Introduction
The MSI EXPERT series of graphics cards are unique, offering the iconic NVIDIA “Founders Edition” inspired push/pull front and reverse side fan design seen in previous generations, but with MSI’s own take and flair on that idea. MSI has just launched the GeForce RTX 50 series version of the EXPERT series with the new MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC video card, and in our review today, we’ll dive into performance, overclocking, cooling, and the 4K gaming experience with this $1,299.99 MSRP video card.
We are not new to the MSI EXPERT series; in fact, we’ve reviewed the previous generation GeForce RTX 40 series MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G EXPERT video card last year, and even made a video about it. In MSI’s graphics card lineup, the EXPERT series sits just below the VANGUARD series, and above the GAMING series, in the hierarchy. The EXPERT series offers a push/pull fan configuration in cooling, with a fan on one side and a fan on the other, with an airflow design through the heatsink. MSI has made the aesthetics unique and different enough from NVIDIA, which gives an eloquent and artistic, but also robust and professional design.
MSI’s website describes this design as such: “The EXPERT Series graphics cards embody the elegance of a finely crafted masterpiece. Encased in precision die-cast aluminum alloy, the exterior showcases refined industrial artistry while delivering exceptional structural integrity. With its sleek, purposeful design, the card evokes a sense of modern luxury—elevating it beyond mere hardware. Featuring the advanced Flow Frozr 2 thermal design, it ensures efficient heat dissipation and long-term performance stability.”
In MSI’s EXPERT series for the GeForce RTX 50 Series generation, MSI offers four distinct models, based on two of NVIDIA’s GPUs. The MSI EXPERT is offered in the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and GeForce RTX 5080 GPUs. Within those GPUs, MSI offers the standard EXPERT, which has reference clock speeds, and an OC Edition model, which has a factory overclock. We are reviewing the OC Edition of the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT (G5080-16EC) today, which has an MSI storefront pricing of $1,299.99, which is a price premium over the Founders Edition MSRP of $999.
MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC is a factory overclocked video card, with a GPU Boost clock set at 2715MHz out of the box. At this frequency, the factory overclock is 4% higher than the NVIDIA reference clock of 2617MHz, or 98MHz higher. MSI also offers a toggle inside MSI Center that will boost the frequency higher to 2730MHz with a single button in software. Otherwise, the VRAM configuration is the same as a reference RTX 5080 with 16GB of GDDR7 at 30Gbps, offering 960GB/s of bandwidth. The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC has the same power consumption rating (TDP) of 360W as the reference NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE spec. MSI recommends an 850W PSU.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC comes in a very appropriate white-themed box, with a colorful front graphic, and the OC Edition is displayed on the front of the box. On the back of the box, specifications are listed. When you open the lid, EXPERT is proudly displayed to greet you. When you dive into the contents, you’ll find a manual, a GPU stand, and the 12VHPWR 2×6 to 3x 8-pin power adapter cable. The power adapter cable uses MSI’s dual-color yellow end connector to ensure a proper connection fully to the PCIe 12VHPWR connector, if you see yellow, it isn’t fully connected, so push harder.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC measures 319mm x 150mm x 60mm (12.55″ x 5.9″ x 2.3″ inches). If we compare this to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition, the FE is 304mm x 137mm x 40mm (12″ x 5.4″ x 1.6″ inches). This means the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC is a bit over half an inch longer than the FE, a bit taller, and definitely thicker/wider at 2.3″ thick compared to the thinner 1.6″ of the FE. The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC weighs 1898g compared to the FE, which weighs 1643g, so the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC is heavier.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC is a thicker video card; you lose the thinness of the FE for the GeForce RTX 50 series. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 FE is a 2-slot card, but the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC is definitely not. The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC adopts the previous GeForce RTX 40 series design, which cannot be found on the FE for this RTX 50 series, offering something very unique.
The prominent feature is the fact that it uses a front fan and a fan on the back. The front fan pushes air against the heatsink, and spreads the heat outwards out of the rear of the card (I/O bracket) as well as underneath the video card. The second fan on the back pulls air through the heatsink, which has a full air pass-through that allows air to be pulled from the front, completely through the heatsink, and out the back.
The entire video card is encased in a precision-engineered die-cast aluminum alloy and covers the top and bottom, and is given a unique color scheme with a dual-tone contrast of gold and black. MSI also claims the casing gives a passive enhancement to heat dissipation. There is a distinctive mesh design on the front to add visual depth, with a 3D geometric mesh texture to it. There is even a premium cover for the power connector.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC utilizes MSI’s Flow Frozr 2 thermal design. The base cooling consists of a built-in vapor chamber that makes direct contact with the GPU and VRAM and transfers heat to the core pipe for heat dissipation. Core pipes are square-shaped pipes on the vapor chamber to make better contact for heat dissipation. The fin design of the aluminum heatsink is designed to allow efficient cooling.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC uses MSI’s Stormforce Fans, which have a seven-blade fan design, a claw texture, and a circular arc designed for optimal airflow with minimal noise. The fans also support Zero Frozr, which stops the fans at idle. The entire airflow system is called a push-pull airflow design; the front fan pushes air out the back, while the back fan pulls air through the heatsink.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC PCB is based on a 2-oz thickened copper design and has additional fuses for safeguards. MSI uses HCI (High-Efficiency Carbonyl Inductors) Choke and DrMOS power stages. MSI uses high-quality clay-based thermal pads for heat dissipation on this video card. The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC has 3x DisplayPort 2.1b and 1x HDMI 2.1b. It requires a 16-pin 12VHPWR or the use of the included adapter.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC does not feature any RGB; this is a stealth video card, in that sense. However, you can utilize MSI Center software to enable the Extreme Performance overclock feature for a higher boost clock, or for manual overclocking of core and memory. Otherwise, the MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G EXPERT OC looks great in a system build; it has a very striking and noticeable appearance in a good way.
Test Setup
We are using an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D for testing. We are using the motherboard’s current default BIOS settings on the latest release BIOS. PCI-Express Resizable BAR is enabled. We have enabled EXPO I in the BIOS for the memory. We are using a fresh install of Windows 11 Pro with the latest Windows Updates. We have the latest drivers installed, including the latest chipset drivers. We are using the “Balanced” power profile in Windows Settings, and Core Isolation/Memory Integrity (VBS) is enabled.