Regarding what #1 said about "Honestly youre gonna love the difference once you..." - yeah he is spot on. Seeing those temps drop after a successful repad is just so satisfying, especially when you are worried about the Nevada heat. I have been really happy with how my own cards run after some simple maintenance, no complaints at all on my end. But before you drop $45 on those Kritical pads, which specific 3080 model do you actually have? If its a Founders Edition vs something like an EVGA FTW3, the thicknesses you need are totally different. Since you are budget-focused, I usually suggest getting a larger sheet of Arctic TP-3 High Performance Thermal Pad instead. They are super soft and usually way cheaper if you buy the bulk pack, plus you dont have to worry about the hardness issues like with the Odyssey stuff. TL;DR: Figure out your exact card model first so you dont buy the wrong thickness, and consider Arctic to stay well under that $50 limit.

tbh, the Nevada heat is no joke for an air-cooled 3080. I've been really happy with the Thermalright Valor Odin 15 W/mK pads on my build lately. They're basically the high-end version of the Odyssey ones but they're a bit more squishy, so they don't give you those nasty mounting pressure issues where the core temps skyrocket. Definitely a solid middle ground between the Gelid and the stiff Odyssey stuff. Since youre worried about the budget, dont bother with those pre-cut kits. 45 bucks is crazy for some small strips of silicone. You can usually find a larger sheet of the Odin for way less and just cut it yourself with a razor. Its satisfying to get it perfect anyway... just measure twice! Also, while you have the card open, look into Honeywell PTM7950 Phase Change Pad for the GPU core itself. Its not a traditional pad, it melts when it gets hot to fill the gaps. I swapped to that for the die and havent had to think about repasting since. Works well and saves you from having to open it up again in six months because of pump-out. No complaints on my end since I made the switch.

Honestly youre gonna love the difference once you swap those factory pads out! I have spent years tinkering with high-end cards and the Gelid Solutions GP-Ultimate 15W/mK Thermal Pad is basically the way to go. Their compressibility is just amazing compared to the stiffer competition. If you use something too hard like the Thermalright Extreme Odyssey II 14.8 W/mK Thermal Pad, you might actually lose contact with the GPU die. That is a total nightmare. First, verify your specific card model needs. Then, prioritize the Gelid pads because they squish down perfectly to fill gaps. This is fantastic for ensuring even pressure across the whole board. I saw a massive drop of like 22C on my VRAM after doing this swap! You will be golden for your gaming marathon.

^ This. Also, I have to be the voice of caution here. Over the years I've seen way too many people mess up their cards by following generic advice on pads. Reliability is king. You really dont want to be opening that card twice or worse, cracking the die because of poor fitment... that would be a total disaster for a used card. Honestly, just go to YouTube or Reddit and search for your specific card model plus "thermal pad thickness". There are basically dozens of teardown videos that show exactly what you need for each component. I saw a really good one once that had a full spreadsheet of measurements for every 3080 model. Just check there. Its way more reliable than us guessing what your PCB looks like tho.