Gigabyte is making a splash with the new water-cooled GeForce RTX 3080 design, now entering the maelstrom of custom Ampere graphics cards being swiftly swept away by the tide. The new Aorus Xtreme Waterforce WBs (noted by Computerbase) is overclocked by 8 percent, meaning it'll be throwing up boosts clocks of 1,845MHz, and it'll do so in a full-cover, water-cooled wet suit with impeccable cyberpunk style.
Gigabyte also claims more efficient heat dissipation thanks to the "shortened distance between the water channel and the GPU", and the broad copper base plate covers the whole surface of the water channels. So it should (in theory) be pretty darn effective. As for connectivity, we're looking at three DisplayPort 1.4a, two HDMI 2.1, and a single HDMI 2.0, so you can run your 4K displays at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz.
There are a host of alternative water-cooling solutions available as separate units for the RTX 3080 and 3090 already, such as the EK-Quantum Vector, but there are some real benefits of investing in a GPU with a pre-installed water block. You could save a bunch of time and effort, and pre-installed water cooling means relief from the stress of self-assembly and the possibility of voiding your GPU warranty by jamming a water block into it. Just ask our Jacob who bled for his custom water-cooled PC build.
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Really, though, from a value for money perspective, pre-installed water blocks may not be the most cost effective solutions available.
That said, the Aorus Xtreme Waterforce WB 10G looks the absolute bomb with its subtle RGB LEDs and cyberpunk look, and it should integrate easily into existing water cooling systems by way of two G1/4-inch thread connections. It also features all important leak detection, complete with flashing warning lights, in case you somehow manage to get the install wrong.
If you're worried about such cockups, according to the product page, the GPU comes with a four year warranty, but there's not a wisp of info about pricing. With the Aorus Waterforce cooled versions of the previous gen RTX 2080 Ti GPUs coming in at $150 above the MSRP, we're expecting the Aorus Xtreme Waterforce RTX 3080 WB cards to be something in the region of $850.
But that remains to be seen, and good luck getting your hands on one!
