Introduction
On our testbench, today is not the most expensive, nor the most enthusiast spec’d video card. Sometimes it is ok to take the more affordable route and get the lower-tiered SKU in a product lineup. As long as the GPU is the same, you don’t always have to get the most high-end product in the stack from a manufacturer. It saves you a whole lot of money to get the base-SKU, and still enjoy all the benefits and performance of the same GPU and have a custom video card. Such is the case in today’s review. We are taking a look at MSI’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC video card.
In MSI’s product lineup for GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU-based video cards, the VENTUS 3X 12G sits as the base SKU in the product stack. It, therefore, costs the least among the other GeForce RTX 3080 Ti MSI offers, like the GAMING X TRIO and SUPRIM X 12G, which sit above the VENTUS in factory overclock, design and price. But the VENTUS has a lot to offer too, and in this review, we are going to explore how this custom-cooled design from MSI is still a great option providing GeForce RTX 3080 Ti performance. We will overclock it and put it to the test.
GPU Specs
Let us go over the base specs on the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has an MSRP of $1,199 and was launched in June of 2021. It is based on SAMSUNG 8nm manufacturing process and NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture. The GPU is based on GA102-225 and has 10,240 CUDA Cores, 112 ROPs, 320 TMUs, 80 Ray Tracing Cores (2nd Gen), and 320 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen). It runs at a Boost Clock of 1665MHz with 12GB of GDDR6X memory at 19GHz on a 384-bit memory bus providing 912GB/s bandwidth. TDP is 350W.
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC
Firstly, there are two VENTUS cards that MSI offers. There is the VENTUS 3X 12G and VENTUS 3X 12G OC. Naturally, the “OC” model indicates it has a factory overclock, while the non-OC version does not, but still retains the custom MSI cooling solution. We are reviewing the OC Edition today.
The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC has a factory overclock Boost Clock of 1695MHz, versus the reference clock of 1665MHz. Therefore, it has a 30MHz higher clock speed, overall, it is not huge, so do not expect huge gains over a reference spec card, but you should see a couple of percent faster performance. If you want a higher factory overclock that is where the GAMING X TRIO and SUPRIM cards come into play, but this card can also overclock manually, which we will do.
VENTUS brings a performance-focused design that maintains the essentials to accomplish any task at hand. A capable triple fan arrangement laid into a rigid industrial design lets this sharp looking graphics card fit into any build.
The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC video card denotes “3X” in the title for its 3 MSI TORX Fan 3.0 design shroud. The fan blades alternate between traditional blades and dispersion blades that focus and accelerate airflow into the heatsink. They also support Zero Frozr technology which stops the fans at low loads and temps. The heatsink uses Core Pipes that are precision-machined for maximum contact over the GPU to spread heat along the full length of the heatsink. Ample thermal pads are used on various board components to transfer heat.
The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC uses a custom PCB design created by MSI to provide greater reliability with beefed-up power circuitry. Along the PCB is an Anti-bending bracket installed to reinforce the video card to keep it from sagging, bending, or twisting. There is also a full brushed aluminum backplate to reinforce the full length of the video card and provide passive cooling by applying thermal pads.
The video card measures 12” inches in length, 4.7” inches in width, and 2.2” inches in height. It has 3x DisplayPort v1.4a and 1x HDMI 2.1 ports. It requires two 8-pin power connectors and the TDP is 350W and MSI recommends a 750W PSU.
This is an RGB-less video card, there is no lighting of any kind. It supports MSI Center and MSI Afterburner for tweaking and overclocking.