Review: KFA2 RTX 4080 SG 1-Click OC 16GB

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KFA2 RTX 4080 SG:

The architecture:

The model we are going to test today, the KFA2 RTX 4080 SG is a so-called “partner” card. It is an “SG” model which is part of the “Serious Gaming” series. This series, which is already well known in the KFA2 catalog, has a new design for this new generation. It has its own PCB and a cooling system developed by KFA2. We are therefore on a completely different model from the NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition. According to our estimates, this KFA2 RTX 4080 SG should be available in France for a price around 1,500 euros.

This RTX 4080 has a GPU AD103 with 9728 CUDA cores or 512 cores less than the RTX 3080 Ti. It is equipped with a manufacturing process in 4nm from TSMC and not the 8 nm manufacturing process by Samsung, which allows the TGP to be lowered to 320 watts.

In terms of memory, there are 16 GB of GDDR6X memory in 256-bit, which translates into a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The speed of this RTX 4080 should be 2 times faster than the RTX 3080 Ti according to NVIDIA while consuming less. On the next page, we will come back in details on the new features brought by this new architecture, including the support of DLSS 3.

The bundle of this Serious Gaming version:

So what do we find in this imposing box? As usual, KFA2 has taken great care of the packaging of its card by proposing a cardboard box where our copy of the KFA2 RTX 4080 SG is hidden but not only!

Upon opening the box, we can see two elements that are added to the graphics card. First of all an additional fan, the ARGB 1-Clip Booster 2.0 of 102 mm which we will come back to in details later in the article. The second accessory is an ARGB Dark Obelisk bracket to keep your graphics card upright in your case.

Finally, there is a 16-pin (12+4) to three 8-pin 150w adapters (450w in total). This adapter is necessary for those who do not have a power supply with a 16-pin (12+4) port. Please note that NVIDIA is the only supplier of the adapter and therefore provides it to its partners. We also received the 12+4-pin connector from Corsair as well as the one proposed by be quiet! which feeds directly into the power supply.

Cooling:

This KFA2 RTX 4080 SG has a different size than the Founders Edition from NVIDIA. The main change is the fans, which are three in number on this model. These three 102mm fans are part of the “Wings 2.0” series. They have been optimized to offer a higher static pressure, an improved airflow but also a longer life. It has an RGB backlight that can be controlled by the Xtreme Tuner software, which we will discuss in more detail in this article.

In terms of the dimensions of the card, we are on a size of 352 x 153 x 66 mm with a thickness of 3.5 slots. The front panel is mostly made of black plastic, which offers a neutral look when the card is not powered. The RGB backlighting changes the whole picture and we can already see on the pictures the areas where there is a reflection. While we’re on the subject of illuminated keys, a ” GeForce GTX ” inscription on the top edge of the card will also light up.

On the front panel, the three 102mm fans are responsible for keeping the heat sink in contact with the graphics chip and the various PCB components cool. These black fans have 11 curved blades that will remain at rest when the card is not solicited and the temperature remains below 35°C.

We’ll see it later, but the fan on the far right blows air through the heat sink and is then exhausted to the back of the board. The hot air will then go towards your memory slots. This is due to a shorter PCB than the cooling system. The PCB is actually 2/3 of the total length of the board.

ARGB 1-Clip Booster 2.0 with 102 mm:

The most attentive will have noticed that on the backside of the backplate, a recessed part allows air to be evacuated. It will be necessary to take into account a good air circulation within the case in order to evacuate correctly this heat source. It is on this area that the Booster clip will be clipped.

This is a fourth fan of 102 mm, also with an ARGB backlight, which will further improve the heat dissipation of the radiator. Beware, it may, for us, be incompatible with many motherboards whose PCIe port is close to the memory slots.

The two connectors on the rear panel allow you to power this fourth fan as well as manage the RGB backlight via your motherboard.

The heatsink:

As we said before, the heatsink is really big and protrudes from the PCB. That’s why the fan on the far right blows air through it towards the memory slots. The heatsink is crossed by four 8 mm and five 6 mm heat pipes. This means that the dissipation should be very good. The part in contact with the GPU is made of copper.

The memory chips and the power supply stage of the memory are covered with thermal pads. The idea is to optimize the heat transfer to the heat sink. The only role of the backplate here is to stiffen the PCB and prevent it from twisting under the weight of the board. As already mentioned, the Booster clip can be inserted on the end of the backplate.

The connectors:

To power the card, we find the new 16-pin mini-connectors. As we mentioned above, NVIDIA provides in its bundle an adapter to connect three 8-pin connectors.

The card has three DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs and an HDMI 2.1 port.