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GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0 vs PowerColor Gaming Station: Comparison

GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0 and PowerColor Gaming Station separate most on host power delivery: GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0 at 100, PowerColor Gaming Station at 60, 40% in favour of GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0.

GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0 (Pre-Installed RTX 3080 10GB / Thunderbolt 3 / WATERFORCE AIO Cooling / Plug-and-Play)
GIGABYTEGIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0
PowerColor Gaming Station (Thunderbolt 3 eGPU Enclosure / 500W PSU / Full-Length GPU / Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerColorPowerColor Gaming Station

Specs

Specification
GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0 (Pre-Installed RTX 3080 10GB / Thunderbolt 3 / WATERFORCE AIO Cooling / Plug-and-Play)
GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0
PowerColor Gaming Station (Thunderbolt 3 eGPU Enclosure / 500W PSU / Full-Length GPU / Gigabit Ethernet)
PowerColor Gaming Station
Connection StandardThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
BrandGIGABYTEPowerColor
Extra Ports2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI + 3x DisplayPort on the card1x Gigabit Ethernet, 3x USB 3.0 Type-A
Host Power Delivery10060-40%
Cooling TypeActive, WATERFORCE all-in-one liquid coolerActive Fan
ModelAORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0Gaming Station
GPU CompatibilityFixed: pre-installed GeForce RTX 3080 10GB (not swappable)AMD Radeon and NVIDIA cards up to RTX 20-series / RX 6000-series, dual-slot
PriceLaunched around $1,499 (2021)Launched around $329 (2018)

Price comparison

RetailerGIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0PowerColor Gaming Station
AmazonView on AmazonView on Amazon
GIGABYTEView on GIGABYTE
PowerColorView on PowerColor

Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.

Verdict

GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3080 Gaming Box Rev 2.0

7 / 10 Expert Rating

Excellent plug-and-play convenience, but the sealed design and price premium hurt long-term value versus a bare enclosure.

PowerColor Gaming Station

6 / 10 Expert Rating

Competent Thunderbolt 3 box from a GPU maker, but discontinued and outpaced by newer standards.

More comparisons in External GPU Enclosures