Talha Amjad
All graphics cards based on Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 4090 GPU are expensive, but most manufacturers still offer multiple tiers of the card. MSI’s RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 24G is a tier below the most premium cards like MSI’s own Suprim X or the Gigabyte Aorus Master but is also priced closer to MSRP.
In addition, there’s a Gaming X and a Gaming (non-X) variant. The Gaming X uses the same cooler as the non-X but comes with a 3% factory overclock and is slightly more expensive. Some of the key competitors include the Gigabyte RTX 4090 Windforce and ASUS TUF RTX 4090.
Specifications
| Specifications | Nvidia RTX 4090 Founders Edition | MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X | Asus TUF RTX 4090 OC | Gigabyte Gaming RTX 4090 OC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU | AD102 | AD102 | AD102 | AD102 |
| Shading Units | 16384 | 16384 | 16384 | 16384 |
| GPU Clock: Base/Boost | 2235 MHz / 2520 MHz | 2235 MHz / 2610 MHz | 2235 MHz / 2565 MHz | 2235 MHz / 2535 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 82.58 TFLOPS | 85.52 TFLOPS | 84.05 TFLOPS | 83.07 TFLOPS |
| Dual BIOS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory Configuration | 24 GB GDDR6X | 24 GB GDDR6X | 24 GB GDDR6X | 24 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Clock (Effective) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps) |
| Memory Bandwidth (Bus Width) | 1,008 GB/s (384-bit) | 1,008 GB/s (384-bit) | 1,008 GB/s (384-bit) | 1,008 GB/s (384-bit) |
| Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 2x HDMI 2.1 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
| TDP | 450 Watt | 450 Watt | 450 Watt | 450 Watt |
| Recommended Power Supply | 850 Watt | 850 Watt | 850 Watt | 1000 Watt |
| PCIe Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 16-pin | 1x 16-pin | 1x 16-pin |
| Slots | 3.1-Slot | 3.2-Slot | 3.65-Slot | 3.7-Slot |
| Dimensions (Length/Width/Height) | 304 mm (12 in) 137 mm (5.4 in) 61 mm (2.4 in) | 337 mm (13.3 in) 140 mm (5.5 in) 77 mm (3 in) | 348 mm (13.7 in) 160 mm (6.3 in) 73 mm (2.9 in) | 340 mm (13.4 in) 150 mm (5.9 in) 75 mm (3 in) |
The MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 24G might not be the top-tier variant, but it still uses the same high-end GPU with 16384 CUDA Cores, 512 Tensor cores, and 128 RT cores. The card can boost to 2595 MHz in gaming and silent modes, but you can enable the ‘extreme performance mode’ in the MSI center and have the card boost to 2610 MHz.
VRAM configurations remain unchanged on all cards using this GPU, meaning that the graphics card features 24GB of GDDR6X memory that runs at 21 Gbps via a 384-bit memory bus.
For video output, you get a single HDMI 2.1a port and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports, which is in line with the Founders Edition reference model but an HDMI port less than the Asus cards. MSI has also left the TDP and power supply (PSU) recommendations at the default 450W TDP and an 850W minimum PSU recommendation. You will need a single 16-pin power connector to power the card.
Cooler Design
Like other demanding high-end cards, the MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 24G is a large graphics card with a triple-fan cooling solution. MSI uses the TRI FROZR 3 cooler with Torx fans, similar to the one seen on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX Gaming Trio. Three sets of fan blades are linked together with ring arcs that tilt at 22 degrees to maintain high pressure and increase airflow. MSI claims that this increases airflow by 23%.
A nickel-plated copper baseplate is used to dissipate heat from the GPU and the memory. The card also has a backplate with cutouts to increase heat dissipation and airflow and add some stability. It is worth mentioning that, unlike many other RTX 4090 variants, MSI has chosen not to go with a vapor chamber for the Gaming X Trio.
RGB lighting is fairly minimalistic. There are some RGB lighting zones that run across the shroud, and the MSI logo lights up as well. These effects can be customized in the MSI center software if you want to sync the lighting of your card with the rest of your PC parts.
MSI has also included a BIOS switch which you can use to switch between gaming mode and silent mode. This will tweak the fan curves and alter the speed and noise of the fans. Since this is a mid-tier variant, MSI has used plastic rather than metal for the fan shroud.
Reviews
The Gaming X Trio’s cooler is still more powerful than that on the NVIDIA Founders Edition, by around 5°C.
Hardware Unboxed:
