INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 Graphics Card Review

We’ve had quite a few RTX 5080 models come through our offices lately, but apart from the Founders Edition model from NVIDIA, they’ve all been pre-overclocked models, which, of course, demand a higher price point. With GPUs still being a point of contention when you mention price, it’s difficult to differentiate why you should buy one of them over an MSRP card like a Founders Edition. Luckily, today, things are being shaken up a bit as we have the INNO3D X3 model with us. An MSRP card that breaks the mould a bit, as it’s set to rival what NVIDIA can do, being a dual-slot card that should offer an alternative for those who can’t snag a Founders Edition. We’re going to put it through its paces today Key Features The inno3d RTX 5080 X3 has the following key features and specs: Chipset: GeForce RTX 5080 Manufacturing process: 4 nm Microarchitecture: Blackwell Interface: PCIe 5.0 (x16) Connectivity: 3 x DisplayPort 2.1b; 1 x HDMI 2.1b Cores: 10752 Core Clock: 2295 MHz Boost Clock: 2640 MHz Memory Size: 16GB Memory Type: GDDR7 Cooling Solution: Tri Fan (3) Included/Fitted Backplate: Yes https://youtu.be/5smDQDNFB1Q A Closer Look Unlike some of the factory-overclocked models we’ve looked at, the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 sticks with NVIDIA’s reference boost clock of 2617MHz, meaning you won’t see any out-of-the-box performance gains compared to the Founders Edition outside of the margin of error or silicon lottery in terms of sustained levels of boost. However, not everyone is looking for the highest factory overclock, and in many cases, cooling, noise levels, and price are just as important when choosing a card. That’s where INNO3D is hoping to make its mark with its X3 cooler design. Cooling-wise, the RTX 5080 X3 features a triple-fan setup, using three 88mm scythe fans designed to maximise airflow while keeping noise levels down. While INNO3D doesn’t market any unique fan technology like counter-rotating blades, the core concept remains the same—push as much air through the heatsink as efficiently as possible. The fans sit on top of a high-density aluminium fin-stack heatsink, with six copper heat pipes feeding into the copper base, which makes direct contact with the GPU die, while the aluminium base gives full coverage for the memory, which combined should help to improve thermal transfer. This should, in theory, help keep temperatures in check without needing excessive fan curves and, therefore, lower noise. Unlike some of the bulkier AIB models, the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 keeps its footprint relatively manageable, coming in at 300mm in length, 116mm in height, and 41mm thick, which makes it a two-slot design. I feel this is going to be its biggest selling point, because that’s a key selling point that the Founders Edition has and makes it a manageable size for small form factor builds and is a lot more compact when compared to some of the extreme cooling solutions we’ve seen from competitors. Another key aspect is the build quality. The X3 features a metal backplate for added rigidity and improved passive cooling, but overall, the design is more function-over-form. INNO has also opted not to include any RGB, which makes the card appeal to a slightly different crowd who prioritise function over gimmicks, and that adds to a more premium-looking product too, with a more understated look. There’s no infinity mirror or excessive branding—just a simple, clean design that focuses on delivering performance without unnecessary embellishments. For those who like to fine-tune their experience, the card doesn’t feature a Dual BIOS switch or other added extras, which are typically found on higher-end models. This instead means you’ll be relying on INNO’s default fan curve, though adjustments can be made through software if needed. Power-wise, the RTX 5080 X3 sticks to NVIDIA’s 12V 2x6 connector, rated for up to 360W of power delivery. Given that this card doesn’t come with a factory overclock, power draw should be in line with NVIDIA’s Founders Edition, making it a more predictable option for those who want reference-like performance without any surprises. INNO3D recommends an 850W PSU, which is standard for a GPU of this class, though a higher-wattage unit is always advisable for those planning to pair it with a high-end CPU. So, where does the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 sit in the market? It’s positioned as a no-frills, reference-speed card with a focus on cooling and reliability rather than aggressive factory overclocks or flashy aesthetics. It will likely appeal to those who want a straightforward RTX 5080 without the added cost of premium cooling solutions or excessive RGB, but as always, the question remains—does the simpler design and lack of factory overclock hold up against its competitors? That’s what we’ll be putting to the test in our benchmarks, but first, we wanted to see what was possible in terms of manual overclocking. Overclocking For our overclocking, we managed to increase the core clock by 310MHz, now giving us an overall boost clock of 2927MHz, which is a 12% uplift over the stock clocks. Along with this, we also managed to get a 1000MHz increase on the memory, now clocking in at 2000MHz or 32Gbps Effective, which is pretty typical of what we’ve seen on other RTX 5080-based cards. GPU-Z Stock GPU-Z OC Software Settings Power & Temperatures What this overclock means for performance sees us opening up F1 24 for an hour-long loop to compare temperatures, fan speed, power usage and that all-important clock speed behaviour. What we found was that the INNO card was able to keep up with the