MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO: Unboxed

MSI's Latest GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

It wasn't that long ago that news broke on MSI's new GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO graphics card, but we didn't know all that much about it. Well, now we do as I've received one of the first samples of it in the world, and it is currently being benchmarked and prepared for review.

For now, I thought I would cover the basics of the card before the full review is finished, as well as an unboxing and detailed look at the card itself. It's a new entry into MSI's continuously expanding range of custom GeForce GTX 10 series graphics cards, and I think it looks like one of the best, too. MSI has put a lot of design work into its graphics cards over the years, with it culminating in the pure enthusiast bliss that is the LIGHTNING range of cards.

MSI released GeForce GTX 1080 Ti LIGHTNING Z not too long ago, rocking its new TriFrozr cooler, with it being at the very top of their custom GTX 1080 Ti card heap. Just below that we've got the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X, which has MSI's dominant TwinFrozr cooler. The latest card from MSI is their new GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO, which blends the worlds of GAMING X and LIGHTNING. We have a slick design that is similar to GAMING X, but with the beautiful RGB LEDs on the card. They really do look great in the right system.

GPU/VRAM Clock Speeds

GPU clocks change a little between modes, but the 11GB of GDDR5X is locked at 11Gbps on the Silent/Gaming Modes, while OC mode kicks it up to 11.1Gbps.

Silent Mode: 1480/1582MHz

Gaming Mode: 1544/1657MHz

OC Mode: 1569/1683MHz

MSI GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO Unboxed

MSI is always a company that prides itself on the presentation of its graphics cards from the box, to the card itself, with the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO being no disappoint. The box itself looks great, and gives you enough information on the card without having to double check on your phone or online.

All MSI has to do on the front is show off the RGB goodness on the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO and I'm hooked.

On the back, we find out all about the Mystic Light RGB lights on the card, the Torx 2.0 fan, and the elaborate heat sink that keeps the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO nice and cool.

The card itself looks so, so good in person - with a tease of the GAMING X, but once you see the back you realize we're seeing some LIGHTNING influence.

Out of nearly all of the custom GTX 10 series cards from MSI, the backplate on the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO is one of my favorite. The blend of the silver and black there with a forced line down the middle, that perfectly aligns with the angle of the Mystic Light RGBs on the top of the card... perfect.

See?!

We have a 2.5-slot card, which requires 8+8-pin PCIe power connectors, standard for custom GTX 1080 Ti cards.

As you can see, we have a 2.5-slot card with a beefy heat sink array underneath.

Once it's installed, you're cooking with gas. Look at that card... my gosh.

I'm really loving the design of this card. If you've got other RGB-capable parts in your system like RGB LED strips, fans, RGB-capable RAM, and more - the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO might just be the powerhouse graphics card for you.

As for the design cues from the GAMING X and LIGHTNING graphics cards, here's a look at the other two cards in MSI's stack:

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X (our review here).

MSI GTX 1080 Ti LIGHTNING Z (our review here).

Full Review Coming Soon

Final Thoughts

Our quick unboxing and photos of the card are ahead of my full review which I'll write over the weekend. Performance wise, don't expect anything different from this card - it should compete with the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X, and not reach the dizzying heights of the GTX 1080 Ti LIGHTNING Z.

MSI will be positioning this card for anyone who hasn't purchased a GTX 1080 Ti yet, and didn't want to wait to try and pick up the LIGHTNING Z, but didn't want to buy the now older GAMING X. Performance wise so far, we're seeing it fall right between the GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X and LIGHTNING Z cards from MSI, and that's not a bad thing.

I've got it installed in my current workstation rig, which is a Core i3-7350K/GIGABYTE GA-Gaming B8-based mid-range PC that I've been using for a week or so now. Even with the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO inside mixed with a lower/mid-range Core i3 processor, I can still play Battlegrounds at 80-100FPS average at 3440x1440 on Medium details. Not bad at all, but it's mostly thanks to that GTX 1080 Ti TRIO.

Inside, I've got a system with 16GB of ADATA SPECTRIX D40 DDR4 RGB RAM, which looks awesome mixed in with the Mystic Light RGB on the MSI GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO. I've also got Corsair RGB fans filling up the rest of my system with colors, and all I can say is that its memorizing.

Our full review on the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO will be up soon.