Palit RTX 4080 GameRock OC Review

1. Introduction2. Meet the Palit RTX 4080 GameRock OC3. Testing Methodology4. 3DMark Time Spy Extreme5. Game Benchmarks6. Clock Speed7. GPU Temperatures8. Memory Temperatures9. Acoustics10. Noise-Normalised Temperatures11. Power Draw12. Overclocking13. Closing Thoughts14. View All Pages

As the fourth RTX 4080 card that we have reviewed, Palit's RTX 4080 GameRock OC is my pick of the bunch so far.

This starts with the overall design, which is broadly identical to the RTX 4090 model we reviewed in October. I appreciate that the bling-tastic approach with the ‘crystal' RGB diffusers won't be for everyone, but I personally think it looks fantastic and it's a real point of difference versus some other, more subdued-looking models.

Palit has also carried over its dual-BIOS implementation, with a choice of Performance or Silent modes, the latter offering the lowest noise levels of any RTX 4080 we have tested to-date. The Performance BIOS also runs the fastest of any 4080 we've reviewed, averaging over 2800MHz across our thirty-minute stress test.

Cooling performance is another strong point, and while it may not be the outright best cooler when noise-normalised, it does come very close. Temperatures below 65C are fantastic either way, so we can really have no major complaints about the GameRock OC. Yes, it is very large – and perhaps unnecessarily so considering the power requirements, but the same can be said for pretty much any RTX 4080.

So while I really do like what Palit has done here, ultimately this is still an RTX 4080 GPU – a product which really doesn't offer good value at all, so it's hard to be too enthusiastic here. That's especially the case with RDNA 3 set to launch in just a couple of weeks, so my advice to anyone looking to buy a high-end GPU is to wait and see what happens as we head into 2023.

If you are interested in the GameRock OC, we found it on sale for £1299.95 from Overclockers UK HERE.

Pros

• Excellent Dual-BIOS implementation
• Fastest RTX 4080 yet (though the margins are slim).
• Quietest RTX 4080 we've tested.
• RGB lighting is unique and rather eye-catching.

Cons

• RTX 4080 is poor value overall.
• ARGB header is awkwardly placed.
• RGB and overall design won't be for everyone.

KitGuru says: Palit has made a very good card with the GameRock OC – it's just a shame the RTX 4080 is too expensive for the performance on offer.

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