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MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X Review

Things promised, things owed. A few days after testing the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in its Founders Edition, we turn to a custom model and not just any. Indeed, we have set our sights on one of the most powerful variations of the new best graphics card from MSI, the Suprim X. The stated objective of the Taiwanese is to offer a card that exceeds the RTX 3090. Just that.

Our Review

Not necessarily known to everyone, the Suprim range from which our menu of the day is taken is the very high end of the MSI offer. These are the best equipped models, the most optimized with a particularly refined cooling system.

The stated objective of the Taiwanese is to offer a product capable of competing with the excellence of the Founders Edition while boosting the operating frequencies a little for slightly higher performance. The 3080 Ti FE is already very close to the RTX 3090 FE, does this mean that MSI will exceed this reference card with its RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X? Given the price at which the manufacturer offers its product, we will say that it would be almost the least of things.

MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X Datasheet

Note that, as we said, the Suprim range is not limited to this single RTX 3080 Ti, MSI has a complete line: RTX 3090, RTX 3080 Ti, RTX 3080 and RTX 3080 pending, presumably, a next RTX 3070 Ti, but if it is to be verified, it will not be for another few days.

The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is:

  • GPU: GA102-225
  • Architecture: Ampere
  • CUDA cores : 10,240 cores
  • Boost frequency: 1.830 GHz
  • Memory configuration: 12 GB GDDR6X
  • Memory interface: 384-bit
  • Ray tracing cores : 80 2nd generation cores
  • Tensor Cores: 320 3rd Generation Cores
  • PCI Express Gen 4: Yes
  • NVIDIA NVLink ™ (SLI-Ready): No
  • HDMI 2.1: Yes
  • DisplayPort 1.4a: Yes
  • Standard display connectors: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4
  • HDCP: 2.3
  • Length: 335 mm
  • Width: 140mm
  • Height: 3 slots
  • Weight: 1,940 grams
  • Maximum GPU Temperature: 93 ° C
  • Graphic consumption: 400 Watts
  • Recommended system power: 850 Watts
  • Power connectors: connectors 3×8 pin PCIe
  • Guarantee: 2 years
  • Price and availability: available, no MSRP communicated by MSI

Unsurprisingly, the technical sheet for the MSI RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is very close – at least on the main characteristics – to the Founders Edition tested previously. Same number of RT and Tensor cores of course, same number of CUDA cores and same 12 GB of GDDR6X on 384-bit bus. On the other hand, MSI had the idea of ​​boosting the operating frequencies: in boost, we go from 1665 MHz to 1830 MHz. The card therefore adopts a very different cooling system and, we will come back to this, significantly changes dimensions.

A monster in your PC

At first glance at the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X, it is obviously its dimensions that impress. It must be said that the map is truly a colossus: it measures a little more than 33 centimeters in the direction of the length and not less than 14 cm in the width. If those measurements don’t speak to you more than that, take a look at our photos: the NVIDIA Founders Edition is 2 inches shorter and almost 3 cm narrower. Such a monster necessarily implies being very careful at the time of purchase: you will have to check that your box is suitable and we are thinking in particular of those who have a fan on the left wall.

Logically enough, these extraordinary dimensions not only have consequences on the occupancy of the card in the case, but also on the space at the level of the motherboard: three PCI Express slots are thus condemned and this could even block M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs . Here again, it is therefore necessary to pay attention to your priorities before turning to this RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X which, to finish with its dimensions, represents a significant weight: practically 2 kilograms! MSI is not mistaken and delivers an accessory to hold the card in place and prevent breakage.

No less than three 8-pin power sockets

Even on its most demanding cards, NVIDIA uses a single power supply port: this famous 12-pin connector that it is the only one to use today. No more than on the other RTX 3000 series models, MSI decided that this RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X would not support this new connector. In order to feed the card, we are therefore left with nothing less than three 8-pin power connectors. Here again, you will need to have the right equipment … especially if you plan to reuse a somewhat old power supply unit: even on powerful models, not all of them have so many cables dedicated to PCIe.

