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MSI Aegis 3 8RD (Core i7-8700, GTX 1070, 16 GB) Desktop PC Review

Compact gaming PC! The MSI Aegis 3 8RD is a compact gaming PC that is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8700 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. Hence, the Aegis 3 is powerful enough on paper to handle all modern games. The whole thing is packed in a stylish case with RGB lighting. Find out in our review whether MSI’s latest compact gaming PC impresses in our tests and whether it is a worthwhile purchase.

The MSI Aegis 3 8RD is a ready-made PC for gamers who do not want to spend time sourcing and assembling components. MSI offers the optimal solution with the compact computer. The Aegis 3 8RD has well-matched hardware, while MSI has included a special heat pipe solution specifically to cool the Intel Core i7-8700 processor. The company has included an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB GDDR5 VRAM too, specifically the MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Armor 8G. The Aegis 3 8RD is rounded off with two 8 GB SO-DIMM modules, but this could be expanded to 32 GB should you need to.

A gaming laptop, or in this case a gaming PC, should have enough storage to accommodate a large collection of games. MSI has included a combined total of 1.2 TB with the Aegis 3 8RD, which is spread across a 256 GB SSD and a 3.5-inch 1 TB HDD. Moreover, there is also 16 GB of Intel Optane memory, which should quicken the load times of games that are stored on the 1 TB HDD.

The Aegis 3 8RD is a compact gaming PC with a stylish case and RGB lighting. The device currently costs around US$1,500-US$1,600 at the time of writing from various companies online.

MSI Aegis 3 8RD
Processor
Intel Core i7-8700 6 x 3.2 - 4.6 GHz, Coffee Lake-S
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop) - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1747 MHz, Memory: 8000 MHz, Nvidia 416.81
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4 2400, Two SO-DIMM slots, both occupied. 32 GB max RAM
Mainboard
Intel B360 (Cannon Lake-H)
Storage
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW256G8, 256 GB 
, WDC WD10EZEX-22MFCA0 & Intel Optane Memory 16 GB - MEMPEK1W016GA, 1100 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek Audio
Connections
4 USB 2.0, 5 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 DVI, 2 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 7.1 analogue surround sound, SPDIF
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V (10/100/1000MBit/s), Wireless AC-9461 (ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 376 x 170 x 433 ( = 14.8 x 6.69 x 17.05 in)
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Additional features
MSI Gaming Center, MSI Mystic Light, 24 Months Warranty
Price
1500 EUR
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

MSI Aegis 3 8RD (Source: MSI)
MSI Aegis 3 8RD (Source: MSI)
MSI Aegis 3 8RD with its headset holders and RGB lighting switched on (Source: MSI)
MSI Aegis 3 8RD with its headset holders and RGB lighting switched on (Source: MSI)

MSI has not equipped the Aegis 3 8RD with an off the shelf case. Its design is rather extravagant for our tastes though, particularly because of its aggressive angles and RGB lighting. Helpfully, MSI has placed the power supply at the bottom of the case, which helps make the machine feel stable and unlikely to fall over.

Metal and plastic dominate the materials used, with the former used for the internal frame, while all exterior panels are made from plastic. The lack of metal on the outside makes the Aegis 3 8RD look rather cheap to our eyes, an impression that is reinforced by the creaking sounds that emit from all corners and edges when we apply some pressure to the case with our hands. Overall, we would have wished that MSI had designed a more impressive outer case to match the machine’s premium price.

Looks are a matter of taste though, but those who like RGB lighting should like the Aegis 3 8RD, which has it in abundance. MSI has included a carrying handle too, which makes it easier to reposition or move the machine should you need to. There are also fold-out handles from which to hang headsets and a window on the right-hand side of the device that gives a glimpse of some of the components that are housed underneath the Aegis 3 8RD’s aggressive exterior. There is plenty of ventilation to cool the graphics card with fresh air too. Dispensing with the window would have given the machine a cleaner look though, in our opinion.

MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD
MSI Aegis 3 8RD

Connectivity

The Aegis 3 8RD has a solid selection of ports despite its compact size. There is a total of nine USB ports to which numerous peripherals could be connected including a USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port on the front of the device, which should future-proof it somewhat. The Intel Core i7-8700 processor has an integrated GPU too, so you could run an external monitor on the integrated graphics should you need to. However, we expect that most people will make use of the three DisplayPort 1.4 ports, the single HDMI 2.0 port or the DVI-D port that the GeForce GTX 1070 GPU offers. The Aegis 3 8RD supports up to three monitors simultaneously too. 

The machine uses an Intel Wireless-AC 9461 chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. There is also an RJ45 Ethernet port should you wish to use a wired Internet connection instead.

Ports on the front - left-hand side
Ports on the front - left-hand side
Ports on the back
Ports on the back
Ports on the front - right-hand side
Ports on the front - right-hand side

Security

The Aegis 3 8RD has a Kensington lock slot, which may be useful if you plan on frequently taking the machine to LAN parties. MSI preinstalls Norton Internet security software to protect the machine from viruses and other malicious code. There is also Windows Defender that is integrated into Windows 10 if you would rather not use third-party anti-virus software.

Maintenance

The machine is easy to open, which is useful for maintaining or upgrading components. The two side panels are quick to disassemble and are only fixed in place with screws. Removing these gives access to practically all components, like the fans and the GPU. The default power supply is rated at 450 W though, so keep that in mind if you plan on upgrading to a more powerful CPU or GPU in the future. MSI has also equipped the Aegis 3 8RD with SO-DIMM RAM, which manufacturers typically use in laptops. There are no trade-offs from using laptop RAM over conventional RAM and we suspect that MSI has done this to save space. The machine is well-equipped with storage media too. There are two 3.5-inch bays, one 2.5-inch drive bay, and two M.2-2280 bays, all of which are wired out of the box.

Warranty

The Aegis 3 8RD comes with 24 months manufacturer's warranty with an on-site pick-up and return service. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Software

MSI has included its Mystic Light software to adjust RGB lighting. There are several preset profiles to choose from or an option to manually configure each lighting element individually. The company has also preinstalled its Gaming Center, which gives an overview of system information and has several fan modes. We set our test machine to the ‘Game mode’ fan curve for our tests. We would recommend using the ‘Silent mode’ though because the CPU fan runs much quieter on this profile than on ‘Game mode’.

MSI Gaming Center
MSI Gaming Center
MSI Gaming Center
MSI Gaming Center
MSI Gaming Center
MSI Gaming Center - System Information
MSI Mystic Light
 

Performance

The Aegis 3 8RD is a desktop PC that MSI has designed primarily for gaming, something which is reinforced by the hardware used. Our test machine has an Intel Core i7-8700 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. The combination worked well in our tests and scored highly in benchmarks. However, the machine will not play all modern games comfortably at 4K, which is a pity given its US$1,500/US$1,600 cost. Overall, the Aegis 3 8RD performed as we expected during testing.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWiNFO
Intel Extreme Utility
Intel Extreme Utility (Benchmark)
 

Processor

MSI equips the Aegis 3 8RD with an Intel Core i7-8700 processor, which has six cores that support up to 12 threads simultaneously. The Coffee Lake SoC has a 65 W thermal design power (TDP) and a 3.2 GHz base clock that can clock up to 4.3 GHz on all cores or 4.6 GHz on a single core thanks to Intel Turbo Boost technology. The Core i7-8700 is effectively a lower-clocked and multiplier-locked version of the Core i7-8700K.

Correspondingly, the Core i7-8700 sits behind the Core i7-8700K in our benchmark comparison tables. The Core i7-8700 compares directly with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 because both are hexa-core processors that support up to 12 threads and have a 65 W TDP. Overall, the Core i7-8700 scores around 10% higher than the Ryzen 5 2600 in our benchmarks, while the more-powerful Ryzen 7 2700 sometimes finished below the Intel CPU too.

However, the Ryzen 7 2700 APU outscored the Core i7-8700 by 32% in a looped Cinebench R15 multi-core benchmark. The Ryzen 5 2600 even outscores the CPU in our test machine by 8% despite having the same core count, thread count and TDP. By contrast, the Core i7-8700 finished well clear of its AMD competition in the single-core benchmark, which is what Intel CPUs often manage to do.

