MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Unboxing

MSI's Twin Frozr VI heatsink may look compact but it's actually a monster in disguise. It measures 290mm (length) x 140mm (width) x 51mm (height). The cooling extends all the way to the back of the PCB and it requires a casing with good interior space for proper installation.

It is recommended that a case with 2.5 free slot space is required for proper functioning of cooling on this card. The card also weighs in at 1257 grams which is a whole lot of stress for the PCI-Express slot. But all that heft load means that the card packs a good bunch of components with an emphasis on quality.

In terms of design, we are looking at an updated version of the Twin Frozr heatsink which is now in its sixth variation. The new heatsink looks absolutely phenomenal with a red and black design and dragon claws featured on the back of the card. It's one beauty to look at.

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The card has two fans on the front, all of which are 100mm and come with MSI's patented Torx 2.0 fan design that offers 22% more air pressure, allowing for increased air flow and cooler operation of the card itself.

On the back of the card, we spot an extremely good looking MSI Dragoon backplate. The whole plate is made of solid metal and adds to the durability of this card. The matte black finish on the backplate gives a unique aesthetic and has the Dragoon logo at the end which looks great. There are cut outs in screw placements to easily reach the points on the graphics card.

Coming back to the fans, the card actually features two different fan designs based on the Torx 2.0 system. The first fan uses a dispersion fan blade technology that has a steeper curved blade that accelerates airflow and as such increases effectiveness in keeping the GPU cool. The second fan is more of a traditional one which pushes down a steady build of airflow to keep the heatsink cool. Both fans deploy double ball bearing design and can last a longer time while operating silently.

MSI also features their Zero Frozr technology on the Twin Frozr VI heatsink. This feature won't spin the fans on the card unless the reach a certain threshold. In the case of the Twin Frozr VI heatsink, that limit is set to 60C. If the card is operating under 60C, the fans won't spin which means no extra noise would be generated.

The GTX 1080 Ti GPU comes with two SLI gold fingers which technically mean that the card supports 4-Way SLI but that has changed in the GeForce 10 series. While 4-Way SLI support is physically present, there are little applications that can even scale well on 4 or even 3-Way SLI. NVIDIA recommends the use of 2-Way SLI with the new high-bandwidth SLI bridge for the best scaling and SLI performance in games that support Multi-GPU. For those who are still interested in 3 or 4 Way SLI can register at NVIDIA’s site for a SLI key to enable support on their cards.

Display connectivity on the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X includes two Display Port 1.4 (4K @ 120 Hz), two HDMI 2.0b (4K @ 60 Hz) and a single DL-DVI which means that it is capable to support all next-gen displays with new standards such as HDR, VR and multi-res / multi-screen panels.

The MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X features a custom PCB which means the power circuitry is entirely non-reference. Power is provided through a dual 8-Pin connector configuration which means we are looking at a maximum power input of 300W. The card has a official TDP of 250W but the premium components make sure that every bit of juice gets supplied to core, memory and VRMs when overclocked.

MSI has fused the Twin Frozr VI heatsink with dragon blade accents. These red colored patterns emit RGB LED lighting and you can configure them through the MSI Gaming App. These are part of the MSI Mystic LED system that is incorporated within a wide range of their gaming products.

The MSI and Dragon logo on top of the SLI connectors also features LED Lighting which can be configured through MSI's Gaming App. The labels are inverted so when you plug the graphics card inside your PC, they will show up straight rather than upside down.

There's a large "GeForce GTX" label on the side of the shroud. It does look great but doesn't come with any backlit LED lighting. It's not that big of a deal but it should have looked even better since you are paying a good sum for this graphics card.

As far as cooling is concerned, the fans do their job well but the real heat is handled by the might heat sink block inside the MSI Graphics card. The Twin Frozr IV heatsink is based on five 8mm thick copper heat pipes that offer direct contact to the GPU when running through the copper base plate. The GPU base plate is a solid nickel-plate copper design with loads of surface area for efficiency dissipating heat load. MSI says that they are using a premium thermal compound on their GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X cards so we will see if they do a better job than the other 1080 Ti we tested.

MSI adds extra protection to their impressive PCB by including a rugged anti-bending plate. This also acts as a memory cooling plate while the PWM heatsink with micro fins keeps the VRM cool under stressful conditions. MSI makes use of a 8+2 phase PWM design that includes their Military Class 4 components such as Hi-C Caps, Super Ferrite Chokes and Japanese Solid Caps.

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Mystic Aura Gallery:

Following is a look at the different lighting modes that this card is able to display with the MSI Mystic Light lightning feature.

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WCCFTECH RATING

For $749.99 US, the MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X will offer you ample amount of gaming performance whether you are moving from a GTX 980 Ti or a GTX 1080. It's a beautiful card for the most high-end gamers and enthusiasts out there looking to upgrade their PCs.

Pros

• Massive Performance Improvement in Gaming Titles.
• Performance very good at the given price point.
• Upgrade From GTX 980 Ti and GTX 1070 will see huge performance leap.
• First card to achieve playable FPS at 4K resolution.
• Great overclocking potential, full tuning options with MSI Afterburner app.
• Memory modules on the Gaming X can hit more than 500 GB/s bandwidth.
• Factory Overclocked Out of Box. Ships with 3 profiles (Silent/Gaming/OC).
• MSI Twin Frozr VI cooler offers great cooling and low noise output.
• ZeroFrozr Technology Included on Torx 2.0 fans.
• MSI LED Lights configurable with Gaming App.
• Lot's of display connectivity, great for VR and multi-display PCs.

Cons

• Huge price, not for mainstream gamers. ($750 US)
• Overclocking gains not noticeable in some games.
• Bulky design, requires lot's of room for installation.

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