MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio Review - Overclocker's Delight

TweakTown's Rating: 93%

The Bottom Line

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio OC PLUS looks fantastic and showcases the RTX 5070 Ti's OC capabilities. With DLSS 4, it's a fantastic 1440p and 4K gaming GPU that is ready for Full Ray Tracing or Path Tracing.

Pros

• A GPU built for overclocking
• Massive 4K performance gains over the RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti
• DLSS 4's new Transformer AI model is an impressive update
• Multi Frame Generation delivers 200+ FPS and looks great in the right games
• MSI's new Gaming Trio design is a winner - it's stylish and runs cool

Cons

• Pricey, the RTX 5070 Ti makes more sense at $750 or $800

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

After we wrapped up our review of the GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition model, we spent some time checking out various OC models and learned that NVIDIA's new 80-class GPU included a lot of headroom for overclocking. With a few simple clicks using an app like MSI Afterburner, we could easily push the boost clock speed above 3 GHz, alongside increasing the memory speed - which translated to immediate and meaningful performance gains.

A quick look at the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio

With the arrival of the impressive MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio OC PLUS model, we're happy to see that the RTX 5070 Ti is just as overclockable as the RTX 5080 - and thanks to MSI's excellent Gaming Trio design, it can easily eclipse GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER performance in 4K.

As NVIDIA isn't offering a Founder Edition model for the new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, our launch day review focused on the out-of-the-box performance of the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X model. With its $749 price point, it immediately cemented the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti as one of the best enthusiast-class GPUs on the market - as long as you're able to pick it up for a reasonable price. It is 25% cheaper than the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the card it matches in performance.

With the GeForce RTX 50 Series launch plagued by shortages and price increases for premium models, it's worth remembering that part of the RTX 5070 Ti's impressiveness is tied to its $750 price point. The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio reviewed here is an impressive GPU, from its stylish looks to its compact build and excellent thermal performance. However, it is a premium design that will be sold for more than the MSRP.

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Even with a generous +120 MHz out-of-the-box Boost Clock OC, the thermal performance is such that you can easily add +150 MHz or more on top of this, and the overall GPU temperature will remain under 60 degrees Celsius with barely a peep from the fans. The good news is that seeing the overall clock speed hit around 3 GHz also translates to a nice little bump in performance, enough to make it a little bit faster than the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in most benchmarks and gaming workloads while closing the gap between it and the GeForce RTX 5080 running with stock or reference specs.

However, there's a catch. For many gamers interested in the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, the best action might be to wait for prices and availability to normalize. However, based on what we're seeing with the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio, we can understand the excitement of rushing out and picking one up as soon as possible. With excellent raw performance, DLSS 4's updated tech and Multi Frame Generation, Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing, and brilliant thermal performance with overclocking headroom aplenty, it's something to behold. Let's dig in.

RTX Blackwell - NVIDIA's Gaming Architecture for the AI Era

Below is a summary of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series and RTX Blackwell architecture, applicable to all models.

NVIDIA describes 'Neural Rendering,' which includes all previous versions of DLSS and the brand-new DLSS 4, as the 'next era for computer graphics.' They're not alone; the Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 5 Pro console, Mark Cerny, recently said that ray-tracing is the future of games and that AI will play an integral role in making that happen. DOOM: The Dark Ages developer id Software shared a similar sentiment, adding that the arrival of DLSS was an 'inflection point' for PC game visuals and performance and on par with the arrival of dedicated GPUs and programmable shaders.

With the arrival of the Blackwell generation and the GeForce RTX 50 Series, AI is now being used to accelerate programmable shaders with the brand-new RTX Neural Shaders. Yes, these are actual neural networks that use live game data, and the power of Tensor Cores to do everything from compress textures, render lifelike materials with a level of detail impossible to match using traditional rendering methods, and even use AI to partially trace rays and then infer "an infinite amount

of rays and bounces for a more accurate representation of indirect lighting in the game scene."

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RTX Mega Geometry is incredible in its own right; it essentially increases a scene's geometry detail and complexity (triangles or polygons) by up to 100x. 100 times the detail, it's hard to wrap your head around - but the added benefit in a game like Alan Wake 2 is dramatically improving the performance of the game's Full Ray Tracing or Path Tracing mode. With DLSS 4 and RTX Neural Shaders, NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series and RTX Blackwell architecture (which includes the same AI optimizations as data center Blackwell) can be viewed as the turning point for PC gaming - the moment when AI becomes integral to everything from designing a game to programming and then finally rendering it on a 4K display to play.