Performance Rating - Percent
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
45.5 pt
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
43.1 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X -1!
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
42.4 pt
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
39.9 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X -1!
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
39.5 pt
Intel Core i7-8700K -2!
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
39.1 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
38.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
37.2 pt
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
34.4 pt
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
199 Points +4%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
192 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
176 Points -8%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
176 Points -8%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
163 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
161 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
159 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
159 Points -17%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
145 Points -24%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
3110 Points +159%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
2997 Points +150%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1801 Points +50%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1551 Points +29%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
1405 (1375.04min - 1405.28max) Points +17%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1341 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1270 Points +6%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
1199 Points
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
843 Points -30%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
27.07 Points +108%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
23.13 Points +77%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
18.68 Points +43%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
16.71 Points +28%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
15.64 Points +20%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
14.56 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
13.71 Points +5%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
13.04 Points
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8.6 Points -34%
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
2.27 Points +5%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
2.16 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.95 Points -10%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.9 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.81 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.78 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.76 Points -19%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
1.73 Points -20%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.65 Points -24%
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
561 Seconds * -45%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
388.2 Seconds *
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
375.7 Seconds * +3%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
350 Seconds * +10%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
308.3 Seconds * +21%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
264 Seconds * +32%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
163 Seconds * +58%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
152.7 Seconds * +61%
wPrime 2.10
32m
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8.025 s * -47%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
5.5 s * -1%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
5.469 s *
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
5.141 s * +6%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4.62 s * +16%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4.186 s * +23%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
4 s * +27%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
3.484 s * +36%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
3.34 s * +39%
1024m
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
235.1 s * -64%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
143.7 s *
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
140.9 s * +2%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
133.8 s * +7%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
130.5 s * +9%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
118.6 s * +17%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
96.6 s * +33%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
55.1 s * +62%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
53.2 s * +63%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
17.5 fps +84%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
16.9 fps +77%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
9.53 fps
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
9.51 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7.79 fps -18%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6.3 fps -34%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
235.5 (234min - 237max) fps
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
232 (229min - 233max) fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
226.7 fps -4%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
207.4 fps -12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
205.3 (204.6min - 207.33max) fps -13%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
202.3 (200.47min - 203.47max) fps -14%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
196 (196min - 196max) fps -17%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
195.7 (195.08min - 196.35max) fps -17%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
189.6 (188.03min - 193.43max) fps -19%
Pass 2
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
144.9 (143.48min - 145.54max) fps +93%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
134.3 (133.84min - 135.07max) fps +79%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
104.5 fps +39%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
89.7 (89.5min - 89.85max) fps +19%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
87.4 fps +16%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
80.5 fps +7%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
75.2 (74.9min - 76.3max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
75 (74.84min - 75.82max) fps 0%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
51.8 (51.6min - 51.9max) fps -31%
WinRAR - Result
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
7120 KB/s +20%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
5912 KB/s
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4779 KB/s -19%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4599 KB/s -22%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4548 KB/s -23%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4517 KB/s -24%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4440 KB/s -25%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4331 KB/s -27%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
4150 KB/s -30%
TrueCrypt
AES Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
19.5 GB/s +153%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
19 GB/s +147%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
10.6 GB/s +38%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
9 GB/s +17%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
8 GB/s +4%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8 GB/s +4%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
7.7 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7.5 GB/s -3%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
3.4 GB/s -56%
Twofish Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
2.9 GB/s +123%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
2.9 GB/s +123%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.6 GB/s +23%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
1.4 GB/s +8%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.4 GB/s +8%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
1.3 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.2 GB/s -8%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1 GB/s -23%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
0.629 GB/s -52%
Serpent Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
1.8 GB/s +126%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1.8 GB/s +126%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
1 GB/s +26%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
0.899 GB/s +13%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
0.795 GB/s
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
0.793 GB/s 0%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
0.78 GB/s -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
0.732 GB/s -8%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
0.359 GB/s -55%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
5937 Points +7%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
5565 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4999 Points -10%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4903 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4706 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4681 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4631 Points -17%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4626 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
4304 Points -23%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
3500 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
36198 Points +56%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
3400 MHz, NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
28877 Points +24%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3700 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
25919 Points +12%
Intel Core i7-8700K
3700 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
25223 Points +9%
Intel Core i7-8700
3200 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
23220 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
3200 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
22776 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
3600 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
21616 Points -7%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
3400 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
20633 Points -11%
Intel Core i5-8500T
2100 MHz, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
18335 Points -21%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15

Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark loop

MSI Aegis 3 8RD during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark
MSI Aegis 3 8RD during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark
Energy consumption during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark
Energy consumption during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark

We ran a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark to determine how well the CPU performed under sustained load. Our test machine performed largely consistently in the benchmark loop, scoring 1,199 points initially before dropping to an average of around 1,169 points. This represents a 3% drop in performance, which does not count as thermal throttling in our opinion. Hence, MSI has developed a solid cooling solution, which is supported by our core temperature results. The Core i7-8700 averaged 71.4 °C during the looped multi-core benchmark and consistently consumed around 61 W. The CPU also started each benchmark run at 4.3 GHz across all cores before dropping to just 4.0 GHz after eight seconds, during which time it consumed up to 81 W.

060120180240300360420480540600660720780840900960102010801140Tooltip
MSI Aegis 3 8RD: Ø1169 (1152.37-1199.4)
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6835
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
9187 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
43704 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6835 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6992
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
35384
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 32Bit
12.17 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 32Bit
87.3 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.16 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
13.04 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
88.2 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 32Bit
1.92 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
192 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
136 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1199 Points
Help

System Performance

Our test machine performed well in system performance benchmarks too, although all our AMD comparison APUs scored higher overall in PCMark 10. Nevertheless, the Aegis 3 8RD is powerful enough for photo- and video-editing or other computationally intense tasks. The Intel Optane memory should drastically shorten load or render times.

PCMark 10
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 7
PCMark 10
Score
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7764 Points +27%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7451 Points +22%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7337 Points +20%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
7285 Points +19%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7018 Points +15%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6465 Points +6%
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
6150 Points +1%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
6100 Points
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
5473 Points -10%
Essentials
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
9689 Points
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
9597 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
9521 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
9205 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8985 Points -7%
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8499 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8382 Points -13%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
8377 Points -14%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8203 Points -15%
Productivity
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8447 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8024 Points +3%
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
7871 Points +1%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
7808 Points
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7703 Points -1%
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7516 Points -4%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7443 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
5982 Points -23%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
5779 Points -26%
Digital Content Creation
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
8528 Points +5%
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
8356 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8266 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8215 Points +1%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
8141 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7433 Points -9%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7388 Points -9%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7020 Points -14%
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6966 Points -14%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4898 Points +4%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
4708 Points
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
4648 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4483 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4392 Points -7%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
4367 Points -7%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4359 Points -7%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4311 Points -8%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4209 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
5495 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4891 Points 0%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
4891 Points
Intel Core i7-8700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop)
4821 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4750 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4735 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4633 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4598 Points -6%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
4520 Points -8%
PCMark 7
Score
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8593 Points +17%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8402 Points +14%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7960 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7619 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7556 Points +3%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
7338 Points
Productivity
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8383 Points +42%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8137 Points +38%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7074 Points +20%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6869 Points +17%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6860 Points +17%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
5886 Points
Entertainment
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7939 Points +9%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7809 Points +7%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
7302 Points
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7262 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7065 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
7000 Points -4%
PCMark 7 Score
7338 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4708 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
8234 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4891 points
PCMark 10 Score
6100 points
Help

Storage Devices

Spare 2.5-inch drive bay under the rear case cover
Spare 2.5-inch drive bay under the rear case cover

Gaming devices need a lot of disk space on which to store games, and the Aegis 3 8RD has plenty. MSI installs Windows 10 on a 256 GB Intel NVMe SSD, which is much faster than its SATA III counterparts. There is also a 1 TB 3.5-inch Western Digital HDD that is supported by an Intel Optane SSD. The HDD writes only at 136 MB/s, which is much slower than the Intel NVMe SSD.

Moreover, there are spare 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drive bays should you need more storage. MSI has pre-wired all drive bays, so you can simply drop in additional drives and format them.

