Hi guys, got my 3080 FTW3 Ultra the other day so it's the LHR version.
 
I got the LHR bios from here https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/3458937
 

 
I've tried heaven benchmark and furmark as well. It's almost as if the 118% slider is simply not working.
 
But I also noticed 8 pin #3 is quite weak. It's running on its own cable. Using a Corsair HX1000i power supply in single OCP mode.
 
I did some searching and it's confusing, some people saying the voltage regulator on these FTW3 cards isn't good and you need to RMA to fix pin 3, other people saying increasing the voltage to 1.1v should do it. I assume that is what the core voltage slider handles?
 
I ran Precision X1 and it reported and installed a FW update, but even using it for sliders and I'm still struggling to get over 400w. I've seen a lot of other people easily report nearer 450w running furmark or time spy.
 
Any up to date info on this?
 
Cheers!

Older models did not have that problem. I've had the exact same problem as you, so ended up selling, no RMA wil fix that. You can check the w with an external device to really see it. 

FedericoUY
Older models did not have that problem. I've had the exact same problem as you, so ended up selling, no RMA wil fix that. You can check the w with an external device to really see it. 

I waited a year and a half in the queue to step up from a 2080Ti so with better performance I'll still be happy lol. Just wondering if I'm doing anything wrong
 

 
I loaded up Ori and the Will of the Wisps as it's actually quite taxing on the GPU and with DSR I ran my resolution at 5160 x 2160 and I managed to go just above 400w to 404.4w.
 
So I guess I do need to keep in mind my native res is 3440x1440 and it's likely 4K monitors are the ones sucking some real juice.

My original Card was exactly the same and it was an older Non LHR 3080FTW3....exact same results as yourself....running Kumbuster it would get up to 425w max.....it has been mentioned on here numerous times that the Board Power Draw shown in GPU-Z is actually 25w or so less than reality.
As for PCI-E Power #3 being low, as in 1/2 of number #1 or #2 ....perfectly normal for these Cards...google power balancing issue for more details.
My newer 3080Ti LHR Card is exact same with power balancing issue over PCI-E Power ports....#3 being significantly lower than the other 2, although this Card will reach 445w in GPU-Z, so assuming closer to 500w...
Someone earlier had mentioned that this didnt affect "older 3080 Cards", well I can assure everyone that it absolutely did ;)
 
Try running Kumbuster with GPU-Z running in background then check max board draw...n let us know what you get.

rjbarker
My original Card was exactly the same and it was an older Non LHR 3080FTW3....exact same results as yourself....running Kumbuster it would get up to 425w max.....it has been mentioned on here numerous times that the Board Power Draw shown in GPU-Z is actually 25w or so less than reality.
As for PCI-E Power #3 being low, as in 1/2 of number #1 or #2 ....perfectly normal for these Cards...google power balancing issue for more details.
My newer 3080Ti LHR Card is exact same with power balancing issue over PCI-E Power ports....#3 being significantly lower than the other 2, although this Card will reach 445w in GPU-Z, so assuming closer to 500w...
Someone earlier had mentioned that this didnt affect "older 3080 Cards", well I can assure everyone that it absolutely did ;)
 
Try running Kumbuster with GPU-Z running in background then check max board draw...n let us know what you get.

And keep a fire extinguisher on the side "just in case."

rjbarker
My original Card was exactly the same and it was an older Non LHR 3080FTW3....exact same results as yourself....running Kumbuster it would get up to 425w max.....it has been mentioned on here numerous times that the Board Power Draw shown in GPU-Z is actually 25w or so less than reality.
As for PCI-E Power #3 being low, as in 1/2 of number #1 or #2 ....perfectly normal for these Cards...google power balancing issue for more details.
My newer 3080Ti LHR Card is exact same with power balancing issue over PCI-E Power ports....#3 being significantly lower than the other 2, although this Card will reach 445w in GPU-Z, so assuming closer to 500w...
Someone earlier had mentioned that this didnt affect "older 3080 Cards", well I can assure everyone that it absolutely did ;)
 
Try running Kumbuster with GPU-Z running in background then check max board draw...n let us know what you get.

Thanks for this info. One of the reasons I felt prompted to make this topic was after about an hour of searching my head was spinning with posts ranging from 2020 to 2021 all saying different things.

This is also the first card I've had with a BIOS switch and I wasn't sure if I was doing anything wrong. I still don't quite know what the BIOS switch does lol.

I'm watercooling so I think the reason I don't see any difference might be I don't have a card fan profile. To flash the 450w BIOS I had the card on OC and flashed the OC exe. Then I switched to normal, rebooted, flashed the normal exe. I don't even know if this is needed. I switched back to OC after confirming the switch in either position can go to 118%.

I think what I've noticed above is running at 3440x1440 isn't necessarily going to need to pull much more than around 380-400w. Turning on DSR got me pulling a bit more. I was just surprised furmark didn't cause the power draw to eat itself lol.

My temps are really good watercooled, we're talking low 20s for idle and low to mid 30s under load. Ori above managed to hit high 30s and kiss 40 once or twice with DSR. But that's understandable, pushing a lot more pixels.
 

 

 
Bumped up the clock a bit more and ran a Time Spy Extreme, happy with the performance.

I personally pull 400 down on my 3080 air cooled which in hindsight is more than I need at 1440. The theory that more wattage = better performance is lost on me as a regular gamer. Your card looks to be performing at a good level if not identical to mine. The 3rd PCI E not drawing as much as the other two isn't something to be concerned about. 

EVGATech_DanielM
I personally pull 400 down on my 3080 air cooled which in hindsight is more than I need at 1440. The theory that more wattage = better performance is lost on me as a regular gamer. Your card looks to be performing at a good level if not identical to mine. The 3rd PCI E not drawing as much as the other two isn't something to be concerned about. 

Yeah, really happy with performance. Just the uplift needed from a 2080Ti to get into the realm of ray tracing working at a decent framerate and then DSR is now lovely on a 1440p screen. The 2080Ti did OK with DSR but a few games struggled a bit with the 2.25x setting. Much better on a 3080.

Seems I fell down the rabbit hole of thinking if you flash a 450W bios the card will push that no problem in benchmarking. At 1440p that is just not the case and likely unless you have silicon that can push 2200 or above on core you just don't need to pull nearly 450w.

Coupled with the confusing posts I was finding when researching with people blaming the voltage controller and saying EVGA weren't utilising the power draw properly. Misinformation online is always a chore!

Crisis averted 😜
 

 
Memory starts crashing Time Spy at 1100, so 1000~1050 seems to be the best I can do.
 
Core clock starts crashing at +165, so I presume if I want to attempt to push more there I would need to play around with the voltage curve. I did that with my 2080Ti (used a curve at 2100 1.093v) but for now I think I'll just stick with +150/+1000~1050.
 
GPU score above improving likely needs core going higher, not memory.

I'm surprised at how well these 3080s watercool, but then again this EK Block also has a nice nickel backplate with thermal pads for some additional passive cooling. My 2080Ti Corsair waterblock just had a standard backplate with no cooling properties.

Once you start down the rabbit hole you start questioning your hardware based on random opinions of some who have nothing to do with the manufacturing aspect. You don't need to pull 450w - sure, it's cool but then you get lost in the idea your product isn't performing and then you start to second guess which we are one of the only AIBs who encourage that such as overclocking and some like to undervolt but it's not the end all be all. My opinion - everything looks good based on your screens. There has always been a fascination about power draw with these cards. Basically, MOAR POWA but your benchmarks look good. 

EVGATech_DanielM
Once you start down the rabbit hole you start questioning your hardware based on random opinions of some who have nothing to do with the manufacturing aspect. You don't need to pull 450w - sure, it's cool but then you get lost in the idea your product isn't performing and then you start to second guess which we are one of the only AIBs who encourage that such as overclocking and some like to undervolt but it's not the end all be all. My opinion - everything looks good based on your screens. There has always been a fascination about power draw with these cards. Basically, MOAR POWA but your benchmarks look good. 

You can say that again. EVGA customer service must hate getting questions on power draw or even attempted RMAs 😜

Then again EVGA customer is great so I'm sure everyone is happy to help/advise!

I would be undervolting if I were aircooling but as I edited in above I've been super impressed with how much this PCB enjoys being watercooled. Really drops the temps, even when pulling 400w 😱
 

 
Temps over the past 2 hours of testing. No higher than 33.8 degrees (main temp).