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As with any generation of graphics cards, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 arrives alongside a cavalcade of aftermarket graphics cards, led by this MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio, which should be one of the best models for serious enthusiasts out there. they want to power the new GPU. as far as I can.
With a retail price of $ 749, this is a graphics card with a hefty $ 50 premium over the Founders Edition, but what you’re paying for is an all-new cooling solution, with three massive fans and a backplate. graphene that will help remove excess heat. You’ll also get an additional 8-pin PCIe power connector, which will allow serious overclockers to bump up the voltage to further unlock performance.
We tested the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio at factory settings, not overclocked for time interest, but stay tuned for a full-featured RTX 3080 overclocking bump in the coming weeks. Even with the out-of-the-box setup and fan curve, MSI outperformed Nvidia’s Founders Edition when it comes to raw performance, though perhaps not as much as some expected.
When it comes to 4K gaming performance, this MSI graphics card outperformed the Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition by about 7% in most 4K gaming benchmarks, although the differences are much smaller in synthetic benchmarks. such as 3DMark Time Spy Extreme. In that test, MSI’s robust cooler and overclocking only drove its card to a 3.5% performance advantage. It’s definitely an advantage, but it’s not really a huge advantage.
In terms of the performance of this card versus its Turing equivalent, it is an absolute behemoth, outperforming the RTX 2080 Founders Edition by up to 90% in Horizon Zero Dawn at 4K with the Ultimate Quality preset. We’ve already praised the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 for making the biggest generational leap in graphics in years, but it looks like aftermarket cards like the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio are going to take that to the next level, and that’s before let us start playing with overclocking.
Test system specifications
This is the system we used to test the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X (16 cores, up to 4.7 GHz)
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Masterliquid 360P Silver Edition
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 64GB 3600MHz
Motherboard: X570 Aorus Master
SSD: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB
Power supply: Phanteks RevoltX 1200
Case: Practice Wetbench
This is largely due to the architectural improvements that Nvidia made with Ampere. We’ve explored this way more thoroughly in our full RTX 3080 review, but the spark is that Nvidia made it so that both data paths on the Ampere Streaming Multiprocessor (SM) can handle FP32 workloads, so the company was able to double the CUDA Core Count on each SM. As well as doubling the number of cores and the speed of RT and faster GDDR6X memory, the RTX 3080, along with the rest of the Ampere line, brings a truly new generation of GPU performance to the table.
This MSI card adds to that with a more robust power delivery: out of the box it consumes 341W versus the Founders Edition’s 321W, and one of the most robust coolers you’ll see in a modern graphics card. At 12.71 inches long and 2.2 inches thick, this is a 2.5-slot monster that you’ll absolutely need to make sure your case really does fit. People with fancier small cases especially will need to make sure they can handle the circumference of this graphics card.
MSI does include graphics card support though, so if you are concerned about GPU dropping, and with this card, It should be – you should install that. Instructions are included in the box.
Speaking of those instructions, instead of a boring little card with a URL that leads to a “quick start” PDF, MSI includes a lovely comic with Lucky the Dragon that teaches aspiring upgrades how to install a graphics card. People who buy this gigantic graphics card probably already know how to install a GPU, but this has to be the most user-friendly instruction booklet we’ve seen included with a graphics card, and for that we have to do it. Give credit where it is due.
The graphics card itself is decidedly its not cute, However. The triple fan shroud has a bronze gray color scheme, with a long RGB strip across the PCB. This RGB would probably have looked a lot better if it had been run across the entire fan shroud, and it seems like it was added as an afterthought. The card looks much better when the lighting strip is off, which is good because the lighting just turns off when we open HWInfo for some reason.
However, this aesthetic fits the audience MSI is after here: hardcore GPU enthusiasts looking to overclock their graphics card to get as much performance as possible.
Buy it if …
You’re going to overclock your graphics card
The MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio is more than equipped for overclocking, with a massive power delivery and more robust than Nvidia’s Founders Edition card. If you love playing with clock speeds, this is the card for you.
You want the best cooling solution
With a triple fan configuration, along with an absolutely massive heatsink with plenty of room for airflow, this is probably the best cooling solution you’ll find in a 3080 until you start wandering around aftermarket cards of high end.
Don’t buy it if …
You won’t overclock
While ready to use, it offers an additional 7% performance in some games, that’s not really enough extra power to justify the extra $ 50. Especially when the Founders Edition has such a good cooler this time.
You have a small PC box
Because this card is so long and thick, many PC cases will simply be incompatible. Only people with larger mid-tower or full tower cases will be able to install this graphics card. Make sure to measure your case before hitting the buy button.