Intel SSD benchmarks

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 3
CDM 3
CDM 5
CDM 5
CDM 6
CDM 6
CDI
CDI

Western Digital HDD & Intel Optane benchmarks

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 3
CDM 3
CDM 5
CDM 5
CDM 6
CDM 6
HD Tune
HD Tune
CDI
CDI
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW256G8
Sequential Read: 2062 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1225 MB/s
512K Read: 1413 MB/s
512K Write: 671 MB/s
4K Read: 57.6 MB/s
4K Write: 118.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 369.4 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 280.7 MB/s

Graphics Card

MSI Afterburner - stock settings
MSI Afterburner - stock settings

The Core i7-8700 processor integrates an Intel UHD Graphics 630, although the latter is not powerful enough to handle most modern games. The Aegis 3 8RD does not support Nvidia Optimus technology for graphics switching, which is something that manufacturers have increasingly integrated into notebooks to reduce power consumption. This could be useful to bring down electricity bills, but it is not necessary by design for a gaming PC.

The Aegis 3 8RD has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, which is the MSI-customised Armor 8G version. The GPU has 8 GB GDD5 VRAM and a 1,557 MHz base clock speed that can boost up to 1,747 MHz when required. Overall, the GPU is powerful enough to play modern games at high resolutions with smooth frame rates. The GPU in our test machine performed at expected levels in synthetic benchmarks too.

You could also use MSI Afterburner to overclock the GPU for improved performance at the cost of higher power consumption. The GeForce GTX 1070 in our test machine could handle a 108% power limit, but your results may vary. We would not recommend overclocking the GPU though given how compact the case is. An 8% power limit increase is relatively low too.

MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Armor 8G
MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Armor 8G
MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Armor 8G
MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Armor 8G
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Desktop
  (650 - 104464, n=36, last 2 years)
49254 Points +100%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
31785 Points +29%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
31548 Points +28%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
31265 Points +27%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
29935 Points +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
29285 Points +19%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
28462 Points +15%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
27881 Points +13%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
27632 Points +12%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
  (23660 - 26098, n=5)
24686 Points 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
24652 Points
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
155414 Points +41%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
127011 Points +15%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
120426 Points +9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
118153 Points +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
110542 Points
Average of class Desktop
  (3762 - 246319, n=30, last 2 years)
110234 Points 0%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
107514 Points -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
  (104764 - 110542, n=4)
107294 Points -3%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
102781 Points -7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
86339 Points -22%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
60794 Points -45%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Desktop
  (523 - 70246, n=34, last 2 years)
31665 Points +73%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
27349 Points +49%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
23194 Points +27%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
23130 Points +26%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
22761 Points +24%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
22338 Points +22%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
21547 Points +18%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
20808 Points +14%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
20234 Points +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
18313 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
  (16685 - 18408, n=5)
17893 Points -2%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Desktop
  (173 - 37589, n=33, last 2 years)
17279 Points +189%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
9635 Points +61%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
7284 Points +22%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
7238 Points +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
7183 Points +20%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
7129 Points +19%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
6815 Points +14%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
6673 Points +12%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
6530 Points +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
5973 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
  (5555 - 5973, n=3)
5808 Points -3%
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark 11
3DMark Vantage
 
3DMark 03 Standard
163345 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
39794 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
56296 points
3DMark 11 Performance
20187 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
182786 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
39273 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
16083 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
8230 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
6106 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The Witcher 3 – FPS on the ultra preset
The Witcher 3 – FPS on the ultra preset

While the Aegis 3 8RD fell behind in synthetic benchmarks, it beats most of our comparison test systems. Our Core i7-8700K-powered system scored consistently higher framerates in the games that we tested, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 generally outperforms the GeForce GTX 1070, although the latter has an advantage in games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Battlefield 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider

Overall, the Aegis 3 8RD delivered consistently high performance in the games against which we tested it, but it falls just short of being powerful enough for always smooth 4K gaming. Games like FIFA 19 and Call of Duty Black Ops 4 averaged over 100 FPS on our test system at 4K, but others like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Monster Hunter World and Shadow of the Tomb Raider would not average even 30 FPS. Dropping the graphics preset or the resolution to 1,440p fixes these low frame rates though. We also noticed no performance spikes during a stress test, which we conducted with The Witcher 3 set to the ultra preset.

Performance Rating - Percent
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -2!
Intel Core i7-8700K
94 pt
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
88.7 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -6!
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
88.4 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -6!
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
86.8 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -6!
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
86.6 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
86.6 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -6!
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
86.6 pt
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 -2!
Intel Core i5-8500T
83.3 pt
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal -12!
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
80.8 pt
The Witcher 3
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
318.2 (289min - 352max) fps +16%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
298.7 (259min - 354max) fps +9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
285.1 (259min - 331max) fps +4%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
284.8 (216min - 294max) fps +4%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
283.7 (248min - 321max) fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
273.3 fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
258.5 (219min - 295max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
225.9 (176min - 251max) fps -17%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
80.9 (68min - 87max) fps +28%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
79.4 (70min - 86max) fps +26%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
77.7 (67min - 86max) fps +23%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
77 (67min - 84max) fps +22%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
73.3 (62min - 82max) fps +16%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
73.3 (62min - 80max) fps +16%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
69.4 (58min - 76max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
63.2 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1024x768 Lowest Preset
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
281.7 (266min - 303max) fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
271.4 (263min - 279max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
263.8 (256min - 274max) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
263.7 (256min - 276max) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
262.2 (252min - 300max) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
258.9 (230min - 274max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
253.2 (243min - 262max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
221.6 (204min - 244max) fps -18%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
105.7 (90min - 116max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
99.7 (90min - 108max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
99 (85min - 112max) fps -1%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
96.6 (83min - 107max) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
94.7 (78min - 106max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
94 (82min - 103max) fps -6%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
91.5 (82min - 103max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
91.3 (79min - 101max) fps -8%
Battlefield 1
1280x720 Low Preset
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
200 (186min - 201max) fps +9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
199.1 (182min - 201max) fps +8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
197.6 (183min - 201max) fps +7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
196.2 (185min - 201max) fps +7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
196 (181min - 201max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
184.2 (135min - 199max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
181.4 (141min - 194max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
173 (161min - 185max) fps -6%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
147.7 (137min - 155max) fps +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
146 (131min - 155max) fps +20%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
145.1 (131min - 167max) fps +19%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
136 (123min - 142max) fps +11%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
135.6 (124min - 152max) fps +11%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
135.2 (124min - 148max) fps +11%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
127.1 (116min - 144max) fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
122.1 (108min - 131max) fps
Assassin´s Creed Origins
1280x720 Very Low Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
111 fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
84 fps -24%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
81 fps -27%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
80 fps -28%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
76 fps -32%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
70 fps -37%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
68 (34min - 93max) fps -39%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
67 fps -40%
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
72 fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
67 fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
67 fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
66 fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
63 fps -12%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
59 fps -18%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
57 (6min - 93max) fps -21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
57 fps -21%
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
1280x720 Lite Quality
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
164.4 (87min - 226max) fps +13%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
145.6 (94min - 177max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
145.4 (95min - 203max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
143 (98min - 201max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
141.5 (72min - 177max) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
133.6 (88min - 191max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
133.4 (78min - 177max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
68.1 (49min - 198max) fps -53%
1920x1080 High Quality
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
61.4 (39min - 99max) fps +3%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
59.8 (33min - 93max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
59.6 (35min - 90max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
58.9 (23min - 92max) fps -1%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
58.5 (23min - 92max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
58.5 (23min - 92max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
56.7 (20min - 89max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
55 (19min - 86max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
54.5 (34min - 85max) fps -9%
Far Cry 5
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
144 (114min - 194max) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
141 (110min - 179max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
125 (99min - 171max) fps -11%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
124 (98min - 165max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
122 (97min - 162max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
118 (90min - 159max) fps -16%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
114 (89min - 154max) fps -19%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
100 (82min - 133max) fps -29%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
96 (77min - 116max) fps -32%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
111 (90min - 128max) fps +23%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
99 (78min - 124max) fps +10%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
98 (75min - 125max) fps +9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
98 (79min - 125max) fps +9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
96 (75min - 121max) fps +7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
94 (74min - 117max) fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
90 (78min - 103max) fps
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
80 (64min - 107max) fps -11%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
80 (61min - 108max) fps -11%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
1280x720 Lowest Preset
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
188 fps +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
155 fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
155 fps
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
117 fps -25%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
107 fps -31%
1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
103 fps +37%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
91 fps +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
91 fps +21%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
85 fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
75 fps
Forza Horizon 4
1280x720 Very Low Preset
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
234 fps +30%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
203 fps +13%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
200 fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
180 fps
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
141 fps -22%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
131 fps +39%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
131 fps +39%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
121 fps +29%
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
112 fps +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
94 fps
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey
1280x720 Low Preset
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
120 (52min - 163max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
113 (59min - 169max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
92 fps -19%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
79 fps -30%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
73 (20min - 101max) fps -35%
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset
NVIDIA Titan X Pascal
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
67 (30min - 125max) fps +22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
55 (11min - 101max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i7-8700K
51 fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
50 (25min - 75max) fps -9%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Intel Core i5-8500T
50 fps -9%
Battlefield 4
1024x768 Low Preset
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
200 (190min - 202max) fps 0%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
200 (192min - 201max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
200 (195min - 202max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
199.9 (190min - 201max) fps 0%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
199.6 (194min - 202max) fps 0%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
191.8 (178min - 200max) fps -4%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
Intel Core i7-8700
158.4 (144min - 192max) fps
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
142.5 (132min - 172max) fps -10%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
139.5 (130min - 169max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
139.5 (130min - 169max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
137.2 (125min - 173max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
136.3 (126min - 174max) fps -14%
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
133.1 (121min - 159max) fps -16%