DLSS 4 includes more goodies than NVIDIA's highly touted new Multi Frame Generation technology, but let's start there. DLSS 3's version of Frame Generation has evolved with DLSS 4, powered by Blackwell hardware and software, and an innovative use of AI to generate frames 40% faster while using 30% less VRAM. Switching to a new model also means that Frame Generation and Multi-Frame Generation could soon come to GeForce RTX 20, 30, and RTX 40 Series owners. DLSS 4 benefits all GeForce RTX gamers.

With the 5th Generation of Tensor Cores in the GeForce RTX 50 Series delivering 2.5X more AI performance, NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs can execute five complex AI models - covering Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and Multi Frame Generation in a couple of milliseconds. Part of the reason it happens so quickly is the addition of hardware Flip Metering, which shifts frame pacing to the Blackwell display engine - the result is frame rates of up to 4K 240 FPS and higher without stuttering issues. With up to 15 of every 16 pixels generated by AI, the result is up to 8X the performance when compared to native rendering or rasterized performance.

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DLSS Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction are also switching to a new 'Transformer' model, with over double the parameters and four times the compute requirement. This is one of the most exciting aspects of the GeForce RTX 50 Series, as it pushes DLSS into a new realm of image quality and performance. The best part is that it will work on all GeForce RTX GPUs; however, there will be a performance hit compared to running it on an RTX 50 Series GPU. Already available in games, DLSS 4's Transformer model is another DLSS 2.0-like moment for the technology, and the results speak for themselves.

Even better, DLSS 4 is integrated into the NVIDIA App with a new 'DLSS Override' feature that allows users to experience the latest tech without waiting for a path or game update. DLSS 4 is built to be backward compatible, with 75 games and apps supported (so far).

It doesn't stop there, as the new AI Management Processor (AMP) allows AI models to share the GPU with graphics workloads. As a result, expect to see digital humans in games alongside AI assistants like NVIDIA's Project G-Assist becoming more prevalent in the coming years. This filters down to the creator side, with AI assistants for streamers, who will also benefit from the GeForce RTX 50 Series' expanded creator features.

RTX Blackwell introduces 4:2:2 chroma-sampled video encoding and decoding. The ninth-generation NVENC encoder also improves AV1 and HEVC quality. RTX Blackwell is a game changer for creators and editors, especially with the new low-voltage and cutting-edge GDDR7 memory that dramatically improves memory bandwidth and speed.

Specs and Test System

Specifications

Here's a look at the specs for the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti compared to the previous generation's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, as well as the GeForce RTX 5080 and GeForce RTX 4080.

The new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is built using a cutdown version of the same GB203 chip used in the GeForce RTX 5080, which probably explains why it's such a great card to overclock. However, when you look at the specs compared to the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER refresh from 2024, you wouldn't think that it's a card that delivers performance on par with and slightly ahead of the GeForce RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 SUPER combo.

Especially when we're looking at RTX Blackwell architecture built on a similar custom TSMC 4N process as the GeForce RTX 40 Series, and the fact that the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti only includes 6% more CUDA Cores, Tensor Cores, and RT Cores than the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. Throw some overclocking on the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio, and it's enough for it to be up to 20% faster than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER for 4K gaming - covering a wide range of titles with and without ray-tracing.

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Not seeing a process node shrink is unusual, and it means that NVIDIA cannot lean on more efficient and smaller silicon to boost performance over the previous generation. Odds are that the eventual GeForce RTX 60 Series will arrive on a smaller custom 3nm or even 2nm node; however, the smaller we go, the more expensive it is to develop and manufacture hardware. The RTX Blackwell architecture is not the same as Ada Lovelace in the GeForce RTX 40 Series; it features various optimizations to boost rendering performance and efficiency. Still, it also marks a shift to the AI-powered future. This is true regarding the impressive DLSS 4 and the new AI 'Transformer' model for upscaling or Multi Frame Generation and AI rendering.

RTX Blackwell not only renders beautiful digital environments in real-time, but it can run several AI models simultaneously that could decompress textures and assist in tracing and bouncing rays around a scene for CG-like lighting and effects while also upscaling and generating frames. This is incredible stuff, and it means we'll see more games with more advanced ray tracing and path tracing in 2025. More importantly, it sends a big signal to gamers, enthusiasts, and reviewers alike that there's much more to evaluating a GPU than looking at raw performance or a spec sheet.

