This new RTX 3080 12GB model once again requires a minimum of a 750w PSU for usage, however, it draws slightly more power at 350w compared to the original RTX 3080’s 320w power consumption. 

News of the RTX 3080 12GB was heavily speculated throughout January, however, the GPU was officially unveiled by the company thanks to driver support listed in GeForce Experience earlier today. 

Check for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders:  Best Buy (opens in new tab) | Amazon (opens in new tab) | Newegg (opens in new tab) | B&H Photo (opens in new tab) | Adorama (opens in new tab) | Walmart (opens in new tab)

Certain graphics card manufacturers have already announced their official RTX 3080 12GB lineup. The most prominent among them are EVGA and Inno3D, the former of which featured heavily in leaks. So far, only the FTW3 and XCS have been publically listed as being available through EVGA’s official website, however, both models were ‘elite member exclusive’ and were sold out at the time of announcement.

Inno3D has listed several of its RTX 3080 12GB models available on its website, including that of the Black, Frostbite, X3 OC, and iChill X3 and X4 variants. We’re confident that more RTX 3080 12GB models will be unveiled by many of the larger partner card manufacturers.

What will the RTX 3080 12GB price be? 

While no official RTX 3080 12GB price has been unveiled by Nvidia as of yet, early indications suggest that the GPU is priced significantly higher than what we saw when RTX 3080 stock originally launched. EVGA’s two publicly available models carry a price tag of $1,249 and $1,299 for the iChill X3 and FTW3 respectively. 

These listings price the RTX 3080 12GB model above the standard MSRP of RTX 3080 Ti stock, which launched with a starting price of $1,199.99 for the Founders Edition. This is without taking into consideration the fact that different partner cards are going to vary wildly in prices, especially as these EVGA models are two of the more high-end options from the looks of things.  

It remains to be seen if some more affordable partner card models will have their RTX 3080 12GB GPUs hovering around the $1,000 mark. What we do know is that this graphics card is going to be just as elusive as the rest of the RTX 30 series line, so be sure to keep a watchful eye out for RTX 3080 12GB stock. 

Find more Nvidia GPU action for less with the best RTX 3080 laptop deals and the best RTX 3080 PC deals.

The post Nvidia officially launches new RTX 3080 12GB model through select partners appeared first on Game News.

Check for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders:  Best Buy (opens in new tab) | Amazon (opens in new tab) | Newegg (opens in new tab) | B&H Photo (opens in new tab) | Adorama (opens in new tab) | Walmart (opens in new tab)

The original story continues below.

A now-deleted tweet by French retailer Materiel.net may have confirmed that RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders are indeed launching today. 

The post has been now been removed from Materiel’s official Twitter page, however, Videocardz (opens in new tab) was able to capture it for all to see. It reveals information consistent with the rumors we knew from earlier in the week, most importantly, that RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders are going live alongside an announcement at 6am PT / 9am ET. 

Here’s the deleted tweet in full: 

The Materiel RTX 3080 12GB tweet reads: “Hello Twitter! Are you ready for the launch of the RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards? It’s launching at 3pm and there won’t be enough for everyone!”. 

Materiel.net is certainly right about one thing. There’s definitely not going to be enough for everyone if the trends we’ve observed regarding RTX 30 series launches over the past year or so are to be believed. We have no reason to expect a wide surplus given just how limited the pre-order windows for RTX 3080 stock and RTX 3080 Ti stock were. 

More RTX 3080 12GB pre-order news may have leaked

We’ll be honest, we’re skeptical about one deleted tweet. That’s why this leaked EVGA RTX 3080 12GB model has us fairly convinced that RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders are going to hit stores right on time. 

Videocardz (opens in new tab), also found listed retailer photos of an EVGA RTX 3080 12GB FTW3 partner card. This GPU features a triple fan design and RGB. The box declares specs that would verify all we’ve heard so far about the rumored RTX 3080 12GB announcement date. The new GA102 GPU features 12GB GDDR6X memory with 8960 CUDA cores and a 350W TDP. 

