MSI RTX 2070 SUPER Gaming X – Review

There MSI RTX 2070 SUPER Gaming X recently arrived at the editorial office, it is currently available on the market at around 630 euros, around 70 euros more than the lowest price at which a RTX 2070 SUPER can generally be found.

It is a product with attention to the smallest details, whose high-end profile emerges as much to the eye as to the touch, thanks to the voluminous Twin Frozr 7 heat sink with double fan, which manages to keep the hot spirits of the TU104 GPU at bay. We are talking about a video card with dimensions of 297 x 143 x 56 mm for a weight of 1421 grams.

The graphics core is equipped with 2560 CUDA cores, which in this case operate at 1605 MHz / 1800 MHz. The boost frequency is therefore 30 MHz higher than the Founders Edition version of the RTX 2070 SUPER. It's not much, MSI expects fans to overclock the card to the limit – even if it isn't necessary at the moment.

Gaming X is equipped with 8 GB of 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory connected on a 256 bit bus. There are also two connectors, one 6-pin and one 8-pin for the power supply. The TDP is 215 watts. In the back here are three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.0b.

Let's return briefly to the heatsink. Like many other MSI cards we find the Twin Frozr 7, equipped with two TorX 3.0 fans that channel the air flow to increase the static pressure through blades of different workmanship.

The card is equipped with a rather generous radiator divided into two parts with curved wave fins that allow you to direct the air flow towards the heatpipes.

Then there are a nickel-plated copper base and copper heat pipes that are more concentrated and closer to the GPU to promote better heat dissipation. Do not miss the Zero Frozr technology, useful for containing noise in low load situations: the fans, below 60 ° C, do not turn.

Complete the whole backplate and RGB Mystic Light, with the inevitable LEDs that allow you to customize colors and effects through the MSI software and synchronize them with other company components.

Test configuration

To know how we test video cards you can read this article. In comparison to MSI's proposal, we have included AMD's Radeon RX 5700 XT, the RTX 2070, the RTX 2080 and the RTX 2080 SUPER. The results of these cards have been obtained with the launch drivers, while those of MSI with the most recent drivers.

Performance

The MSI RTX 2070 SUPER Gaming X performs really well, with performances that sometimes even exceed the RTX 2080, or at least it is very close to it. On the other hand, it is no coincidence that Nvidia chose with the introduction of the RTX 2070 SUPER to retire the RTX 2080 and present the SUPER model. The card is confirmed to be optimal for playing in WQHD (1440p), but as you can see in different games it also allows you to have fun in 4K.

Consumption, temperature and noise

Temperatures and noise are certainly not a problem thanks to the Twin Frozr 7 heatsink, capable of keeping the card always on non-dangerous levels. Consumption is not exactly the lowest, at least under load, but those who buy a card of this rank must know that it goes from about 200 to 250 watts.

Conclusions

The RTX 2070 SUPER certainly has improved Nvidia's proposal compared to last year, offering performance similar to the RTX 2080 but at a lower price. As for the comparison with the RX 5700 XT instead, AMD's proposal is decidedly more interesting as regards the prices, which are considerably lower, compared to not so different performances to change the final experience.

And we say this despite having inserted the reference RX 5700 XT in the graphics, which is no longer with us and therefore we cannot test with the latest drivers. Testing other RX 5700 XT recently, however, we have seen a good performance increase in some titles – not all of them should be said – due to the drivers and therefore the value of the AMD offer is even more interesting. The RTX 2070 SUPER, however, has to play the card of ray tracing support, absent on the AMD front.

Ray tracing has not yet taken hold in an important way, although some interesting titles such as Control, Metro Exodus and BFV implement it. The hope is that things will improve significantly in 2020: the support from the next-gen consoles coming out at the end of next year should give a boost in this regard.

We come however to the card of MSI, impeccably personalized. The problem with this card is the price, which is now identical to that of the Gaming X Trio model, with three fans. In short, if the RTX 2070 SUPER is the card you have chosen and you were looking at Gaming X, then better bet on the Trio at the same price. Otherwise, if ray tracing is not something at the top of your thoughts, the RX 5700 XT is found in various models well below 500 euros.