Asus introduces a more accessible variant of its high-end ROG Astral Dhahab RTX 5080 graphics card, priced at $10,000 instead of the elite RTX 5090 model.
Here's a refreshed take on the article:
Update on Asus' Stunning, Gold-Plated RTX 5080
Asus has unveiled a new addition to its top-tier graphics card lineup — the RTX 5080 Astral Dhahab Core. This baby is a bow-down-to-it-in-awe sibling to the extravagant, limited-edition RTX 5090 Astral Dhahab that's been making waves. While it shares the same cool design, the RTX 5080 version boasts a promised widespread availability, even potentially globally. But you won't be able to snag this bad boy on the cheap.
A brief peek into the numbers reveals the RTX 5080 Dhahab Core Edition plays second fiddle to the RTX 5090 in terms of VRAM capacity and raw compute power. Yet, it proudly displays the same lavish gold ROG Astral cooler, taking up a sizable 3.8 slots and stretching 357.6mm long (Gold plating equals a staggering $700 in material costs, based on the RTX 5090 version).
Asus didn't skip corners with the cooler design, boasting a unique quad-fan setup (three down low, one on the top right), resembling the "push-pull" configuration popular in CPU air coolers. While Der8auer reported the fourth fan could be a bitnoisy on the vanilla RTX 5080 Astral, both RTX 5080 and 5090 versions deliver a dazzling gold-plated shroud and heatsink with blue accents and Arabic writing and symbols decorating the side.
The RTX 5080 Dhahab Core edges its way to the Asus USA website, unlike its exclusive RTX 5090 counterpart confined to Asus' Middle Eastern site. This means the RTX 5080 version is likely a worldwide offering, not limited to a specific region, despite being a potential limited edition run.
The RTX 5090 Dhahab Edition burst onto the scene several months ago as a flagship GPU, exclusively for buyers with deep pockets. The suggested retail price was a jaw-dropping $3,099, but in the real world, it's gone as high as $10,600. A few scalpers even managed to snag a whopping $22,900 on eBay! Expect similar pricing wackiness with the 5080 version when it arrives.
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In the world of high-end tech, smartphones and gadgets aren't the only items that boast extravagant designs. For instance, the newly revealed Asus RTX 5080 Astral Dhahab Core sports a gold-plated shroud and heatsink, which incurs a hefty $700 in material costs.
Amidst the limited-edition, premium gaming devices, the RTX 5080 Dhahab Core is set to broaden its global availability, much like smartphones and popular gadgets we use on a daily basis.