Speaking of which, the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio shows an impressive out-of-the-box overclock that delivers not only a boost to raw performance but, with DLSS, closes the gap between the RTX 5070 Ti and the RTX 5080.

Kosta's Test System

Physical Design and Cooling

If you've been a PC gamer for several years, then you're probably aware that MSI's Gaming Trio models represent some of the sleekest and most popular premium designs. With the arrival of the GeForce RTX 50 Series, MSI has completely revamped and overhauled the Gaming Trio look and cooling design - and we have to say that the results are fantastic. This might be the best-looking GPU in MSI's arsenal as it also manages to keep the entry-level Ventus design's slim and more compact form factor as opposed to the chunkier flagship SUPRIM or VANGUARD.

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Okay, so the first thing that stands out is the impressive vent on the rear, which includes a large holographic MSI dragon logo - it's fantastic. On the front, you've got three diagonal LED strips running across the middle, with an MSI badge that lights up on the side. It doesn't stop there, as the RGB strips are contained within a translucent black material that gives the lighting an inviting and cool look. We've seen many GPUs with RGB and lighting over the years, so seeing a design pull it off like this is notable.

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Of course, there's much more to the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio than aesthetics. The TRI FROZR 4 Thermal Design includes the company's new STORMFORCE Fans designed for airflow and minimal noise, a nickel-plated copper baseplate, MSI's square-shaped core pipes, a custom fin-stack design and shape, and a dual BIOS mode for Quiet and Gaming mode. This comes together to deliver an exceptionally cool GPU, even when overclocked.

The Games and Tests

PC gaming not only covers a wide range of genres and styles, from indie games with simple 2D graphics to massive 3D worlds lit by cutting-edge real-time ray tracing technology. With that, the needs and requirements of each gamer vary. High refresh rates and latency reduction become more important than flashy visuals or playing at the highest resolution possible for those who live and breathe fast-paced competitive games. For those who want to live in a cinematic world and become a key player in an expansive narrative, ray-tracing and high-fidelity visuals are a stepping stone toward immersion.

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Our chosen benchmarks cover various games, engines, APIs, and technologies. For the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, all tests are run at 4K and 1440p and include results for performance-boosting Super Resolution technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 4 - including Frame Generation and the new Multi Frame Generation. In many ways, DLSS numbers are more important in 2025 than native rendering - a title with ray tracing isn't meant to be played without Super Resolution. Also, DLSS technologies like Ray Reconstruction and the new RTX Mega Geometry dramatically improve visual fidelity and detail compared to native rendering. However, our benchmark results are still sorted using 'raw performance' or native rendering.

Here's the breakdown of games, settings, and what's being tested.

Games and Settings Benchmarked

Path Tracing Games and Settings Benchmarked

Gaming Performance Analysis

Average Gaming Performance - 4K Results

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With its generous out-of-the-box overclock, the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio's 4K performance is slightly above the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER while being 5% faster than the GeForce RTX 4080. This is an excellent result because it also means that it's 30% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and 20% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The 4070 Ti and 4070 Ti SUPER are capable 4K GPUs, however, when it came to ray-tracing, they excelled at 1440p. Seeing the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio get within 13% of the GeForce RTX 5080's performance, on average, means that it comes into its own when playing games in 4K.

This is a resolution where you will enable DLSS Super Resolution, especially in titles supported by the new DLSS 4 AI 'Transformer' model that delivers incredible image clarity - alongside boosting performance. With DLSS, the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio, on average, becomes a triple-digit 4K gaming GPU - an impressive achievement. There are titles like Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077, and Black Myth: Wukong that require DLSS to hit 60 FPS, but sitting in that comfortable 75-100 FPS range is often the norm when it comes to pairing the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio with the DLSS 'Quality' preset.

DLSS's continuing evolution and improvement make native rendering a vital metric but not real-world performance. It remains vital because it serves as the baseline for DLSS to do its magic; however, when it comes to titles with DLSS 4 support, they look better and run faster on a GeForce RTX GPU. DLSS 4's new AI model for Super Resolution is more complex than ever, so it runs faster on more modern GeForce RTX GPUs with more advanced Tensor Cores. The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is twice as fast as the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti for intensive 2025 4K gaming workloads, but it's also better equipped for running the latest version of DLSS.