Founders Edition, separated by just a single degree in favour of the X3 model. The overclock did increase the GPU temperature slightly, but even at 72 degrees, it’s nothing that would cause any major concern, and it’s exactly the same for the memory junction temperature, which seemed to hover around the same 67 degrees as the Founders Edition from NVIDIA, while the overclock again sees that get a bit warmer, but again at 73 degrees, it’s still perfectly acceptable. One area where things do show a difference is in the fan speed. We all know how quiet the NVIDIA model is at sub-1500 RPM, whereas the INNO X3 does come in a fair bit louder, falling just below 2000 RPM, and the overclock sees that ramp up even more to try and keep temperatures more in check. Power-wise, the INNO card does use around another 34 Watts or so at stock, and another 11 Watts when overclocked, so it’s clearly utilising every ounce of power it has to deliver a solid clock speed, and that’s the trade-off as the INNO card does come in with a higher sustained level of boost, averaging around 2790MHz. Again, the overclock helps to push that further, as we see the memory increase and the GPU clock now sitting at 3075MHz. To check how things at both stock and overclock line up, we need to look at gaming performance in a smattering of games. Founders Edition Inno3D How We Test We continue to update our testing methods around once per year. As such, we re-test older hardware to reflect changes over time. These can be driver updates, Windows updates, game patches, and more; all of which have an impact on performance figures. Furthermore, we update our test benches to newer and more relevant hardware. This means that our new reviews aren’t always comparable to those of older reviews, so please compare the testing methodology on older reviews should you be trying to compare them with newer ones. Replicate Our Results When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory and are kept as simple as possible, although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of a graphics card, CPU, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Links are provided below, as well as the settings we use. We encourage you to not just look at how one product compares to any other, but how it compares to your own. If you’re looking to build a new system, you should benchmark your current PC using the benchmarks available to you. You should then look at the percentage improvement from your current hardware to the hardware tested here to give you a ballpark figure of how much of an upgrade this will provide you with. Processor Test Systems Test System (GPU) Motherboard Gigabyte B650E AORUS MASTER Buy Now Processor Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review Buy Now GPU Changes Per Review RAM 32 Corsair VENGEANCE RGB 6000MHz CL30 Review Buy Now CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB Buy Now Power Supply NZXT C1000 Gold Review Buy Now Storage Seagate FIRECUDA 530 1TB Review Buy Now Chassis NZXT H9 Flow Review Buy Now OS Windows 11 Pro Version 21H2 Drivers Software We use a variety of software from different developers to assist in our testing and to give us the most consistent results possible. Some applications are specifically used for testing, while others are simply used for monitoring and to aid us in making sure that our results are as accurate as possible. Software Used 3DMark FireStrike & TimeSpy (download) Gaming To gauge performance levels which are easily reproduced time after time, by both ourselves and our readers, we now stick strictly to games default profiles. Given how powerful most modern cards are getting, we've began using more demanding profiles for most games, but will otherwise state on a per game basis if we use other profiles beyond High, Ultra, Maximum or their respective equivalent at all resolutions. V-Sync is always disabled in our testing, and all FPS caps that can be removed are. We also enable XMP and Resizable bar technology across all platforms to keep things as fair as possible. Games While we test a lot of games, it's not possible to display all of the data on the website or in our videos. Instead, we include access to all of our testing data for our Patreon members (link), where members get a ton of other benefits as well. What we do, however, is display charts for averages across all game titles to give a better picture of performance across all titles tested. A Plague Tale: Requiem Alan Wake II Baldur's Gate 3 Black Myth Wukong CS2 Cyberpunk 2077 F1 24 Fortnite Hogwarts Legacy Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Starfield War Thunder Resolutions 1080 (Full HD) 1440 4K Some tests will also include features such as NVIDIA DLSS and Ray Tracing. However, these will be clearly labelled and may only appear in reviews for graphics cards that support those features. Power Consumption Not being content with simply reading total system power draw, we now run F1 24 for an hour loop and measure power draw at the end of the loop for the most accurate measurement that represents real-world gameplay experience. Temperatures We take temperature readings after the same hour-long F1 24 loop with no other background programs running, again to simulate a real-world gaming experience. A Plague Tale: Requiem A Plague Tale: Requiem is a stealth-survival horror adventure that serves as a direct sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. Players continue the harrowing journey of Amicia and Hugo de Rune, two young siblings navigating a plague-ridden France in the 14th century. The game features stunning visuals, intense action sequences, and a gripping narrative that explores themes of family, resilience, and the darkness