Test System and Synthetic Benchmarks
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8700K (Retail) |
| CPU Cooler | EKWB Predator 360mm AIO with Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z370-Gaming 7 |
| Memory | G.Skill SniperX 2x8GB @ 3400MHz 16-16-16-36 (XMP) |
| Storage | Samsung 240 EVO 256GB SSD, Crucial MX500 1 TB SATA III SSD |
| Case | DimasTech EasyXL V3 |
| Power Supply |
Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W |
| Drivers | NVIDIA 417.22 (417.35 for DLSS testing) |
| Video Card(s) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080TI Founders Edition, Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Mini |
| Monitor | BenQ EL2870U 28 inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz |
| Operating System | Windows 10 x64 Pro with latest patches and updates |
I want to thank Zotac for providing their GeForce GTX 1080 mini as our comparison card for this review.
Graphics Card Testing Methodology:
There are many ways to benchmark GPUs (graphics cards). With the benchmarks we use, our goal is to do two things: first to show the performance of the card being reviewed and second to make them easy to replicate. No systems are the same no matter how hard you try. There will always be a variance from system to system. What we are trying to present is information that you can use to hopefully get similar results to compare your current graphic card against.
Synthetic Tests
3DMark Firestrike from Futuremark is a Semi-synthetic DirectX11 benchmark designed for high-performance gaming PCs. Firestrike performs advanced geometry, illumination and particle tests with its Graphics benchmark and performs physics simulations using the CPU. Firestrike Ultra Kicks it up a notch and ratchets up the resolution to 4K and turns the quality up a bit.
Timespy is an additional test in 3DMark which represents DirectX 12 gameplay. The extreme version is meant to test the highest end graphics cards at 4K.
Unigine’s Superposition features both a monitor benchmark but also a VR load as well. I used the 4K optimized and 8K optimized presets. Superposition also allows you to explore the environment in VR Mode with your headset connected.
