Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER was a much-needed price adjustment on the RTX 4080, which it replaced at the end of January this year. It also threw in a rough 5% increase in CUDA cores, faster clocks, and marginally faster memory in tow to allow it to dethrone Nvidia’s penultimate GPU, even as the RTX 4090 holds its own at the top of the hill with a significant lead in terms of raw performance (and underlying hardware).
Even with the price revision, the RTX 4080 SUPER remains one of the most expensive GPUs on the market as it goes toe to toe with AMD’s RX 7900 XTX in most titles, pulling ahead in a few games. However, there won’t be a clear winner until Nvidia’s DLSS optimizations kick in on multiple titles, where it will take a relatively insurmountable lead in terms of both frame rate and quality presets versus AMD’s offerings on a yet-to-mature FSR offering in many titles.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
The Dark Knight Meets RGB
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero is the latest in a series of well-established Z790 Motherboards in the ROG lineup. It adds native Wi-Fi 7 support as one of the first motherboards in the industry to do so while throwing in better memory overclocking and power delivery.It comes with a bolder aesthetic in addition to cutting down to four available SATA ports from the original Hero with an otherwise identical arsenal as it integrates its additional M2 slots on the board itself, eliminating the need for users to get space for the ROG Hyper M2 card its predecessor uses.
ASUS’s ROG motherboard lineup got a series of refreshes in line with Intel’s 14th-generation CPU launch the previous year. At the higher end of the spectrum, the ASUS ROG Strix Z790 Dark Hero replaces the older Z790 Hero while offering plenty of upgrades that allow it to be considered a newer, better option that includes decent aesthetics.
ASUS adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, five M2 PCI-E slots, and support for 5.0 drives. It also supports Intel’s 14th-generation CPUs by default while improving memory overclocking potential considerably. This allows the ROG Z790 Dark Hero to deliver performance akin to higher-priced overclocking-centric motherboards.
With support for newer wireless standards, PCI-E 5.0, and Intel’s fastest CPUs to date, in addition to excellent power delivery and aesthetics, the Z790 Dark Hero is a formidable player and one of the best motherboards to get. Despite the fact that it is priced in the same vein as Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER, it still caters to high-end users willing to pay for better performance and versatility in the long run.
ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara
A White Marble Odyssey
The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara is one of the best-looking motherboards for AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. It also comes packed with features including excellent networking, storage options, and dual PCI-E 5.0 x16 slots in tow.With excellent 24+2+1 power phases, high memory overclocking support, and RGB lighting on the motherboard itself, it should please gamers, enthusiasts, and power users looking beyond simply the excellent aesthetic it has on offer.
The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara offers everything even the most ardent of power users on AMD’s platform could need from a high-end motherboard. It features dual PCI-E 5.0 GPU slots (x8/x8), a primary PCI-E 5.0 SSD slot, Wi-Fi 6E and BT 5.3, and plenty of USB ports, something that should satisfy the most demanding users with ease.
It comes in an EATX configuration, which means that small form factor (SFF) users might need to consider another option for their RTX 4080 SUPER-centric build (which would already be challenging given the size of most SKUs). However, the Taichi Carrara comes with excellent power delivery, a look that screams premium, and even a free white fan as part of the package.
For users who want a motherboard that can allow for future upgrades, including the GPU, plus plenty of options for both gamers and enthusiasts alike, the ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara is the best AMD option, especially as it comes at a cheaper price than many of its high-end alternatives.
Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X
An All-White Well-Priced Option
Boasting a fully white PCB and white heatsinks, the Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X looks dashing. It features an excellent 16+2+2 power phase delivery and doesn’t lag behind in component compatibility or connectivity. Four M.2 slots for fast storage and impressive memory support allow the board to push the system’s full potential.
For users on a budget looking for an X670E motherboard to pair with the RTX 4080 SUPER, the Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X seems to be the logical choice, given that not only does it come with a complete X670E chipset, but also next-generation Wi-Fi 7 onboard. It offers PCI-E 5.0 support for its GPU slot and two of its M2 SSD slots (out of four total), which goes a long way for users looking for a more future-proof motherboard that can handle newer AM5 CPUs and a potential upgrade to Nvidia’s incumbent penultimate GPU down the line.
With plenty of USB ports, a 5-year warranty, and upgraded networking on offer supported by an above-average power delivery mechanism for an X670E motherboard, the Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X is head and shoulders above the competition. It is markedly cheaper than some of its more premium alternatives in 2024, making it a suitable option for users looking for a decent budget motherboard.
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX WiFi
A Reliable Contender
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX Wi-Fi is designed to take the CPU’s potential to the next level without breaking the bank. With its 16+1+1 phase VRM design that is complemented by large heatsinks to control thermals, it can offer decent overclocking potential without pushing its price out of control.With Wi-Fi 7 support and plenty of I/O on offer, the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX Wi-Fi is a great motherboard to pair with both the latest 14th-generation CPUs that it supports out of the box as well as older last-generation contenders.
