UPDATE: ASUS actually approved the white RTX 5080 I asked for in a RMA from r/ASUS
The phrase ‘RMA’ is likely to send shivers down many a spine, especially when it concerns something like a graphics card. Returning a faulty component can often be a ‘cross your fingers and hope for the best’ kind of deal, so naturally I am pleasantly—very pleasantly—surprised to hear Asus has enough of a heart to not only give one lucky Redditor an upgrade but also get the colour right.
According to the Redditor’s original post about the issue, they sent their white Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 Super OC in for RMA and were sent back a black Asus TUF Gaming RTX 5080 when they discovered the former couldn’t be repaired. That’s a win, right? Well, not fully, because the Redditor wanted a white one, like their original RTX 4080 Super, to match their all-white build.
So, what’s to be done about that? Naturally, asking for them to swap it: “After about 6 weeks of emails and escalating the case to higher-level management, Asus finally approved the exact card I asked for: the ROG Astral RTX 5080 White OC. I sent the TUF back, and they even upgraded the shipping to FedEx Standard Overnight at no extra cost. The card finally arrived!”
This is an RMA result, if ever I’ve seen one. It might seem a bit much, but to be honest if you have an all-white build and an expensive GPU that fails, I can see why it makes sense to at least attempt to get a replacement just right.
Funnily enough, I can speak to this very kind of issue with a much cheaper product. A few years ago, I sent my cream-coloured Sennheiser HD 599 headphones for RMA, and they sent back a new pair… except they were black, not the lovely cream colour I sent off. But being the non-confrontational and lazy weasel I am, I just accepted my fate, and those are the headphones I use to this day.
RTX 4080 vs RTX 5080 Super
Comparing the real-world gaming performance of the RTX 4080 and RTX 5080 Super at 1440p resolution, using upscaling and frame gen when possible.
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High + Upscaling (quality))Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra + upscaling (quality))F1 24 (1440p Ultra high +upscsaling (Quality), 2x FG)Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic + upscaling (quality))The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra +upscaling (quality), 2x FG)
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 4080 Super
121
94
RTX 5080
132
116
037.575112.5150
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High + Upscaling (quality)) Data
Product
Value
RTX 4080 Super
121 Avg FPS, 94 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
132 Avg FPS, 116 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 4080 Super
155
118
RTX 5080
189
123
050100150200
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra + upscaling (quality)) Data
Product
Value
RTX 4080 Super
155 Avg FPS, 118 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
189 Avg FPS, 123 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 4080 Super
223
161
RTX 5080
259
129
075150225300
F1 24 (1440p Ultra high +upscsaling (Quality), 2x FG) Data
Product
Value
RTX 4080 Super
223 Avg FPS, 161 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
259 Avg FPS, 129 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 4080 Super
137
66
RTX 5080
136
62
037.575112.5150
Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic + upscaling (quality)) Data
Product
Value
RTX 4080 Super
137 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
136 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 4080 Super
172
99
RTX 5080
203
94
075150225300
The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra +upscaling (quality), 2x FG) Data
Product
Value
RTX 4080 Super
172 Avg FPS, 99 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
203 Avg FPS, 94 1% Low FPS
The RTX 5080 performs at least as well as the RTX 4080 Super, and often noticeably better at 1440p.
To give just a glimpse of how difficult and frustrating RMAs can be, consider the fact that we recently discovered that a faded serial number could scupper your chances of being able to RMA your Founders Edition card. So yes, Asus swapping an RTX 5080 out just to get the colour right is pretty sweet. I can only assume the Redditor must have been very persistent. And fair enough, because it worked.
This is all on top of the performance improvement they received, too, of course. As you can see from the chart above, the RTX 5080 performs better than the RTX 4080 Super, and it has access to more of the latest and greatest DLSS tech. Just don’t go breaking your 40-series cards and trying the same. Who knows what the RMA gods will have in store for future requesters.
