Review and test of the video card MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X | Video Cards | Reviews

A monster of graphic performance! The MSI Suprim X is a series of gaming graphics cards that are now the top end of the manufacturer, displacing the Gaming X Trio from the pedestal. We decided to take a closer look at its older representative – RTX 3090. My review will tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of this video card.

MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X Video Outputs

Three 8-pin auxiliary power connectors

GPU-Z

Until recently, the Gaming X Trio line was the oldest among MSI graphics cards. In recent years, there have also been occasional faster models called Lightning Z, which, thanks to carefully selected components and various improvements, offered higher performance. However, now MSI has introduced a new line of Suprim X, which is now considered the highest-level – it includes custom versions of the RTX 3070, 3080 3090. At the same time, the Gaming X Trio models did not disappear, but simply were shifted from the pedestal with the new Suprim X products, which for higher TDP limits in BIOS offer better performance.

Today we are testing the top-end RTX 3090 from MSI’s new lineup. Immediately, we note that the length of the video card is as much as 34 centimeters and it will not fit into every case. The weight is also considerable – 1.7 kg -, which is why the kit includes a stand that prevents the video card from sagging. Without it, there is a high probability of damaging the PCIe slot, but you can install the accelerator vertically by connecting it through a riser, and then there will be no such problem. The cooling system is massive here, because the video card takes up three slots.

The build quality of the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is excellent, it looks and feels like a premium segment. The backplate and the plate covering the cooling system are made of aluminum, although the latter has decorative plastic inserts. They do not spoil the overall impression of the design. As many as 7 heat pipes are installed in the radiators – the TDP reaches 420 W, therefore the heating from the components must be removed quickly and efficiently. There is also RGB lighting here, which looks really nice during operation, which is why the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X literally needs a case with a glass side panel.

As mentioned above, the power consumption limitation of the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is written at 420 W in the BIOS, which means that there are three 8-pin power connectors here for a reason. There are four video outputs: one HDMI 2.1 with support for 8K @ 60 Hz (4K @ 120 Hz) and three DisplayPort 1.4a.

Specifications MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X and other Nvidia graphics cards

Test build with AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

For the test build, we chose the Asus X570 ROG Crosshair VIII motherboard. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X processor was chosen for its high performance, and for its cooling we chose the 280mm Alphacool Eisbaer LSS. The amount of RAM was 32 GB – Corsair trims with a frequency of 4000 MHz. Acer Predator XB321HK with 4K resolution was used as a monitor. We would like to thank AMD and Corsair for the components provided for the test assembly.

All components of the test build:

• Корпус Corsair Carbide Air 540 ATX Cube
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X processor
• MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X Graphics Card (Nvidia Driver 457.30)
• Asus X570 ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi motherboard (BIOS 2402, default settings, XMP 1 – DDR4 4000)
• Corsair RM1000X 1000W Power Supply
• ОЗУ Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 4000 2x 16 ГБ
• SSD Corsair MP600 2 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 (for system)
• HDD Crucial MX500 2TB (for game storage)

GPU and video memory frequency
The base frequency of the GPU of the video card is the same as that of the Nvidia reference card. However, the maximum frequency is noticeably higher than that of the latter – 1860 MHz. In addition, overclocking mode can be activated in MSI Dragon Center application, which will enable the GPU to operate at an increased frequency of 1875 MHz. Nevertheless, we performed all tests in this review without this mode. The volume and type of video memory are exactly the same as in the reference model, therefore its bandwidth is the same.

Benchmarks

According to the benchmarks, the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT are almost on a par. The gap from the younger GeForce RTX 3080 is noticeable and increases at higher resolutions. The difference with the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti reaches 40% – 50%; The Nvidia Titan RTX, which is based on the same GPU as the RTX 2080 Ti, also lags quite a bit behind.

Due to the higher power consumption limit and more efficient cooling system, the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X should be more powerful than the corresponding Nvidia Founders Edition. However, we have not tested the reference model, so we cannot say for sure.

Games

The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X copes well with any games, with the exception of single projects where the frame counter drops below 60 fps in 4K (the same Cyberpunk 2077). But even in such cases, the gameplay is smooth, there will be no slideshow.

