.742W throughout our testing, well under the 320W rated TGP.

Performance Summary Conclusion

Inno3D’s take on the RTX 4080 SUPER is very interesting as it defies the industry trend of “larger is better” especially for higher-tier-class graphics cards. Despite the relatively smaller form factor compared to the rest of the RTX 4080 SUPER stack, the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3’s 71.8°C peak temperature tells us that performance doesn’t have to come in a very large package, which in turn requires the users to invest in larger chassis. That said, the 2-slot thinness has a catch and that is its wider and longer footprint, especially for those looking to install the GPU in a smaller chassis.

Like the Inno3D RTX 4070 Twin X2 Stealth OC White GPU which we reviewed last year, the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 is not a clean execution but it’s a step in the right direction which hopefully brands would begin to follow. Perhaps instead of a two-slot but over 310mm in length and 130mm in height, maybe Inno3D could’ve gone for a 2.5-slot and maintained the length and width under 310 and 130mm dimensions to fit more cases while maintaining the cooling performance.

Overall, the Inno3D RTX 4080 SUPER X3 is an interesting take on cooling and will surely attract users who are looking for a less bulky GPU without little-to-no compromises in performance, cooling, and more importantly price. At the MSRP of Php 69,300, you’re getting a good balance of performance, build quality, and thermals in a slimmer package that can keep up with those beefy three-and-a-half-slot GPUs.

Grant Soriano

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Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.