Out of the box, EVGA's custom GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra Gaming (10G-P5-3897-KR) is already one of the highest-powered and fastest RTX 3080 cards available (or not). However, if you own this card and consider yourself an "extreme overclocker," there is a beta BIOS available that allows for even higher clocks.

The beta BIOS raises the maximum power target to 450W, a 50W increase over the card's stock power limit of 400W; Nvidia's Founders Edition variant is configured for 320W, and as Videocardz notes, higher custom Most of the models are capped at 340W. [The EVGA FTW3 Ultra's bump to 450W coincides with the Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition. That card can boost to 1,935 MHz in OC mode (and 1,905 MHz in gaming mode), while the EVGA card is 1,800 MHz (and 1,710 MHz for Founders Edition models).

By enabling a higher maximum power limit, the FTW3 Ultra could close the gap with the ROG Strix, or even surpass it. Nevertheless, EVGA does not guarantee any performance gains from overclocking settings beyond what the card ships with or from replacing the 450W BIOS. Instead, EVGA made this available "at the request of many users" (and deserves a tip of the hat for doing so).

EVGA's forum post includes step-by-step instructions on how to update the BIOS of the FTW3 Ultra card. As always, proceed with caution (we recommend always having your PC connected to battery backup when updating any firmware in case of a power outage.) EVGA also states to ensure "proper cooling" and recommends at least an 80 Plus Gold certified 850W power supply is recommended.