In terms of gaming performance, the RTX 3090 stands out from the GeForce RTX 3080, but the difference is noticeable only at high resolutions. Besides, in games the difference with AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is more noticeable than in benchmarks. For the most part, AMD’s Radeon RX 6800 XT lags behind, but still its level is more than decent.

To test long-term performance, we launched The Witcher 3 (Ultra). The frequency varies somewhat (it is higher in the first third of the graph), the frame time is fine (there were sharp jumps several times, but nothing more). Subjectively, the gameplay was smooth the whole time. The average frequency was 168 fps; for comparison, the recently tested Asus GeForce RTX 3080 ROG Strix Gaming OC had 139 fps.

(Witcher 3, Ultra, long test frame rate Witcher) (3, Ultra, frame time)

Professional applications

The performance of the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X in LuxMark and ComputeMark is slightly higher than that of the GeForce RTX 3080. Nevertheless, the GeForce RTX 3090 is clearly inferior to the AMD RX 6800 XT in LuxMark Sala. This is explained by the fact that each architecture has its own advantages and disadvantages that affect the result in certain benchmarks. In addition, driver optimization is of paramount importance. As the SPECviewperf benchmark, which is used to test workstations, shows, the Quadro and FirePro models still perform better in specialized tasks.

Noise and heat

It seems to us that even just looking at the GeForce RTX 3090, you can already understand that you should not expect miracles of energy efficiency from this video card. In addition, in its custom version, MSI has increased the TDP over the reference sample to 420W (+ 70W). Despite such a seemingly wild figure, even in stress tests, the GPU temperature did not exceed 70 ° C, while the case was closed. Such a moderate figure indicates a high efficiency of the cooling system. Three 100mm video fans often do not spin at all – by default, they only activate when the 50 ° C mark is exceeded. Accordingly, without load, the video card works silently, and if you have good airflow in the case, then at moderate loads they will not have to turn on either. Under load on the video card, the noise level of the systems at a distance of 20 centimeters from the case (at the height of the installed video card) was 36.1 dB (A). The idle noise level was 35.1 dB (A).

MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X heats up during stress test

As expected, the power consumption is high. It should be borne in mind that we provide measurements of the entire system (including 120 mm fans). In idle state, consumption was 106 watts, while under load and in games it reached 597 watts. If, in the settings of the video card, you raise the limit to the declared 450 W, then the system consumption will exceed 600 W in games. So far, the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X has the highest consumption among all the video cards we have ever tested.

If you are going to purchase the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X, then you definitely need to make sure that the rated power of your PSU is not less than the 850W recommended by Nvidia.

Video of one blogger about tests and reviews of MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X

pros
+ good 4K performance
+ modern architecture, 8nm process technology
+ DLSS and ray tracing support
+24 GB VRAM
+ relatively quiet and not hot under load (Silent BIOS)
+36 months warranty
+ beautiful RGB lighting
+ fans are switched off at no load
+ no choke whistle
Minuses
-very large in length, does not fit into all cases
-very high power consumption

Verdict – High power consumption in exchange for maximum power.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is the most powerful gaming graphics card available today. The modified version from MSI – GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X – demonstrated excellent gaming performance. We were also pleased with the Suprim X’s superior build quality and materials. However, buyers should understand that top-end performance comes at a price – in this case, high power consumption. In our tests, the system itself (without a monitor) required more than 600 watts during operation under load! The main advantage of the GeForce RTX 3090, along with performance, is the large amount of video memory – 24 GB. For comparison, the GeForce RTX 3080 has two times less of it, which may become a problem in the future. For comparison, AMD decided not to repeat Nvidia’s mistakes, because its RX 6000 accelerators have 16 GB of video memory.

In terms of performance, the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X clearly outperforms the GeForce RTX 3080 and the Radeon RX 6800 XT, which comes next. Accordingly, the real threat to Nvidia is the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, but unfortunately we have not been able to test it yet. Nvidia’s main strengths today are ray tracing and DLSS support. AMD also introduced tracing support in Big Navi, but its graphics cards are far behind in terms of performance.

GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is the new top-end gaming graphics card from MSI. It requires a lot of power and provides excellent performance, but can run into processor at standard and low resolutions
Unfortunately, the situation on the market is not at all in favor of buyers, so you will not only have to try to find this card on sale, but also pay a large sum for it. MSI’s recommended price for the GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is 1,649 euros, but real prices currently hover around $ 4,000 or more.

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