Will RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders go live today? 

While we can’t say for certain, everything we’ve read is pointing to the coveted GPU’s surprise launch today at 6am PT / 9am ET. What does this mean for you? Well, if you’ve been after an RTX 3080 graphics card for over a year, you’ve got a brand new chance at getting your hands on a new and upgraded model. 

We’ll preface by saying that RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders are not likely to hang around for very long, we’re anticipating a few minutes at maximum regardless of country of origin. You’ll have to strike while the iron’s hot to have any chance of getting one of the best graphics cards for its respective MSRP today. 

Retailers to check for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders

• Check Best Buy for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 
• Check Amazon for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 
• Check Newegg for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 
• Check Walmart for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 
• Check B&H Photo for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 
• Check Adorama for RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders (opens in new tab) 

If you’ve got one of the best gaming PCs around then you should ensure your gear is top-notch, too, with the best gaming keyboards and best gaming monitors. 

The post Have these Twitter leaks just confirmed RTX 3080 12GB pre-orders are coming today? appeared first on Game News.

Design

Specs

Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q
Memory: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
Display: 14-inch, 60Hz, 1ms
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C; 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1x Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery, Display Port and G-Sync; 1 x HDMI 2.0b
Connectivity: Gig+ Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Weight: 3.74 pounds (1.69kg)

It’s impossible to ignore one of the biggest design changes to hit the ASUS G14 with this latest edition. Sure, you’ll usually find loud colors in a gaming keyboard, with RGBs and customizable patterns always vying for your attention – but the ACRNM design is less about garish color for color’s sake, and offers a more subtle twist on that need for a few hues other than black or silver. 

It seems that gaming laptops either take that cold monochromatic aesthetic or one that blinds its users with more LEDs than keys. With muted hues of blue, green, brown, and red seemingly placed at random in this ASUS G14 keyboard, however, this feels like an almost tongue-in-cheek response to such gaudy traditions. 

It’s certainly not to everybody’s taste and takes some getting used to the first time out of the box. However, after a while, you’ll find a particular charm to its bizarre, esoteric design, and it’ll certainly resonate with the creatives and ‘thinkers’ that the laptop has in mind.

The is variant of the G14 also sports an unusual LED display along the top of the chassis. In fact, the entire front panel of the laptop is adorned with customizable lights that can be configured in a wide range of patterns. The inside may not look like your traditional gaming laptop, but anyone looking at you face on will know you’re loading up Red Dead Redemption – don’t worry about that. 

Then we get to the build of the chassis itself. It’s easy to wonder if a 14-inch gaming laptop can really offer a powerful gaming experience – especially one worth over $2,000 / £2,000. In reality, the G-14 offers an incredibly light design that looks to change the reputation that massive, clunky gaming laptops have set as precedent – we’re looking at you Alienware. 

A minimal footprint and impossibly thin profile mean you can easily drop this laptop into any backpack, and the gorgeous WHQD display stretches across as much of that dinky chassis as possible. 

Features

The ASUS ROG-Zephyrus G-14 has its fair share of bonus features both under the hood and embedded into the design itself. First and foremost there’s that customizable LED panel on the top of the chassis. Over 1,000 mini-LEDs can be configured from proprietary software to display whatever you’d like along the top of your machine. It’s a new direction in personalization that adds just one more layer of control and an excellent little bonus feature on top of an excellent machine. 

However, perhaps more noticeable is the unique hinge design that slightly raises the body of the laptop when the lid is opened. It’s cool to see, but it also serves a neat purpose too. Vents along the top of the chassis are left to breathe a little easier, which is a blessing because this machine is working pretty hard. 

Fan control allows you to prioritise performance if you don’t mind the roaring of your laptop’s cooli2ng system in the background. It is a pretty loud roar, as well, and running Ultra settings will certainly have you plugging into one of the best gaming headsets. However, while that may be a drawback for some, there is the option to prioritise silence over performance should those around you start looking too suspicious. 

Then there’s the display. This 1440p WQHD IPS panel really does shine – and would give many of its full-sized best gaming monitor counterparts a run for their money –  with an anti-glare finish that, while looking a little dimmer in brighter lights, leaves a satisfying matte finish. However, this 1440p panel maxes out at a 60Hz refresh rate, which can feel a little slow considering the amount of cash being pumped into each purchase. 

Under the hood, our unit was sporting a blinding Ryzen 9 processor, with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. While it might not feature the very best graphics card, or the best CPU for gaming for example – and speaking ruthlessly – it’s still a very fine set of specs, with the Ryzen processor sitting particularly pretty at this price point, even if you are only just nudging into the minimum requirements for ray-tracing gaming.

Performance

Benchmarking

How does the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 fare on some industry tests? 

Cinebench CPU: 4066
3DMark Fire Strike: 13,353 points
3DMark Time Spy: 5,701 points
CrystalDiskMark: 1,521MB/s read; 1,748MB/s write
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Ultra at 1080p: 51fps; Ultra at 1440p: 36 fps; High at 1080p: 56 fps; High at 1440p: 48 fps;
Metro Exodus: Ultra at 1080p: 42 fps; Ultra at 1440p: 33 fps; High at 1080p: 53fps; High at 1440p: 40 fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Highest at 1080p: 73 fps; Highest at 1440p: 49 fps; High at 1080p: 81 fps; High at 1440p: 58 fps
Total War: Three Kingdoms: Ultra at 1080p: 46 fps; Ultra at 1440p: 30 fps; High at 1080p: 67 fps; High at 1440p: 45 fps

There’s some serious power packed into this tiny footprint – power that offers up impressive gameplay across a number of titles. The urban jungle of GTA 5 offered no match for the Ryzen 9 processor, and the real jungle of Shadow of the Tomb Raider was equally as smooth.

That fluidity did struggle a little under the stress of Red Dead Redemption II at Ultra settings. Tearing was a lot easier to notice, with the whistle of the passing landscapes blurring just a little too much to call it frictionless. However, it was certainly playable and Medium settings offered an experience that many other rigs could only dream of.

All of that performance does come at a slight thermal cost, however, with the compact powerhouse putting its fair share of strain on the fans. Dropping down to a silence-first game mode does drop the brightness of the screen considerably, however.

That can leave you with a slightly underwhelming display if you’ve started taking the brightness of the perfect setting for granted. The matte anti-glare finish can dull certain colors in more sunlit environments, but those same colors pop in a darker room. It’s a small gripe when faced with the performance of this machine as a whole, but worth noting if you’re going to be playing or using the laptop in brightly lit areas. 

That said, there are certainly some serious guts in here – all working together to offer up a stunning result. And easily enough to match one of the best gaming PCs – the ASUS (opens in new tab) GA15 (opens in new tab), for example, which we are lucky enough to have in-house here at GR.

Overall – should you buy it?

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is an impossibly lightweight powerhouse of a gaming laptop in an incredibly unique, and slim chassis – but it’s not cheap. The standard model comes in at around $1,500 / £1,500 right now, but the ACRNM special release will push that price well beyond $2,000 / £2,000. That’s no small change and doesn’t really leave much budget for a best gaming mouse, or best gaming keyboard, for example, but if you’re looking for an incredibly light machine that will plow through the latest titles on some impressive specs and look damn good while doing so, it’s worth saving for this one. 

The Verdict

4

4 out of 5

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

A unique design that blends a playful chaos with subtle sophistication – all plastered on a powerhouse of a machine with an incredibly light footprint.

The post ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 ACRNM review : “An impossibly lightweight powerhouse” appeared first on Game News.

ASUS TUF Gaming H3 – Design

As soon as you take the ASUS TUF Gaming H3 out of the box, one thing becomes obvious: this looks like a much higher-end headset than it actually is (I tested the black variant). Thick earcups are held by a solid stainless steel headband and leather cushions make for a slick aesthetic. Thanks to the memory foam inside the cushions and how lightweight the build is, wearing them for extended sessions doesn’t cause any strain whatsoever.

