EVGA GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 Hybrid Review
Conclusion
We think we need a long sit down and a glass of wine after that. What a stunning card.
The EVGA GTX 1080 Ti iCX first gave us a glimpse of how quickly EVGA had regained the small amount of ground they had lost in comparison to their competitors and the FTW3 Hybrid completes that recovery by ticking every possible box that might exist on the list of “things a graphics card needs to have”.
The foundation of the nVidia GTX 1080 Ti GPU is an extremely strong one already and it would take a deliberate attempt by a manufacturer to produce a bad one. This does, however, mean that when the performance between them is so tightly matched it also takes something special to stand out from the crowd. The EVGA FTW3 Hybrid definitely counts as a special card.
Performance is, as you would expect from such a flagship GPU, exemplary. In every resolution, in every game, the FTW3 just pumps out huge frame rates and a buttery smooth experience. Having high frame rates is great but can be somewhat affected if there is any stuttering or frame drops at any point, but the EVGA never has any periods – however minor – where the frame rate is anything other than high. We’ve often mentioned how, once you own an SSD, the best thing you should spend money on in terms of producing a noticeable improvement to your QoL is graphics, and the FTW3 Hybrid leaves you in no doubt that you’re now the proud owner of some hardware of the very highest quality.
Such is the efficiency of the Pascal architecture even the air cooled models are quiet, but the hybrid cooler on the EVGA FTW3 Hybrid works so well that it counts as silent. The 120mm radiator can dissipate all the heat that the card can generate which leads to a maximum temperature after an overnight run of Unigine Valley on the most stressful settings of 46°C. So heat definitely isn’t an issue. Additionally it does so at a whisper, perfect if you’ve been stuck next to something that turns into a vacuum cleaner once you start stressing it. Lastly the decision to also provide a fan within the shroud helps keep the power phases and memory nice and cool too, which you can easily keep an eye on thanks to the nine monitoring points on the PCB.
So it looks amazing, performs like a champion and is extremely pleasant to live with on a daily basis. There is nothing at all to criticise – beyond the understandable price tag – and thus the EVGA GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 Hybrid wins our Enthusiast Award.
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