Introduction
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB model was announced at the same time as the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB model, however, the 16GB model was available two months after the 8GB version was released way back in the summer of 2023. The 8GB and 16GB GeForce RTX 4060 Ti are identical, save for the difference in VRAM capacity, and of course, pricing, doubling the VRAM isn’t free, and you are going to pay for it. At the time, 16GB models trickled out, but now in 2024, there are many 16GB GeForce RTX 4060 Ti options available. 
Today we are going to review MSI’s latest offering, the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G video card, and compare it versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB. Our focus today is on gameplay, and “what’s playable” on a GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB graphics card. We will test it at 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K. We will test each game at 1440p showing the full range of upscaling performance from Quality to Performance DLSS, and even Frame Generation. Our goal today is to find out how playable the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G is at games, and what kind of gameplay experience you will be able to achieve with it.
A quick brief about the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, there are two variants of it, the 8GB model and the 16GB model, and other than the two VRAM capacities, the reference specs are the same. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is geared for the 1080p gameplay experience and the 8GB model has an MSRP of $399 while the 16GB model has an MSRP of $499. 
The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti utilizes 3 Graphics Processing Clusters, 17 Texture Processing Clusters, and 34 Streaming Multiprocessors. It has 4,352 CUDA Cores, 136 Texture Units, 48 ROPs, 136 (4th Gen) Tensor Cores, and 34 (3rd Gen) RT Cores. It has a Base Clock of 2310MHz and a Boost Clock of 2535MHz. Memory consists of GDDR6 at 18GHz on a 128-bit memory bus. This provides 288GB/s of actual memory bandwidth. It has 32MB of L2 cache. The TGP is 160W for this video card, but the average gaming Wattage is 140W.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G
MSI has several series of video cards from its LIGHTNING series, SUPRIM series, and GAMING series to its VENTUS series and others. Today we are looking at its GAMING series line, and specifically its SLIM variant of that series. if you select its GeForce RTX 4060 Ti models, you will find four distinct GAMING models that MSI offers in the US, with the GAMING X 8G, GAMING X TRIO 8G, GAMING X 16G, and GAMING X SLIM 16G and GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G. 
Two of those models are 8GB models, while the GAMING X 16G, GAMING X SLIM, and WHITE 16G are 16GB models of the 4060 Ti. Today we are looking at the unique GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G version, so it is the SLIM model but in an all-white aesthetic.
What makes the MSI RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM …SLIM? Well, it is the size, as the name literally applies, this version of MSI’s 4060 Ti has a slimmer package. For example, if you compare it to the MSI RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X TRIO, we find the GAMING X TRIO measures 338x141x52mm (13.3″x5.5″x2″ inches) while the GAMING X SLIM WHITE measures 307x125x46mm (12″x4.9″x1.8″ inches) while both still have a triple-fan cooling design. The GAMING X SLIM WHITE also weighs less at 919g (2 lbs) compared to the GAMING X TRIO at 1167g (2.5 lbs).
The MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G has 3x DisplayPort v1.4a and 1x HDMI outputs. It requires 1x 8-pin PCIe Power Connector, so this is a standard PCIe power connector design and MSI recommends a 550W PSU while the Power Consumption is rated at 165W.
Due to the fact that the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE is a “GAMING X” model, it carries the highest factory overclock for MSI’s GeForce RTX 4060 Ti lineup. Its factory overclock is even higher than the GAMING X non-SLIM model and matches the GAMING X TRIO’s factory overclock. The MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE has a factory overclocked boost clock of 2670MHz and an Extreme Performance selection in MSI Center that boosts that to 2685MHz. For comparison, the reference spec on the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is 2535MHz, so out of the box you get a 5% clock boost in a slimmer profile video card.
The MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GAMING X SLIM WHITE 16G uses MSI’s TRI FROZR 3 thermal design with TORX FAN 5.0, Core Pipe, and Airflow Control. TORX FAN 5.0 increases air pressure by using ring arcs that link three sets of fan blades that tilt 22 degrees which increases airflow compared to axial fans. The heatsink uses a solid nickel-plated baseplate with Core Pipe with a squared section of heat pipes that fully touch the GPU baseplate and spread the heat along the heatsink. 
With Airflow Control MSI uses Wave Curved 2.0 air deflectors designed to direct airflow through the heatsink more quietly. There is also a large airflow vent through the backplate to exhaust air directly through. The fans support ZERO FROZR which stops them at lower temperatures. The power stages are DrMOS for better efficiency with low power loss and enhanced voltage controls There is an abundance of clay-based thermal pads for board components. Additional fuses are built-in to provide safeguards for electrical damage.
MSI includes an all-white support bracket in the SLIM WHITE version, to provide additional graphics card reinforcement. This attention to detail is nice to match the white aesthetic. You will also find some RGB atop the video card, and you can control functions in MSI Center and MSI Afterburner.