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Nvidia’s RTX 4080 SUPER PC-building contest was a real community promotion, but it ended on February 4, 2024. The r/buildapc announcement named u/ubdesu as the winner; readers cannot enter now. The prize was a custom PC built by Nvidia’s GeForce Garage team, not $3,000 in cash.
What was the Nvidia-backed contest?
In a post to r/buildapc, Nvidia invited participants to design a PCPartPicker build featuring a GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The proposed system had to have a stated total value of $3,000 USD or less. Nvidia’s GeForce Garage team was to build the winning system, and the announcement said it would be featured in a future GeForce Garage video before being shipped to the winner.
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The post included contest dates and linked terms and conditions. The thread later announced a winner. That establishes the promotion as an Nvidia-supported community contest, but the full terms are not reproduced in the accessible thread material, so not every legal or eligibility detail can be confirmed here.
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How entries worked
Entrants had to build a proposed system in PCPartPicker and post its shareable list link in the Reddit contest thread during the entry period. The announcement specified these component rules:
#1 Best Overall
- System: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6GHz 6 Cores | AMD B550 Chipset | 8GB DDR4 | 500GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD | Windows 11 Home
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 4GB Graphics | 1x HDMI | 1x DisplayPort
- Connectivity: 4 x USB-A 3.2 | 4 x USB-A 2.0 | 1 x LAN | WiFi 5 | Bluetooth 5.0 | 7.1 Channel Audio
- Tempered Side Case Panel | Custom RGB Lighting | Keyboard and Mouse
- 1 Year Parts & Labor Warranty, Free Lifetime Tech Support
| Category | Contest rule |
|---|---|
| Required | GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, CPU, CPU cooler, motherboard, memory, storage, case and power supply |
| Optional additions | Monitor, operating system, expansion cards, fans, fan controller, optical drive and similar accessories |
| Excluded peripherals | Headphones, keyboard, mouse, speakers and webcam |
Optional items still had to fit within the stated $3,000 PC-value ceiling. The contest announcement does not settle every valuation question, including how taxes, shipping, rebates, used parts or regional prices were treated; those details were governed by the official terms.
How the $3,000 limit and GPU price worked
When the RTX 4080 SUPER had no price listed in PCPartPicker, Nvidia instructed entrants to budget for it at a $1,000 MSRP. That was a contest-specific budgeting assumption at launch in 2024, leaving roughly $2,000 for the remaining required parts and any allowed optional additions. It is not a statement of the card’s current price.
Rank #2
- 8-Core 16-Thread Processing Power – Powered by the Ryzen 7 4700LE processor with Zen 2 architecture, delivering 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock up to 4.2GHz. Effortlessly handle multitasking, streaming, content creation, and demanding applications simultaneously without slowdowns.
- GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Graphics – Equipped with 8GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM and real-time ray tracing support. Experience smooth 1080p gaming at 55-60 FPS in AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, 70+ FPS in Fortnite, and 90-100 FPS in Apex Legends with DLSS enabled. The 8GB buffer handles modern game textures comfortably – a step above 6GB variants
- High-Speed Memory & Storage – Paired with 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz dual-channel RAM (16GB), the PC ensures responsive multitasking—whether streaming while gaming or editing videos. It also includes a 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD for lightning-fast boot times, quick game loads, and ample storage for your game library, creative projects, and files.
- Next-Gen WiFi 6 Connectivity – Stay connected with the latest WiFi 6 technology for faster speeds, lower latency, and improved network efficiency. Whether you're gaming online, streaming 4K content, or joining video conferences, enjoy stable, high-speed wireless connectivity.
- Ready-to-Use Value Desktop – Pre-built and ready to go right out of the box. Perfect for gamers, students, content creators, and home office users seeking reliable performance without the hassle of building a PC themselves. The mature AM4 platform with DDR4 memory offers excellent value and proven stability.
Because a monitor or operating-system license could use a substantial share of the remaining budget, entrants had to decide whether to include those optional items or prioritize the tower. PCPartPicker prices could also change; the announcement does not establish that a later displayed total changed the value recorded at submission.
When did entries close?
The entry window ran from 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 31, 2024, to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on February 4, 2024, according to the contest thread. It is closed, so the original submission steps are no longer actionable.