within. Starting things off with A Plague Tale: Requiem. Here we see the INNO card managing to boost performance by a single FPS in the averages compared to the Founders Edition and 2 FPS in the lows, giving us an overall margin of error improvement. Obviously, we don’t see a jump in performance as we do when we compare it to the pre-overclocked cards, but when we manually overclock the INNO, we do bridge the gap slightly, now bringing us within 1 frame of the Zotac AMP Extreme and the ASUS TUF Gaming. Something that is starting to seem like a bit of a trend with our 5080 overclocking, though, is that it does seem to dramatically affect the lows in certain places, and this is no exception, with our frame rate here dropping by 16% when compared to stock, which is enough to bring our frame rate below 60 FPS, and with a gap this big, you could expect some pretty noticeable stutters. Black Myth Mukong Black Myth Wukong is an action role-playing game inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." Developed by Game Science, it features stunning graphics, challenging combat encounters, and a captivating story based on the legendary Monkey King. Players can expect a unique blend of Chinese mythology and action-packed gameplay. Moving on to Black Myth Wukong, we see some pretty promising results, as even at stock, the INNO3D card is able to outperform the Zotac AMP Extreme. While they do share the same average frame rate, there is a 4% increase in performance in the lows, which will result in a very slightly smoother experience, and for a lower price tag at that. Something a little unexpected, though, is the results we saw from overclocking, which was enough to make the performance of the INNO outpace the ASUS TUF by 4% in the averages and 6% in the lows, which is a pretty impressive result considering its price point. Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action role-playing game set in the dystopian metropolis of Night City. Developed by CD Projekt Red, it offers a vast and immersive world filled with diverse characters, complex storylines, and a wide range of customization options. Players can create their own unique cyberpunk character and explore the city's underbelly, completing missions, engaging in cybernetic enhancements, and making choices that shape their destiny. In Cyberpunk, we see the INNO is again performing better than the Founders card, albeit by just a single frame in the averages, while the lows saw no change at all. What’s far more interesting here, though, is the results after overclocking, where we see the INNO now outperforming the RTX 4090. Granted, we only see 1 FPS more in the averages, but we also see a 10% boost in the lows. Despite these improvements, the TUF Gaming still performs just a little better due to the 6% more frames in the lows. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is an upcoming action-adventure game based on the iconic film franchise. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, it promises to deliver an epic and cinematic experience with a globe-trotting adventure, thrilling action sequences, and a captivating story. Players will step into the shoes of Indiana Jones and embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of a mysterious artefact. Looking at Indiana Jones, we find some pretty surprising results, as we have the INNO3D card performing basically on par with the TUF card, but with 1 frame less in the lows. Compared to the Founders, we see a 5% increase in performance in the averages and 11% more in the lows, which is interesting given that they both feature the same clock speeds. When we overclock, we find the results get even more interesting, as we increase in performance by 8% in the averages compared to stock, and this puts us closer to RTX 4090 levels of performance, though the lows actually see a slight decrease in performance, which is something that we’ve come to expect at this point. Starfield Starfield is a highly anticipated space exploration role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It offers a vast and immersive galaxy to explore, with countless planets, star systems, and alien civilizations to discover. Players can create their own custom character and embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of the universe, completing missions, engaging in space combat, and making choices that shape their destiny. Starfield is up next, and here we see the INNO3D at stock managing on par with the Founders Edition model from NVIDIA, separated by just 1 frame in both the averages and the lows, so while not amazing, it’s not really unexpected. When we overclock, we do see the performance jump up again, with the INNO becoming the best-performing of the 5080s here, seeing a 7% uplift in performance when compared to stock. Once again, we do see the lows taking a hit once overclocked, with a 3% drop in performance, so not enough to make a huge difference, but it is enough to make the performance noticeable in our chart. Ray Tracing - Black Myth Wukong Black Myth Wukong is an action role-playing game inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." Developed by Game Science, it features stunning graphics, challenging combat encounters, and a captivating story based on the legendary Monkey King. Players can expect a unique blend of Chinese mythology and action-packed gameplay. Moving on to ray tracing, and we find in Black Myth that at stock, the INNO3D manages to match perfectly with the Zotac, ASUS TUF and the NVIDIA Founders Edition in the averages, while the Founders card drops off slightly in the lows. When we overclock, we do see some improvements, as the lows see a single frame per second boost, while the average improves