AMD's RDNA 3 flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT GPUs outperform the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti in a few titles. This list includes Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Cyberpunk 2077 without ray-tracing, and Total War: Warhammer III. Looking at the Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077 charts, you might think, "Okay, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins this battle," but DLSS's superior image quality, compared to FSR, changes the story. This puts pressure on AMD to deliver with its new AI-powered FSR 4 update, which will arrive alongside the first RDNA 4 GPUs next month.

Average Gaming Performance - 1440p Results

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Heading into this review, we assumed that 1440p would be the resolution at which the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti makes sense or the in-between 1440p and 4K limbo zone where Ultrawide displays live. Make no mistake: the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is a fantastic 1440p gaming GPU, a resolution where it performs virtually identically to the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER.

However, as it's now a GPU in the 4K performance class, its lead over the previous generation's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti drops to 19%, with its lead over the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER dropping to 15%. With MSI's generous out-of-the-box OC action, it's also within 10% of the GeForce RTX 5080 at this resolution.

AMD's RDNA 3 GPUs still fall behind at this resolution, too, because the RT performance of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is notably better than even the flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX - which is a decent card for ray-tracing. RTX Blackwell is a massive improvement for those with a GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU. Even with diminishing returns compared to 4K gaming, the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is 77% faster than the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 48% faster than the GeForce RTX 3080.

Benchmarks - 3DMark Synthetic Tests

3DMark offers a suite of synthetic benchmarks built to test GPUs in various scenarios. 3DMark Steel Nomad is a cutting-edge DirectX 12 benchmark with newer, modern rendering techniques designed to push GPUs to their limit. The 'Light' version tests at 1440p, while the main Steel Nomad benchmark tests pure native 4K rendering. Port Royal is a benchmark focusing exclusively on real-time ray tracing for lighting effects like reflections, shadows, and more.

As the successor to the popular Time Spy benchmark, the Steel Nomad and Steel Nomad Light results we see from the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio line up with our in-game benchmark results - more or less. Performance is roughly on par with the GeForce RTX 4080 and the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER refresh, with a decent generational uplift over the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and the Ampere generation's GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Seeing AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XTX included in the mix is no surprise, as both the 1440p and 4K Steel Nomad benchmarks do not include or test real-time ray-tracing. In many ways, it reminds us of Horizon Forbidden West, a game we include in our benchmark suite as it's one of the best-looking non-ray-tracing PC titles you can play.

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3DMark Port Royal is pure ray-tracing, and here, the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio delivers a score around 7% higher than the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. This is a little higher than what we see in games with heavy doses of ray-tracing like Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, and Hogwarts Legacy, where the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio still performs roughly on par with the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. Most of the card's biggest gains over the RTX 4080 SUPER come via titles without ray-tracing.

Benchmarks - 4K Gaming

Benchmarks - 1440p Gaming

DLSS 4, Frame Generation, and the new Multi-Frame Generation

DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation are impressive bits of technology, thanks mainly to the overall improvements to performance and latency on the Frame Generation side and the new 'Transformer' model for Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction. We used the DLSS 'Quality' mode preset for these benchmarks, often delivering better-than-native image quality.

We've talked about DLSS 4 extensively in this review and other GeForce RTX 50 Serries reviews that we've posted in recent weeks, and if you've given the new DLSS 4 Super Resolution a spin, you'll understand why. Even when playing games in 1440p, using the latest 'Transformer' model for Super Resolution is the definition of free performance. Not only that but if you're happy with native performance, NVIDIA's AI-powered DLAA offers the absolute pinnacle of image quality. In titles with ray-tracing, which covers three of the four you see above, you could argue that DLSS 4's Balanced preset offers better-than-native image quality on account of the updated Ray Reconstruction denoiser. The results here were all captured using the 'Quality' preset.

The only DLSS 4 feature exclusive to the new GeForce RTX 50 Series is the new Multi Frame Generation, which uses RTX Blackwell's enhanced hardware-based AI scheduling and 'Flip Metering' to ensure that AI-generated frames are presented with the exact timing and don't devolve into a jittery or stuttering mess. Building on the Frame Generation introduced with the GeForce RTX 40 Series, the AI model for Frame Gen has also been updated to boost its overall performance and reduce the VRAM footprint.

