Cooler Master RTX 5080 OC Review
Up Close
Up Close
We laughed when we first saw it. So many manufacturers try and create a card which has the best cooling possible. Usually by dint of almost but not quite full-size fans. Cooler Master skipped the middle step and just built a cooler that accepts 120mm fans. Sweet.
The back is probably where the Cooler Master RTX 5080 OC look sthe most normal. As you can see the cutout is shaped the same as their famous lozenge logo. You might also spot that the metallic end is a fingerprint magnet. Such is life.
These two pictures really demonstrate why we’re here at all. We’ve shouted from the rooftops about the insanity of having custom 100mm fans in a cooler when you could go a little bigger and make customising/replacing them easy. Cooler Master have demonstrated the wisdom of this position.
Okay it means the cooler is massive, but it isn’t significantly larger than some other high end ones we’ve seen. Additionally if those die you’re in part-acquisition hell. Here if a fan dies you can literally use any 120mm one and get the job done. We don’t know if you’ve noticed but 120mm fans are not difficult to buy. Cooler Master offer loads of variants.
You definitely either need to handle the card with white gloves, or get a cloth on hand. This mirror effect looks gorgeous and will pickup fingerprints like nothing else.
Just in case you thought it was a trick of the light and that these can’t be fullsize fans. Nope. Here you go. Want RGB ones? Cooler Master will have you covered. Or Black ones. Quiet ones. High airflow models. It’s up to you. Although as you can’t buy this card, it also isn’t.
Mmm chunky heatsinks make us happy. This thing is a beast. You could beat a bear to death with it.
Around the back you get the most obvious tell-tale that this is ‘just’ an ASUS Astral PCB. ASUS own stainless steel backplate with their unique extra HDMI port. Heck there is even an ASUS Serial Number sticker here.
That also explains why you can control two extra system fans should you need to suck in more cooling air using these headers. It lets the card control your intake fans.
Lastly the dual BIOS. Just trust us, stick it in performance mode and forget about it. This Cooler Master RTX 5080 OC isn’t loud by any stretch. Not with a cooler like this.
