Great-looking GPUs can be a bit of a waste in the wrong setup. With the glass side of your case smushed against a wall, there's no point getting something pretty if you can't look inside. However, in Noctua's case, looks aren't the only reason to go for its new RTX card (though they certainly help).
We got a look at the three-fan four-slot RTX 5080 chonker earlier this year, and Noctua has finally unveiled almost all the important specs. It does, however, omit the price.
According to Noctua, this is the first GPU to have three 120 mm fans, though we'd argue this isn't technically true, as the Cooler Master prebuilt RTX rigs have custom GPUs with three 120 mm fans. Though this is definitely the first card to use Noctua's NF A12X25 G2. We think the G2 is the best fan out there on the market right now, thanks in part to great airflow throughout the rpm range.
The new Noctua RTX 5080 has a "thoroughly optimised, custom-engineered heatsink that combines an extensive vapour chamber with seven 8 mm and four 6 mm heatpipes."
General manager and corporate vice president of Asus, Kent Chen, says, "We’ve created a solution that delivers exceptional performance with impressively low noise levels."
Noctua posted a YouTube video showing off the card and going over some key stats. With a combination of two fans running 50 rpm lower on either side, and the central one in the middle running 50 rpm faster, Noctua reports this runs 'significantly quieter at the same temperatures.'
Compared to the TUF gaming RTX 5080 and ROG Astral 5080, Noctua reports both quieter fans and better GPU and VRAM temperatures.
This is not the first time Noctua and Asus have collaborated on a special edition GPU. You can find a 4080 Super, 4080, 3080, 3070 OC edition, and standard 3070 card on the Asus site right now. All of them incorporate the cream and brown colourways of Noctua, but the RTX 5080 is my favourite.
The three-fan setup allows its design a little more room to breathe; the fans have a darker brown on them, and the cream being on the inside of the fans gives it a nice touch. The pricing and availability of the 50-series lineup have been somewhat problematic, but I can't knock their look.
We also just saw Noctua fans in Silent Master's RTX 5070 Ti, but it's not available in the Western Market.
When our Nick got a peek at the RTX 5080 earlier this year, he said, "The original Noctua Editions all have a gloriously cobbled-together affair to them, as if you'd strapped the luxury fans to the heatsink yourself. This new one just seems like any other Asus RTX 5080, just brown in colour, and that's a real shame." Though I actually quite like the 5080, I think what he's getting at is true. It doesn't quite look like Noctua's fans in theme, it just nicks some of the colours.
We don't yet know what the price is, though we can expect to see them roll out soon. However, if history is anything to go on, you will be paying a bit of a premium for the look and sound of this GPU. Back when the Noctua RTX 4080 launched, it sat at over $400 above similar cards.
I anticipate this will be rather similar. Is a better look and quieter fans worth a few hundred dollars more? For me, probably not, though I do get the appeal of an all Noctua build.
1. Best overall:
Noctua NF-A12x25 G2
2. Best midrange:
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700
3. Best budget:
Arctic P12 PWM PST
4. Best RGB:
Corsair iCUE LINK QX120 RGB
5. Best budget RGB:
NZXT F120 RGB Duo
6. Best for radiators
Arctic P12 Pro
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