With the correct settings, Multi Frame Generation is an excellent addition to the DLSS suite of technologies, allowing you to take full advantage of high-refresh-rate displays pushing 200+ FPS at 1440p and 4K. The image quality isn't perfect, but you'd be hard-pressed to notice artifacts in most situations; with the overall smoothness and motion clarity, it can be a game changer in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. So, the trade-off is worth it.

Multi Frame Generation or MFG is not a magic wand that can turn a game running at 20 FPS into a smooth 100 FPS experience; it requires a solid input with DLSS Super Resolution rendering at least 60 FPS or 70 or 80 FPS. This is enough to push performance into the 150-200 FPS territory without adding a lot of latency.

Path Tracing Performance - 1440p

Path Tracing, or Full Ray Tracing, arrived with the GeForce RTX 40 Series and DLSS 3 and is leveling up with the GeForce RTX 50 Series and DLSS 4. It's only possible thanks to AI technologies like DLSS Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction, and RTX Neural Shader technology like RTX Mega Geometry. It's designed specifically for these technologies, and we're only including native or rasterized performance to highlight just how intensive it is on a GPU as powerful as the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. In fact, outside of the massive increase in performance, these games also look notably worse without DLSS 4.

One of the most exciting aspects of playing around with a new enthusiast-class GPU like the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is that you can dial up the visual settings in games to fully immerse yourself in absolutely stunning digital worlds. Regarding visuals, Full Ray Tracing or Path Tracing is cutting edge. Alan Wake 2 is an excellent example because it's a game that includes DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation support and incorporates the brand-new RTX Mega Geometry tech into the game to boost performance. With the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, this is the first time we're seeing this level of Path Tracing performance in a sub-$1000 GPU, which is exciting because it means more gamers will be able to experience the difference it brings.

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Of the five titles we've tested here, only Black Myth: Wukong and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle don't include DLSS 4 support - the latter got its DLSS 4 update after we ran our benchmarks. And it's something we can't wait to see because the difference DLSS 4 and Ray Reconstruction brings to the Path Tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws is jaw-dropping. Not to mention the extra performance, smoothness, and motion clarity you get from Multi Frame Generation.

Temperature and Power Efficiency

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The good news is that the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is a card you can run with the out-of-the-box or manual overclock without worrying about increasing voltages or boosting the power draw. As a GPU built for overclocking, it does ship with a 3 x 8-pin to 1 16-pin adapter as opposed to the 2 x 8-pin adapter of the MSI's MSRP Ventus 3X model - which should mean more stable or consistent power when pushing close to or slightly above the 300W TGP rating. The choice is yours, but we were blown away by the thermal performance and the overall silent nature of the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio - even when adding +200 MHz to the boost clock speed, the GPU's temperature barely hit 60 degrees Celsius with a modest fan curve.

Final Thoughts

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio is an excellent option for 4K gaming and a total beast for 1440p, which includes cutting-edge Path Tracing and Full Ray Tracing with DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation. With its out-of-the-box overclock, you're looking at performance on par with the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. Spend a minute, or less, to boost both the memory speed and the clock speed a little higher (+200 or +300 MHz), and then the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio immediately surpasses the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in most tests while closing the gap between it and the GeForce RTX 5080.

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MSI's new Gaming Trio design is impressive and more compact than the previous generation. The aesthetics are downright fantastic, from the holographic dragon logo to the RGB light strips glowing in darkened transparent windows running across the GPU. It ticks so many boxes that it's easily one of the most impressive GeForce RTX 50 Series GPU releases we've seen, alongside being our absolute favorite GeForce RTX 5070 Ti design (so far). The only problem is that it's a premium model, so it won't be available for the $749 USD MSRP - the launch price is $879.99 USD. With the increased demand for RTX 50 Series GPUs, it might be one of those 'wait before you buy' deals.

Either way, the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti has proved itself as a worthy successor to the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti while giving those with GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs like the GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti, and RTX 3080 an upgrade option that will deliver some genuinely massive performance improvements - not to mention access to stuff like Frame Generation. Even the promise of better DLSS 4 performance is enough to push it over the edge on that decision to upgrade. The latest evolution of NVIDIA's AI suite of game-enhancing technologies is the real deal, so when you've got a GPU that performs this well - DLSS 4 feels essential.