PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 OC review: A gorgeous graphics card with great value

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We couldn’t praise the EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 ($730 on Amazon) highly enough, and PNY’s GTX XLR8 OC ($720 on Newegg) matches it blow-for-blow out of the box in key features. It’s just as cool, just as quiet, and essentially just as powerful. The PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 absolutely chews through games even when you’re using Ultra graphics settings at 4K resolution. 

Sure, it lacks the EVGA card’s RGB lights and multiple internal temperature sensors, or the dual-BIOSes and other swanky features found on some GTX 1080 Ti cards, but that’s more of a difference than a negative—especially given the XLR8 OC’s appealing price tag.

At $720 MSRP, the XLR8 only costs $20 more than the GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition, and it’s superior in every way. Other custom GTX 1080 Ti models currently on Newegg start at $750, though you sometimes find rebates bringing the total down to $730. Another twist: PNY has recently been selling the XLR8 OC on its website for the same $700 as Founder Edition cards. It’s currently sold out online as a result of that sale, but regardless of which price you pick it up for, the PNY XLR8 offers a lot of extras for a minimal markup.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The PNY XLR8 isn’t a sheer bang-for-buck play, though, as the card has some unique selling points. It’s thinner than most custom GTX 1080 Ti cards (although longer as well) and the gorgeous shroud is refreshingly devoid of glittering lights. That’s rare in the world of high-end graphics cards—and it no doubt helps keep the price down, too.

It’s weird calling a $700-plus graphics card a damned good value, but that’s what the PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 OC is. The card runs cool, looks great, and punches hard. It’s a great card to yank out of the box and shove into your system without any further tinkering. No wonder it’s impossible to find any in stock right now, though PNY assures me that more will hit the streets soon.