Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 launch day wasn't quite smooth, and if you managed to score one of these highly-demanded GPUs, we hope that you aren't experiencing any issues with it. Many users have been reporting that several 3rd-party RTX 3080 GPUs are causing graphical artifacts and even crashing to users' desktops. Since then, the problem has been investigated by popular tech YouTubers like LinusTechTips, JayZTwoCents, Gamers Nexus, and several forums.
It has been concluded that the issue is either caused due to the use of low-quality capacitors or that the GPU itself isn't receiving clean power. Testers have also noted that the affected GPU modes crash upon reaching a 2.0 GHz boost clock speed.
An investigative report shared by Igor's LAB shows that there is a strikingly similar pattern across the affected GPUs, which is the use of cheaper capacitors. According to the report, some 3rd-party RTX 3080 GPUs use a combination of high-end and low-end capacitors. The cards that are being reported to crash have been found to use a higher combination of low-end capacitors.
It is also worth noting that Nvidia's Founder Edition of the RTX 3080 itself doesn't exhibit any of these issues. Popular YouTuber JayZTwoCents believes that the issue could be a result of poor power delivery, making the card unstable at higher clock speeds. However, his claim has yet to be confirmed.
It is still unclear what the real issue is with some of the 3rd-party RTX 3080 cards, but it's a reminder to fans to hold off from buying new tech on launch day. Wait until issues like these are resolved before investing your money in such expensive products.
If you've already purchased one of these cards, see if you can return it. If you choose to keep the card, there's an MSI Afterburner workaround that downclocks the card and prevents it from going above 2.0 GHz. That said, I don't recommend that you stall performance on your card in such way and instead just return it.