No risk, however, if you have a recent diet. Indeed, to operate this RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X, you necessarily need a unit capable of delivering at least 850 Watts and all the latest models from beQuiet, Corsair or Seasonic – to name a few – are sufficient. equipped. The most experts will have noticed that this recommendation of MSI for a power supply of 850 Watts goes even beyond the specifications of NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 Founders Edition which was satisfied with 750 Watts: MSI gives us here a taste of the power of his menu, his greed too.

12 GB of GDDR6X RAM

The question of video memory has been on everyone’s lips since the release of the first GeForce RTX 3000 series cards and, even more so, with the arrival of the competitors, the Radeon RX 6000 series. It must be said that NVIDIA surprised its world sometimes offering less video memory than on some models of the previous generation. Thus, the RTX 3080 arrived with 10 GB of GDDR6X when the RTX 2080 Ti had 11 GB of GDDR6. AMD has somehow driven the point home by taking pleasure in boosting the amount of memory on board its Radeon RX, obviously tackling NVIDIA.

Even the RX 6700 XT is thus equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 while the other models all have 16 GB. By launching the RTX 3080 Ti, NVIDIA had to react. He did and his partners of course followed him. The RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X – like the 3080 Ti Founders Edition – therefore comes with 12 GB of GDDR6X. These are identical chips clocked at 1,188 MHz, based on a 384-bit bus. We thus end up with a bandwidth of 912 Gb / s, not so far from what the RTX 3090 offers with its 936 Gb / s. For the moment, we are delighted with these 12 GB, it remains to be seen if, one day, video games will prove to us that more is needed to play at best.

Tri Frozr 2S cooling and MSI software

NVIDIA partners always try to distinguish themselves from the Founders Edition and bring a few things to justify a stint in their dairy rather than another. At MSI, this goes through a cooling system that the Taiwanese calls Tri Frozr 2S. Nothing really new, however, as it is the same one fitted to the RTX 3090 Suprim . It consists of three 95mm fans stamped Torx Fan 4.0. Their 10 blades are connected, two by two, in their upper part, the objective being to concentrate, to better direct the air flow towards the dissipator.

The result is there since the Suprim X is both a little quieter (-0.5 dB) and noticeably more efficient (-7 ° C) than the Founders Edition while its operating frequencies are higher. Another advantage of MSI: the presence of a slider to choose between a gaming BIOS and a silent BIOS . There is certainly a difference (-5 dB), but this time, we are a little less convinced: when you buy such a card, it is to have maximum performance, right? Finally, last point, MSI offers its own software interface that comes in addition to the NVIDIA Control Panel and, possibly, GeForce Experience.

Of course, MSI Afterburner is in the game and, with it, all the options related to monitoring the card, to its overclocking. The Taiwanese also offers the MSI Center which comes more or less as a “replacement” for the MSI Dragon Center, which is still available. The MSI Center is formed around a modular structure, basic, is limited to monitoring in real time of the card. We can then add modules to take care of “anything and everything” from the management of the fans to the graphics optimization of the games, including the RGB effects on the multiple LEDs of the Suprim X. simple and complete tool which nevertheless remains a little accessory.

Test protocol

Only a few days ago, we offered you the test of the RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition. Logically, this test of the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is based on a strictly identical platform so that the comparison can be done as easily as possible. Here is the exact detail:

  • Processor: Intel Core i9-11900K
  • Motherboard: Asus Z590-E Gaming WiFi (Chipset Intel Z590)
  • Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32 GB DDR4 4000 CL19
  • “System” SSD: Western Digital WD_Black SN850 1 TB (Type 2280)
  • “Storage” SSD: Corsair MP400 4 TB (Type 2280)
  • Power supply: beQuiet Straight Power 11, 1000 Watts Platinum
  • Cooling: Corsair iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT 360mm
  • Monitor: iiyama G-Master GB2888UHSU-B1, 4K 60Hz

We stress it every time, but it’s still good to make it clear here: we strive to keep the software configurations as close as possible between the different tests of our graphics cards. In the case of this MSI RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X, this results in the use of the GeForce 466.54 drivers while the 466.63 has just been released. We believe the impact is minor, but it is worth noting.

