Meet the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition
At $699, the GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition is a home run for gaming at 4K or high refresh rates.
Opening the Box
The packaging is true to Nvidia's longtime green-and-black GeForce branding.
A Look at the Twin Fans
The card uses dual 13-blade axial fans, backed by a vapor chamber heatsink, for cooling. It vents the air mainly into the case, rather than out the backplane.
The Top Edge: Spot the SLI
To string two RTX 2080 graphics cards together, you'll need to invest in a new $79 NVLink bridge. The connector is under a cap on the top edge.
The PCI Express Interface
Here's a look at the card from the bottom up, showing the PCI Express slot interface.
Here's the Output Layout
The main video-out connectors on the RTX 2080 are three DisplayPort 1.4a connectors, which can drive display resolutions of 8K with a 60Hz refresh rate. In addition, there's an HDMI 2.0b connector for 4K output at 60Hz, and VirtualLink, a USB Type-C-style connector designed for next-generation virtual reality (VR) headsets.
Power Supply Connectors: It Takes Two
The RTX 2080 Founders Edition requires six-pin and eight-pin power connectors.
The Trailing End
Metal heatsinks totally envelop the board.
The Card and Its Accessory Kit
A DisplayPort-to-DVI dongle comes bundled in the box.
The Backplate
The rear of the card is etched with simulated circuit traces.
In Sum, It's a Supercard
To our eyes, the RTX 2080 is an easy sell for single-card 4K gaming. That's where it shows the most significant performance gains over its predecessor.