Users looking to pair Intel’s 13th or 14th-generation CPUs with the RTX 4080 SUPER with a sub-$300 budget for the motherboard can opt for the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX Wi-Fi, which offers excellent internals and upgrades over its predecessor. It offers Wi-Fi 7, support for 14th-gen CPUs out of the box, and excellent memory overclocking in a neat package.
It does have issues with Wi-Fi when it comes to older Windows builds, including Windows 10, but there are workarounds for its issues. Users have praised the build quality of the motherboard that offers RGB headers, but it has no on-board RGB lighting, which makes it a great fit for productivity-based workloads or for users looking to add custom RGB lighting on their system. It supports PCI-E 5.0 GPUs and SSDs for users intending to use the former soon, but shares bandwidth between the two as a Z790 chipset motherboard, which could be a limiting factor for some use cases.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula
The White ROG Premium
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is the successor to its well-received Z690-based predecessor, offering a cleaner aesthetic and plenty of upgrades under the hood.With Wi-Fi 7 under the hood in addition to the ability to overclock RAM better than previous models thanks to DIMM Flex as well as a 5Gb Ethernet port in play, the ROG Maximus hits a nice balance between form and function thanks to its excellent OLED display that can be customized using the bundled armory crate software.
For users looking to splurge on their RTX 4080 SUPER build, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is arguably the best option available, thanks to it offering a beautiful aesthetic replete with an OLED display for information or to add custom visuals depending on a user’s needs. It comes with excellent power delivery, USB 4 support, and next-generation networking in a neat package.
For what it does offer, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula does charge a small fortune that comes close to the cost of the GPU it plans to support, although it also supports 14th-generation CPUs out of the box and offers better memory overclocking than its peers. It does, however, trade significantly higher than most of its counterparts, many of them being last-generation options that can still be updated to run Intel’s latest and greatest at a substantial discount in 2024.
ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WIFI
A Powerful Package
AMD CPU users can opt for the ROG Strix X670E-I which is the alternative to the Z790-I, boasting similar specs and pricing. With a few noticeable changes here and there, this motherboard is one of the finest choices for high-end gaming/productivity builds for compact systems. Users will get a solid VRM and more USB ports at the I/O for better connectivity.
For users planning an SFF build or similar with the RTX 4080 SUPER, the GPU alone might pose the biggest challenge, given most of the options available to them are larger than the motherboards. The motherboard problem for users opting for AMD CPUs is largely answered by the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming Wi-Fi, which offers a credible option for users looking to push boundaries in 2024.
Despite its form factor, it does come with plenty of extras to make up for its limited expansion options, including the ROG Strix HIVE and the ROG FPS-II extension, both of which do appeal to SFF builders looking for more hardware additions down the line. At the same time, the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming Wi-Fi delivers excellent power delivery and networking options, as well as overclocking potential for RAM, making it ideal for tweakers looking to push things further on their AM5-based setup.
Why Should One Consider A New Motherboard (And CPU) To Pair With Their RTX 4080 SUPER?
Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER represents a new generation of PC hardware, and comes at the same time when both Intel and AMD are duking it out on the CPU and chipset fronts, as DDR5, PCI-E 5.0 and newer USB standards are some of the key upgrades users can access. While it is important to note that the RTX 4080, much like its predecessor, is a PCI-E 4.0 GPU, users turning to the bleeding edge when it comes to hardware generally want none of their components to bottleneck the other.
It is important to have a CPU, RAM, and SSD option that doesn’t bottleneck what Nvidia’s new penultimate GPU offers for users in 2024. What is even more crucial is the underlying motherboard that powers, controls, and connects all of these components, allowing for upgrades and expansions as well as the ability to plug in peripherals on demand.
Given the RTX 4080 SUPER’s standing as one of the most expensive GPUs on the market for consumers as well as its performance class, it is important to have a motherboard that does not hinder performance, supports the latest hardware, and allows for access to newer tech offerings, including Nvidia’s re-sizeable BAR technology, to maximize the value that it offers.
The team at Game Rant has picked some of the best motherboards that one should pair with the RTX 4080 SUPER, with a focus on its feature set, supported CPUs, and expansion potential down the line to cater to gamers, productivity-centric players, and power users at multiple price tiers below.
FAQ
Q: How Much Does An RTX 4080 SUPER Cost?
The base price for an RTX 4080 SUPER GPU is $1000 with most 3rd party overclocked or aesthetically upgraded versions trading at a premium price of up to $1300 or higher depending on its stock status and the retailer in question.
Q: Does The RTX 4080 SUPER Support PCI-E 5.0?
While the RTX 4080 SUPER does use a PCI-E Gen 5 power adapter, it is a PCI 4.0 GPU. It does work with PCI-E 5.0 x16 slots which are backward compatible but runs just as well on PCI-E 4.0 x16 slots which serve it the maximum bandwidth required to perform.