“Synthetic” measuring tools

As we wrote when testing the RTX 3080 Ti FE, our first measurement tool is the source of a first slap, this is still the case with the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X. “Petite” from MSI is indeed able to beat the RTX 3090 FE and if the difference remains small, it is nevertheless notable: nearly 300 points or almost 3% in 2,160p on 3DMark TimeSpy Extreme.

Our second measurement tool confirms the trend started with 3DMark and Unigine Superposition even drives the point home a little more. The RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is therefore again ahead of the RTX 3080 Ti FE, but also ahead of the big sister, the RTX 3090 FE. The difference is still a little higher with, this time, almost 4% of gain in 2 160p.

Note that if the results in 2 160p are superior to those in 1440p and 1 080p, it is the consequence of an adjustment at the level of the shaders . So there is no error on our graph.

To end with our “synthetic” measurements, we once again insist on the ray tracing options . We use for this the Port Royal scene of 3DMark which confirms the domination of our RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X on ALL the cards ever passed through our hands. The gap with the RTX 3090 FE is not considerable (+ 4%), but sufficient to crown, once again, the new star of MSI.

Performance observed in games

For our first game, we opted as usual for DOOM Eternal and its Vulkan library, not that often exploited. This change compared to “synthetic” tools based more on DirectX 12 hardly disturbs the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X which dominates the debates head and shoulders: this time we are talking about + 4.2% compared to the RTX 3090 FE which allows to obtain 214 fps in 2 160p maximum level of detail.

Small sensation with our measurements on The Division 2 . The RTX 3080 Ti FE was already a little less comfortable and, logically, the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is a little less to the party as well. Nothing dramatic though, but the little news from MSI is “only” on par with the best Founders Edition at 77 fps in 2 160p.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the second Vulkan game from our panel, a game that puts things “in order”: the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X allows itself 3 frames per second more (at 78.9 fps) than the RTX 3090 FE. This of course makes her the most successful ever tested in the columns of Clubic.

The Control game by Remedy is one of the few where we have enabled ray tracing options . It logically makes it possible to highlight NVIDIA’s GeForces, which are more efficient than their AMD counterparts in this area. With 86 frames per second, our guinea pig is well ahead of NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 FE: + 12.8% in favor of the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X, sorry.

Gears 5 had already allowed the RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition to shine, ahead – by a micro-hair – the RTX 3090 FE. Unsurprisingly, the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is therefore driving the point home: it provides performance 7% higher than that of this RTX 3090 FE.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare is the second game in which we activate the ray tracing options, but it is less disabling for AMD cards. However, what interests us here is the performance of the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X. The gap is modest (+ 3.8%), but once again, it takes the best of the RTX 3080 Ti FE and the RTX 3090 FE with 109 fps at 3,840 x 2,160.

By switching to Death Stranding , we enable DLSS and FidelityFX. The RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition had become the most powerful card passed in our hands and, logically, this title goes now to the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X. In 2 160p, it is 5% more powerful than the RTX 3080 Ti FE and 5.75% more efficient than the Radeon RX 6900 XT.

It was with the RTX 3080 Ti FE test that we first used Cyberpunk 2077 to highlight ray tracing options. and DLSS . For this last test, the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X confirms all its power with, in 2 160p, a difference of + 3.6% compared to the RTX 3090 FE which has so far signed the best results. A domination which is accentuated in 1440p (+ 3.9%) and, even more, in 1080p (+ 5.3%).