Rank #3
- POWERHOUSE 8-CORE GAMING PERFORMANCE — Driven by the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F with 8 cores and 16 threads, boosting up to 5.0 GHz for smooth, responsive gameplay and the ability to handle AAA titles, streaming, and background tasks all at once
- NEXT-GEN BLACKWELL ARCHITECTURE — The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is powered by NVIDIA's cutting-edge Blackwell GPU architecture, delivering a massive generational leap in rasterization and ray tracing performance so you can experience your games the way they were meant to be played.
- Simplistic Design: Enjoy the latest generation of Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. *MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
- Cool While Gaming: In conjunction with an ARGB fan Air Cooler, the Codex R2 features four system cooling fans; three in the front and one in the rear to pull in cool air and push heat out of the PC.
- Turn on the Bright Lights: With the built-in RGB lighting, take your gaming experience to the next level by pressing the MSI LED button to cycle through lighting options. Customize lighting even further with MSI Center software.
Who won, and what was in the published build?
The thread later congratulated Reddit user u/ubdesu. Its publicly visible winning PCPartPicker list reported a total of $2,972.47. Components visible in that list included:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D processor
- Samsung 990 Pro 4TB NVMe SSD
- Nvidia Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with 16GB of memory
- Fractal Design North case
- Corsair 1200W 80 Plus Gold power supply
- Two Fractal Design case fans and a DeepCool fan hub
The accessible list excerpt does not visibly show every conventional core component, including the motherboard and CPU cooler. That is not evidence that the submitted build lacked them. The announcement described a planned GeForce Garage video and shipment, but does not establish a specific publication date for the video.
Rank #4
- POWERED BY RTX 5070 12GB + RYZEN 7 9700X - The GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 graphics card pairs with an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor to drive smooth 1440p and 4K gameplay, giving this gaming PC the headroom for modern titles, streaming, and creative work.
- 32GB DDR5 6000MHz MEMORY & 1TB NVMe SSD - 32GB of high-speed DDR5 memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive deliver quick load times, smooth multitasking, and generous storage, keeping this prebuilt gaming desktop responsive under heavy workloads.
- BUILT-IN 11.3-INCH Smart DISPLAY - An integrated smart screen shows real-time CPU and GPU temperatures, usage, and weather while you play, adding a distinctive and functional touch to your battlestation.
- 850W 80+ GOLD POWER SUPPLY, 360MM LIQUID COOLING & WiFi 7 - An 850W 80 Plus Gold certified power supply provides stable, efficient power with headroom for future upgrades, while a 360mm AIO liquid cooler, WiFi 7, and an ARGB mid-tower case keep the Ryzen 7 CPU cool and connected in a clean build.
- READY TO PLAY OUT OF THE BOX - Arrives fully assembled and tested with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, so your prebuilt gaming computer is ready to set up in minutes. Assembled in the USA, and backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime free technical support.
Was the winner chosen at random, and who could enter?
Do not treat this as a random drawing. Discussion in the thread indicates that the terms gave Nvidia judges discretion to select the winner, but the complete judging rubric is not available in the accessible material. The contest announcement also directed entrants to its terms for regional eligibility. It does not establish worldwide eligibility or provide a complete list of eligible locations, so the terms controlled location and other restrictions.
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The contest’s component requirements provide a useful checklist for planning a system, although its prices and hardware context belong to 2024 rather than a current recommendation:
- Set aside the graphics-card budget before choosing optional parts.
- Match the CPU socket to the motherboard and confirm the board supports the selected memory type; DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable.
- Check that the case supports the motherboard form factor and GPU length, and that the cooler fits both the CPU socket and case clearance.
- Confirm the power supply has sufficient capacity and the right GPU power connection.
- Account for storage, memory and cooling before spending the budget on a monitor, operating system or accessories.
For current system planning, PCPartPicker can help assemble component lists and flag compatibility issues. Verify physical clearances, firmware support, power connections, prices and retailer terms independently; a compatibility checker is not a substitute for those checks.
Can you still enter?
No. The contest closed at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on February 4, 2024. Any page claiming to reopen this specific promotion is not supported by the original contest thread; do not provide personal or payment information based on such a claim. A future Nvidia or community giveaway would need to be verified separately.
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