Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Metal Master Black Gold Edition specifications and in-depth review

Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Metal Master Black Gold Edition

Manufacturer: Galax

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Metal Master Black Gold Edition is a desktop graphics card based on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process with 45,600 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and reaches a turbo frequency of 2617 MHz, delivering 56.28 TFLOPS of floating-point performance. The card includes RGB lighting and supports up to four displays simultaneously.

On the memory side, the RTX 5080 Metal Master Black Gold Edition is equipped with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM across a 256-bit bus, achieving an effective memory speed of 30,000 MHz and a maximum bandwidth of 960 GB/s. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 3.0, ray tracing, and DLSS, alongside Intel Resizable BAR. The card offers three DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI 2.1b port, has a rated TDP of 360W, and measures 316.5 mm in length and 139 mm in height.

Pros
  • Supports up to four displays simultaneously, offering flexibility for multi-monitor setups
  • ECC memory support adds reliability for workloads requiring memory error correction
  • Includes DLSS and ray tracing support, enabling hardware-accelerated rendering features
  • HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort outputs cover a wide range of modern display connectivity needs
  • RGB lighting is built into the card for those who want visual customization in their build
  • Intel Resizable BAR support allows the CPU broader access to GPU memory, which can improve utilization in compatible systems
Cons
  • 360W TDP places significant demands on system power delivery and cooling infrastructure
  • Does not include air-water cooling, so thermal management relies entirely on the installed cooler solution
  • At 316.5 mm in length, the card may not fit in smaller or compact PC cases
  • No USB-C output is available, limiting direct connectivity to displays or devices that use that interface
  • XeSS (XMX) is not supported, restricting upscaling options to DLSS only
Who is this for?

This card is well-suited to users running demanding rendering and compute workloads that benefit from high memory bandwidth and DPFP support, such as 3D content creation, simulation, or GPU-accelerated processing. Gamers and enthusiasts working with high-resolution or multi-display setups of up to four screens will find the combination of DLSS, ray tracing, and 16GB GDDR7 VRAM a capable foundation. The inclusion of Intel Resizable BAR and PCIe 5 also makes it a natural fit for users building on modern high-end desktop platforms who want to fully use available system bandwidth.

Who is this NOT for?

The card's 360W TDP and 316.5 mm length make it poorly suited for compact or small-form-factor builds where space and power headroom are limited. Users whose displays or devices rely exclusively on USB-C connectivity will find no direct output support here, requiring additional adapters or alternative solutions. Additionally, those looking for an air-water hybrid cooling option will need to source a separate solution, as the card does not include one by default.

Performance:

GPU clock speed 2295 MHz
GPU turbo 2617 MHz
pixel rate 293.1 GPixel/s
floating-point performance 56.28 TFLOPS
texture rate 879.3 GTexels/s
GPU memory speed 1875 MHz
shading units 10752
texture mapping units (TMUs) 336
render output units (ROPs) 112
Has Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP)

The Performance section of this card centers on a base GPU clock of 2295 MHz that boosts up to 2617 MHz, supporting a floating-point throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS. Rasterization throughput is represented by a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexels/s, backed by 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. GPU memory operates at 1875 MHz, and the card includes support for Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP), making it capable of handling workloads that require 64-bit precision.

Memory:

effective memory speed 30000 MHz
maximum memory bandwidth 960 GB/s
VRAM 16GB
GDDR version GDDR7
memory bus width 256-bit
Supports ECC memory

This card is equipped with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM running across a 256-bit memory bus, reaching an effective memory speed of 30,000 MHz and delivering a maximum memory bandwidth of 960 GB/s. ECC memory support is also included, allowing the card to detect and correct memory errors, which is particularly relevant for precision-sensitive workloads.

Features:

DirectX version DirectX 12 Ultimate
OpenGL version 4.6
OpenCL version 3
Supports multi-display technology
supports ray tracing
Supports 3D
supports DLSS
has XeSS (XMX)
AMD SAM / Intel Resizable BAR Intel Resizable BAR
has LHR
has RGB lighting
supported displays 4

The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 3, covering a broad range of graphics and compute APIs. Ray tracing and DLSS are both supported, along with stereoscopic 3D and multi-display technology spanning up to four displays. Intel Resizable BAR is included, while XeSS (XMX) and LHR are not present on this card. RGB lighting is built in, rounding out the feature set on the hardware side.

Ports:

has an HDMI output
HDMI ports 1
HDMI version HDMI 2.1b
DisplayPort outputs 3
USB-C ports 0
DVI outputs 0
mini DisplayPort outputs 0

The card's output configuration consists of three DisplayPort outputs and a single HDMI 2.1b port, totaling four display connections. There are no USB-C, DVI, or mini DisplayPort outputs present on this model.

General info:

GPU architecture Blackwell
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 360W
PCI Express (PCIe) version 5
semiconductor size 5 nm
number of transistors 45600 million
Has air-water cooling
width 316.5 mm
height 139 mm

Built on the Blackwell architecture and fabricated using a 5 nm process with 45,600 million transistors, this card connects via PCIe 5 and carries a rated TDP of 360W. It does not feature air-water cooling. Physically, the card measures 316.5 mm in width and 139 mm in height.

Final Verdict

The Galax GeForce RTX 5080 Metal Master Black Gold Edition is a high-specification graphics card built around the Blackwell architecture, bringing together a strong compute throughput, 960 GB/s of memory bandwidth via 16GB GDDR7, and a well-rounded feature set that includes ray tracing, DLSS, and support for up to four simultaneous displays. Its 360W power draw and 316.5 mm length mean it demands a suitably equipped full-size system, and the absence of USB-C output and air-water cooling are practical limitations worth noting for certain build configurations. For users with compatible platforms and the thermal headroom to support it, this card presents a technically comprehensive option within its category.