UPDATE: ASUS actually approved the white RTX 5080 I asked for in a RMAfrom 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.
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| RTX 4080 Super | 121 Avg FPS, 94 1% Low FPS |
| RTX 5080 | 132 Avg FPS, 116 1% Low FPS |
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| RTX 4080 Super | 155 Avg FPS, 118 1% Low FPS |
| RTX 5080 | 189 Avg FPS, 123 1% Low FPS |
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| RTX 4080 Super | 223 Avg FPS, 161 1% Low FPS |
| RTX 5080 | 259 Avg FPS, 129 1% Low FPS |
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| RTX 4080 Super | 137 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS |
| RTX 5080 | 136 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS |
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| RTX 4080 Super | 172 Avg FPS, 99 1% Low FPS |
| RTX 5080 | 203 Avg FPS, 94 1% Low FPS |
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.