Consumption and efficiency

When testing the RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition, we were talking about power consumption that ” hits the wall “. A rather unfortunate expression when we see the gluttony of the last baby of MSI who comes to push a new threshold, that of 400 Watts.

We measured the consumption of the PC with a power meter at the outlet, at rest and then at full load in a demanding game. We compared the consumption of the PC, with and without an inserted graphics card. Finally, we compared our results with those reported by MSI Afterburner.

The RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is, unsurprisingly, the most power hungry card we’ve ever tested. “No surprise”, because we know that any architecture pushed to its limits significantly increases its consumption to gain a few images per second.

However, the results of the MSI card are not catastrophic and its performance / Watts ratio is not so far from that of the RTX 3080 Ti FE. Here is a small comparison of the different cards tested recently (the higher the better):

  • RX 6700 XT: 28.45
  • RX 5700 XT: 16.98
  • AMD RX 6800 XT: 30.18
  • RTX 3070: 29.48
  • RTX 3080: 27.52
  • AMD RTX 3080 Ti FE: 27.40
  • RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X: 25.54

We now come to the annoying question: that of the price. We will not be talking about map availability nor will we throw stones at MSI given the completely insane situation we are in today. The latter does not communicate any “official tariff” – or MSRP – aware that it will not be respected.

Some American colleagues have estimated that of the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X at 1,800 dollars “in normal times” and we took this price as a reference to calculate a hypothetical performance / price ratio. It is already suffering a lot from such a price positioning (5.70 against 8.12 for the RTX 3080 Ti FE and 12.52 for the RTX 3080 FE).

Now think that the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is priced at 2,319.95 euros at LDLC where it is, of course, sold out. Such a price literally plunges the performance / price ratio (4.43) and shows how much you have to be “invested” to allow yourself such an expense.

MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X Conclusion

Incredibly powerful, a card like the RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X from MSI gives us a little problem. Of course, it’s up to you to judge how much budget to allocate to your passion, but while we were already criticizing the 500 euros requested by NVIDIA to switch from the RTX 3080 FE to RTX 3080 Ti FE, this time you have to consider spending 800 or 900 euros to change its set-up .

Note that we are not talking about MSRP here, but reseller prices: for the lucky ones who manage to get their hands on it, the RTX 3080 Suprim X is trading for more than 1,500 euros, but you have to count on more than 2,300 euros for the RTX 3080 Ti version. So that’s right, for this price, you’ll enjoy the very best in the genre, even being a cut above the RTX 3090 Founders Edition.

There is no question of questioning the qualities of MSI’s baby. The RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X is undoubtedly a gamer’s dream , but a dream that will remain one for most of us: you need space in your PC and in your bank account for a such product.

The RTX 3080 Ti Suprim X immediately shows color by offering better performance than the RTX 3090 Founders Edition. The quality of finish is no less remarkable and can be considered as a “player’s dream”. Unfortunately, a very large dream that suffers from the current situation: surreal availability and prices.

Also See: – Best Monitors For RTX 3080 TiBest CPU For RTX 3080 Ti

Author

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  • Areesha

    Areesha is a tech enthusiast and a freelance writer who loves to share her insights on the latest gadgets and innovations. She has been reviewing tech products for over five years, covering everything from smartphones, laptops, cameras, smartwatches, headphones, and more. She enjoys testing out new features, comparing different models, and giving honest feedback to her readers. Areesha’s reviews are always informative, engaging, and easy to understand. Whether you are looking for a new device, a gift idea, or just curious about the tech world, Areesha’s reviews will help you make the best decision. You can find her work on various websites and blogs, such as [TechCrunch], [CNET], [The Verge], and [Gizmodo]. You can also follow her on [Twitter] and [Instagram] to get the latest updates on her reviews and projects. Areesha is always open to suggestions and feedback from her audience, so feel free to contact her anytime. She is looking forward to hearing from you!

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