on that with 6% more performance, but that does only equate to 2 FPS. Ray Tracing - Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action role-playing game set in the dystopian metropolis of Night City. Developed by CD Projekt Red, it offers a vast and immersive world filled with diverse characters, complex storylines, and a wide range of customization options. Players can create their own unique cyberpunk character and explore the city's underbelly, completing missions, engaging in cybernetic enhancements, and making choices that shape their destiny. Then lastly, in Cyberpunk with ray tracing set to Ultra, the INNO comes in at the bottom of our standings when compared to other RTX 5080-based cards, though we’re only talking about a single frame behind the Founders Edition in the averages, and it matches in the lows. When overclocked, performance doesn’t really move, and instead, we only see a 2 FPS performance improvement over stock, though at such a low frame rate, this does equate to an 8% uplift, though the lows remain unaffected. How Much Does it Cost? The INNO3D NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 X3 OC 16GB Blackwell Graphics Card is available for pre-order on Scan.co.uk for £1259.99 at this time. Of course, prices are meant to be MSRP, but until stock settles down, that can mean just about anything. Conclusion So, in terms of performance, the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 delivers exactly what you’d expect from an MSRP card—Founders Edition-like results with no real surprises. It doesn’t come with factory overclocks or a premium cooling solution, but that also means it avoids the price hikes that often come with those features. Instead, it provides a straightforward, no-frills implementation of the RTX 5080, making it a good choice for those who just want a reliable GPU without paying extra for unnecessary bells and whistles. Overclocking One area that might make the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 an appealing option is its potential for manual overclocking. While it doesn’t come pre-overclocked, users who enjoy tweaking settings might find that the cooler is sufficient enough to push clock speeds beyond the reference spec. Of course, this depends on silicon quality and thermal performance, but for those willing to fine-tune power limits and fan curves, there could be extra performance waiting to be unlocked, as we showed today. The X3 cooler does a decent job of keeping temperatures in check, though it does tend to get a bit louder than the Founders Edition, especially under load, so there is that small trade-off. 2 Slot Cooler Additionally, the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 is likely to catch the eye of those looking for a more budget-conscious AIB option without sacrificing too much in terms of cooling performance. While it may lack some of the premium features found in higher-end models, such as vapour chamber cooling or reinforced shrouds, it still delivers solid performance with a practical design and is a card that prioritises function over form, which will suit many gamers who care more about raw performance than flashy aesthetics. X3 OC That said, INNO3D does offer an overclocked version of this card, the X3 OC, which provides a small factory overclock out of the box. However, as we’ve seen with other models, these minor clock speed increases rarely make a significant difference in real-world gaming performance, though if you’re looking for an INNO3D card with improved cooling, their iCHILL lineup offers beefier heatsinks and slightly more aggressive factory overclocks, but, of course, that comes at a higher price point. At that stage, you start moving into the price territory of ASUS TUF and Zotac AMP Extreme models, which have larger coolers and additional features, making them more compelling options if you’re already considering spending extra. Compatibility One of the standout advantages of the X3 is its two-slot design, which makes it one of the slimmest RTX 5080 models available. Most AIB cards take up three or even four slots, which limits case compatibility, particularly for small form factor builds. This gives the X3 a unique advantage for those who need a more compact GPU without sacrificing performance. However, this slimmer design does mean higher fan speeds to compensate for the reduced heatsink mass, so noise levels may be a trade-off worth considering. MSRP At MSRP pricing, the INNO3D RTX 5080 X3 makes for a solid alternative to the Founders Edition, particularly if availability becomes an issue. It’s a great choice for those who don’t need extra features like RGB, dual BIOS, or a massive cooler. That said, if noise levels and thermal performance are major concerns, you might want to consider spending a little more on a higher-end AIB model like the iCHILL range. The increased cooling capacity of those cards often allows for quieter operation and slightly better-sustained boost clocks, though the difference in actual gaming performance may not always justify the extra cost. Should I Buy One? Ultimately, the INNO3D X3 is an affordable, practical option for those who want a straightforward RTX 5080 experience without the added cost of factory overclocks or premium cooling solutions. It does exactly what it sets out to do—provide MSRP performance in a compact and functional design. However, if you’re looking for better cooling, quieter operation, or the best possible overclocking headroom, then stepping up to a more premium AIB model might be the better long-term investment, but a lot of that comes down to the added price, which we know can sometimes get a bit out of hand.

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