Thermals and Noise

The reference cooler design has not changed much compared to the previous generation. The GTX 1080 has high GPU clocks and the reference cooler is not the best thing to use. It is not really loud or annoying, but it is not quiet either. We are pleased to inform you that the ACX 3.0 cools scores well here.

The new ACX 3.0 cooler is superior to the reference design as it keeps the GPU temperatures below 78 degrees Celsius. The ACX 3.0 cooler ensures the card maintains the maximum Boost clock possible for as long as possible. The new Boost 3.0 algorithm will reduce the GPU Boost clocks on the GTX 1080 if the GPU temperature goes over 83 degrees Celsius, but the ACX 3.0 cooler keeps the GPU temperature significantly lover.

The card is completely silent in idle and during media playback. The card turns its fans off when GPU temperature is below 60 degrees Celsius. The GTX 1080 FTW ACX 3.0 is quiet, almost inaudible, even under load. Below is shown idle temperature measured just after several minutes after we ended a game.