MSI RTX 3080, Gaming Z Trio and Trio Plus arrive: here’s what changes

MSI has expanded the offering of Nvidia Ampere video cards with models RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G e RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G. Visually identical to the Gaming X Trio and Gaming Trio already presented in recent months, these two new cards seem differentiate for boost frequencies and weight, so much so that it is not clear if these two new versions will coexist with the previous ones or if they will progressively replace them.

Gaming Z Trio and Gaming Trio Plus show up with the same Tri Frozr 2 triple fan heatsink which we already appreciated when reviewing the Gaming X Trio last September, and the dimensions are also the same: 323 x 140 x 56 mm.

The backplate on the RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio

The backplate on the RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio

But there is something different, and more specifically to change is the backplate in the back, that earn holes (or rather of the strips), sees the thickness of the light bar reduce and it would also seem less thick, thus allowing the Z Trio to weigh 1,537 kilograms against the 1,565 kg of the X Trio. Same difference also in the comparison between the Trio Plus (1,537 kg) and the Trio (1,565 kg).

The real change, if we can define it that way, we find it in Boost Clock, with the Z Trio set to 1830 MHz, 15 MHz higher than the X Trio. The newcomer is accompanied by a TGP of 370W, 30W more than the X version. As for the comparison between the Trio Plus and the Trio, there are no changes to report in terms of frequencies or power required. In all four cases, connection to the power supply via three 8-pin PCIe cables. At the moment we have no information on availability and prices.