Search
Search
Published: October 15, 2020 | Source: EVGA | Author: Mark Campbell

EVGA releases a 450W BIOS update for their RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra for extreme overclocking

EVGA releases a 450W BIOS update for their RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra for extreme overclocking 

EVGA releases a 450W BIOS update for their RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra for extreme overclocking

EVGA has just released an optional BIOS update for RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra users, an update which increased the graphics card’s power limit to 450 watts, representing a 50W increase over the GPU’s stock configuration. 

With this update, EVGA’s offering its customers more potential overclocking headroom by allowing their graphics cards to draw more power from systems. This increase in power limit will require to use power supplies that are capable of handling the strain, with EVGA recommending 850W units for single-GPU systems. 

Graphics performance with Nvidia’s GPU boost technology relies on power draw, thermals and your graphics card’s cooling capability. Adding more power into the mix will not guarantee additional performance unless thermals are kept in check, which means that this extra power will only be useful to those which cool-running systems. 

EVGA’s RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra features three 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, allowing these graphics cards to draw 450 watts of power with ease. The same is not true for RTX 3080 graphics cards which use two 6+2 power connectors. 

EVGA’s RTX 3080 FTW3 will run as normal with this new BIOS update outside of overclocking, making this new BIOS release an entirely optional update for those who wish to overclock their graphics cards to the max. 

Below is what EVGA’s Jacob Freeman has to say about the company’s optional RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra BIOS update on EVGA’s forums. 

 
 

Due to many users request, have a new BETA BIOS that increases the maximum Power Target. This BIOS is only intended for the extreme overclocking user and does not have any other changes. Please note the following:
 
  • This update will increase the power consumption while overclocking, and is recommended you have adequate cooling and power (850w+ Gold minimum) when using this.
  • EVGA does not guarantee any performance increase or overclock while using this BIOS update.

 
Any other questions or concerns will be answered in this forum thread only. Please post below your results and feedback!
 
 
BIOS Instructions (Windows Installation):

  • Download the correct .zip file below for your graphics card below.
  • Extract the files to a location on disk.
  • Make sure no programs are running in the background, and double click Update.exe
  • Press “Y” to begin the update.
  • DO NOT TURN OFF POWER OR RESET DURING THE UPDATE PROCESS!
  • After update, restart PC.

 
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 ULTRA

NOTE: There are 2 BIOS’s, one is for the BIOS when switched to the normal stock position, the other if switched to the OC position

 

 

EVGA releases a 450W BIOS update for their RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra for extreme overclocking  

Ultimately, this BIOS release will be most useful to those who can keep their RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra graphics card cool under load, making this BIOS update most beneficial to those who invest in a custom liquid cooling setup.

At this time, it is unknown how much this extra 50 watts of potential power draw will impact the RTX 3080’s overclocking performance. As always, overclocking performance will vary on a GPU-by-GPU basis thanks to the “silicon lottery”. 

You can join the discussion on EVGA’s RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra receiving an optional 450W BIOS for extreme overclocking on the OC3D Forums. 

Latest News