The microphone is a permanent attachment and is on a flexible metal arm that can be bent out of the way whenever you’re not using it. However, it always, it sits frustratingly just inside your peripheral vision unless you bend it below your chin. Doing this means it often hits your shoulder if you turn your head; a minor inconvenience for an otherwise stylish budget headset. There’s also a good range of colour options including black, blue, red, and silver available so you can pick one to accompany your console’s or setup’s aesthetic.

ASUS TUF Gaming H3 – Features

Impressively, the H3 boasts 7.1 virtual surround sound, the same system used in both the H5 and H7 headsets. For the most part, you can tell; gunshots and in-game chatter in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer beta are clear and vibrant, and chainsawing someone in half in Gears 5 sounds as gruesome as you’d expect, no matter which way you’re facing.

Rather than featuring controls along the cable as you often find on gaming headsets, the volume and mic toggle are on the underside of the left earcup. I prefer it since it means the cable doesn’t catch on anything, but the downside is that the cable provided is much shorter than you tend to find with gaming headsets, so it’s not great for any situations where you need to be further from the audio jack.

ASUS TUF Gaming H3 – Performance

The most important aspect; how does the ASUS TUF Gaming H3 perform? One of the first things I noticed when I started playing Borderlands 3 was how effective the noise-cancelling is. Even when there’s very little going on in-game, the memory foam leather cushions provide an almost flawless escape from the real world, so much so that when talking to friends on Discord I’ve had to make sure I’m not shouting by accident since I can hardly hear myself. It’s also worth noting that the leather makes it much warmer to wear than a headset with cloth cushions, so if you tend to get warm easily, you may need to wipe down the headphones frequently.

For competitive multiplayer games, the H3 does a fine job of immersing you and balancing the in-game sounds with other players’ voices. But not without a few caveats. One key aspect to games such as Modern Warfare, Rainbow Six Siege and Fortnite is to listen out for enemy footsteps and pinpoint their exact location simply through audio. You won’t find that the H3 helps you out here: in all three aforementioned games I struggle to tell whether an enemy is above or below me, even being surprised from behind one or two times. Having the ability to help you pinpoint enemies and in-game audio cues is really the bare minimum requirement for a gaming headset so this is disappointing. Microphone quality on the other hand is absolutely fine on both PS4 party chat and Discord; not exceptional but nothing to complain about either.

If you’re someone who has one headset for both gaming and music, it’s hard to recommend the H3 for this either. These headphones don’t quite do the music in recent games like Borderlands 3 justice, and even listening to music through Spotify the audio sounded somewhat tinny thanks to a lack of depth.

However, it is important to mention that the H3 is almost perfect for Nintendo Switch players, but only when in handheld mode. Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Yoshi’s Crafted World both sound clear and crisp, and while they’re not games lauded for their audio design, they did a more than adequate job and I’d have no qualms with taking this headset travelling. The only downside is that the headband doesn’t fold in any way, so it can be awkward to pack — especially due to the protruding microphone.

Overall – should you buy it?

My initial impressions of the ASUS TUF Gaming H3 were strong, but as I use it more, discrepancies and weaknesses started to become more prevalent. As someone who plays a lot of multiplayer shooters, the lack of directional audio is a real frustration, as is the poor bass quality when listening to music. This product is ideal for someone looking to dive into a gaming headset for the first time, perhaps to quieten their gaming sessions late at night, but if you’re looking for top tier audio then you won’t find it here. The build quality is fantastic and the noise cancelling is some of the best I’ve experienced, but when it comes to where it really matters, the H3 comes up short.

The Verdict

3

3 out of 5

ASUS TUF Gaming H3 gaming headset review: “Fantastically built but a headset that is found wanting where it matters”

Not a world beater, and the weaknesses help to define the H3, but it has a great build quality and good noise cancelling resulting in a decent value set of cans.

The post ASUS TUF Gaming H3 gaming headset review appeared first on Game News.