MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio
Can a 350W GPU run quietly? You betcha.
The MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio is a step up from the Founders Edition. It’s much larger but that means lower noise levels and lower temperatures. Given the way Nvidia’s GPU boost algorithm works, this directly affects the performance of the card.
The MSI’s PCB is an improvement of the FE, but it’s the Asus that leads the way there. Does the PCB matter to a rank and file gamer? Perhaps not. It’s the cooler that sets the MSI apart. If you want a cool and quiet card, this is the one to buy out of the three we tested. The MSI includes the standard three DP 1.4a ports and a single HDMI 2.1 port.
The MSI consistently held boost clocks in the region of 1950MHz+. It makes a mockery of the official boost clock which is advertised as 1815MHz. At no stage did we see clocks drop that low. These clocks were well above what we saw from the FE but a little bit behind the aggressively clocked Strix. A brief OC test showed the MSI to be quite limited, likely due to power limitations rather than anything else.
At $1,469 the MSI Gaming X Trio is a definite jump in price over the FE, though it’s actually a relative bargain. It’s the TriFrozr cooler that really impresses us. If cool and quiet gaming is your priority, you won’t do much better than this. It’s not as ‘extreme’ as the Asus, but then it’s much better value. We’re excited to see if MSI comes out with a Lightning card. That would be something extreme indeed!
The MSI Gaming X Trio is the card to get if you want to game in silence.