I'm building my first PC and I'm deciding between a Galax GeForce RTX 3080 12GB SG and an ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 10GB OC. I'll be playing current-generation games and using Blender, so the extra VRAM seems useful. The Galax costs only about $25 more, but I've found many positive reviews praising the ASUS card's fans and cooling, while there are far fewer reviews of the Galax model, with some criticizing its fans. Is the Galax's cooling a serious concern, or is the extra VRAM and slightly higher performance worth choosing it? My budget is around 700,000 Argentine pesos, or roughly $800.
3 Answers
The Galax is probably the better value here. Reviews of its fans may be less common, but that doesn’t automatically mean the cooler is poor. Galax cards can have perfectly respectable cooling, and the extra 2GB of VRAM is more likely to matter over the card’s lifespan than small differences in fan quality.
For only $25 more, I’d choose the Galax 12GB model. The additional VRAM will be more useful for newer games, higher resolutions, and Blender than the ASUS card’s extra reputation for cooling. The 12GB version also has a few more CUDA cores and a wider memory bus, giving it roughly a 5–7% performance advantage over the standard 10GB RTX 3080.
I’d go with the 12GB card, especially if you plan to play above 1080p or use demanding Blender scenes. The ASUS ROG Strix cooler may be quieter or more refined, but a $25 premium for the Galax’s extra VRAM and modestly higher performance makes it the straightforward choice. Just verify the card’s warranty, power requirements, and return policy before buying.
That makes sense. I was mostly concerned because I found many more reviews for the ASUS card and very few for the Galax, so I wondered if people avoided it for a reason.