MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X review: Nvidia GPU at a strange price

MSI RTX 3090 Supreme X it’s a gigantic graphics card with impressive PC gaming capabilities, and its performance will delight enthusiasts of all levels. It’s not the top of the GPU food chain, as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti currently sits at the top of the teraflop totem pole. However, this custom version of the team’s green premium plate packs a ton of power into a heat-resistant package.

Unfortunately, MSI’s high-end Nvidia GPU has a particular price problem. For whatever reason, you can get a better graphics card, the RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X, for less money, which calls into question the relevance of the GPU.

The graphics card scene is currently in a quandary, and it’s safe to say that the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X is a victim of circumstance. Prices have just returned to normal after a long period of exhaustion, but that does not reflect the same drop that is usually seen around the corner after the launch of the next generation of RTX 4000. It also competes with rivals from Asus , EVGA, Gigabyte, Zotac and, as mentioned, itself.

Price issues aside, the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X is still a powerhouse that gobbles up the best PC games for breakfast. This graphics card wants to be served with a sausage card with ray tracing, ultra settings and 4K resolution, and you won’t even have to manually increase the frame rate to make this Kaiju GPU delight.

Specifications MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X

Like other factory overclocked graphics cards, the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X has a higher clock limit. It still has a base clock of 1395 MHz, but it tops out at 1860 MHz when it comes to fighting.

Naturally, this means that the RTX 3090 Suprim X is faster than Nvidia’s 1695 MHz reference card. Technically, you can trade with the RTX 3090 Ti in terms of clock speed, although it’s still not powerful enough to compete with its Suprim X sibling.

Equipped with 24GB of GDDR6X video memory, even the most demanding games won’t be able to gobble up the available memory. However, it certainly helps when it comes to higher resolutions and ray tracing, and having more than enough should help keep the card secure for a few years to come.

MSI RTX 3090 Suppress X Design

I’ve made some jokes about the size of the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X before, but it’s by far the largest GPU I’ve ever used. With a massive brushed metal shroud and Tri Frozr S2 cooling system, this board doesn’t even remotely care about taking up space on a gaming PC. It’s narrow inside, almost like an inverted Tardis effect.

That’s not to say I don’t like the tall and powerful stature of the RTX 3090 Surprim X, as its large body is packed with glacial features. MSI is clearly serious about cooling its behemoth GeForce, as its package includes a triple threat of Torx 4.0 fans, a dedicated memory module heat pipe array, a solid nickel-plated copper GPU motherboard, and extra cores. .

Make no mistake, the RTX 3090 is an incredibly attractive model, and all that extra weight from the Suprim X plays a huge role in overclocking performance. That is why the installation of the Suprim X does not seem too complicated in combination with a GPU, since the idle temperatures can reach 38°C. Under load, the card rarely reaches temperatures above 70°C, and the fact that its rear panel looks like a frying pan indicates its ability to move heat.

The RTX 3090 Suprim X isn’t all about business either, as it sports an impressive array of RGB lights on the front. I’m not entirely sure that every part of the PC should be covered in LEDs, but the colored strip and illuminated MSI logo look exactly like this, and I’ll miss the light show it puts on when it comes out of my case.

Instead of using a single 12-pin cable, you connect the RTX 3090 Suprim X to power using three 8-pin connectors. This means you have to go to the effort of managing cables, and using the cheaper cables that come with your power supply can ruin the look of the GPU.

MSI RTX 3090 Suppress X Performance

Every powerful GPU has a performance ceiling, but Suprim X takes a lot of effort to lower it. This RTX 3090 variant handles the most hardcore PC gaming experiences, even notoriously opinionated builds like Cyberpunk 2077. In fact, the card handles CD Projekt Red’s RPG with ray tracing presets enabled, but it’ll still have to have enhancement tools like Nvidia DLSS to support 4K 60fps.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a bit boring because it’s still not quite the streamlined experience it should be on PC. Perhaps that’s why the RTX 3090 Ti exists in the first place, as the Suprim X, with its more powerful Ampere GPU, can output a few more frames and save enthusiasts the hassle of tweaking settings.

Of course, if you’re that concerned about frame rates, you’re probably waiting for the RTX 4090 anyway, but I’d still class the RTX 3090 Suprim X as a current-gen spectacle, especially when it comes to 4K. . . Sure, you’ll see a metaphorical sweat when it comes to ray tracing and ultra settings, but running Hitman 3 with absolutely everything on is a lot like Tobey McGuire stopping a train in Spider-Man 2, but it’s still impressive.

Performance is good here and now, but future heavyweight releases could test the RTX 3090 Suprim, especially if newer mid-range cards have a similar advantage. While I sadly can’t go back in time and see how it handles Starfield or Elder Scrolls VI, playing the Metal: Hellsinger demo gave me some confidence when it comes to performance in the near future.

For context, I previously had to go back to 1440p to play Metal: Hellsinger with higher settings enabled on the MSI RTX 3070 Ventus 2x. By comparison, the RTX 3090 Suprim X turns the best gaming monitor into a 4K portal to hell with frame rates reaching 80fps. I’m not saying I’m surprised that an Ethiast card can outperform its mid-range rivals, but this comparison shows that it’s worth making the jump to the current generation at the right price.

MSI RTX 3090 Suppress X Price

It would be easy to praise the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X GPU if it weren’t for the price cry at the end of the chorus. It appears that this particular model hasn’t gotten the GPU price reduction notice, as sites like Amazon still list it for a whopping $1,690. Even stranger, the RTX 3090 Ti version of the same card is currently available for $1,199.99. What’s that? Do you have a migraine now? Me too.

All things considered, the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X is a monster graphics card that shows what Nvidia Ampere technology can do. Lovelace’s next-gen leaders may be on the verge of surpassing current-gen status, but custom cards like the Suprim X could theoretically still be a cheaper alternative to the RTX 4000.

Unfortunately, now probably isn’t the right time to drop your gaming PC pennies on an RTX 3090 Suprim X. Whether now would be a good time to get a powerful GPU remains to be seen, but it all depends on whether the tiered inventory will keep up. . . . If you don’t want to wait for the RTX 4090 to arrive, I’d suggest checking out the MSI RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X because the package is cheaper, includes a more powerful GPU, and everything else that makes the RTX 3090 model worth it. abroad.