05101520253035404550556065Tooltip
MSI Aegis 3 8RD GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), i7-8700, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW256G8: Ø63.6 (61-65)
low med. high ultra4K
Battlefield 4 (2013) 200 200 200 158.4 78
GTA V (2015) 174.1 168.6 148 101.4 89.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 273.3 194.4 116 63.2 42.3
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 322.9 279.7 207.2 189 74.9
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 271.4 195.4 119 99.7 42
Far Cry Primal (2016) 154 131 116 94 41
The Division (2016) 245.9 192.1 109.3 86.5 42.2
Overwatch (2016) 300 297.2 279.7 176.8 60.8
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 160.7 144 87.2 62.9 29.6
Battlefield 1 (2016) 184.2 164.2 134.5 122.1 47.7
Dishonored 2 (2016) 118.8 118.4 111.4 102.1 45.2
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 166.5 120.8 88.1 64 33.8
For Honor (2017) 298.6 151.7 143.4 115.7 47
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 174.1 99.8 92 53.2 34.4
Rocket League (2017) 242.5 248 205.9 96.1
Dirt 4 (2017) 308.9 234.5 171 95.9 56.3
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) 182.8 153.3 136.9 110.6 41.8
Destiny 2 (2017) 183.5 156.8 148.7 129.2 45.8
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) 111 94 86 72 32
Call of Duty WWII (2017) 256.8 249 156 120.2 60.4
Fortnite (2018) 247 226.5 169.2 124.9 38.4
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 145.4 85 59.6 27
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) 138.8 103.2 82.8 63.2 22
Far Cry 5 (2018) 141 103 96 90 35
The Crew 2 (2018) 60 60 60 60 41.3
Monster Hunter World (2018) 166.8 102.3 93.5 72.2 22.4
F1 2018 (2018) 249 177 142 95 47
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 155 93 86 75 25
FIFA 19 (2018) 273.3 248.7 232.1 229.3 117.4
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) 180 127 118 94 52
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 113 89 76 55 26
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) 224.7 199.5 196.7 184.5 64.6
Hitman 2 (2018) 92.7 91.4 83.2 80.2 39.7
Fallout 76 (2018) 60 60 59.9 59.9 43.3
Battlefield V (2018) 177.3 136.6 117.5 106.7 44.9

Overclocking

MSI Afterburner: GeForce GTX 1070 overclocking – GPU clock speed + 100 MHz; VRAM + 550 MHz
MSI Afterburner: GeForce GTX 1070 overclocking – GPU clock speed + 100 MHz; VRAM + 550 MHz
3DMark 11 results having overclocked the GeForce GTX 1070
3DMark 11 results having overclocked the GeForce GTX 1070

We also tried to overclock our test machine, but the locked multiplier on the Core i7-8700 prevented us from doing so. MSI do sell a version with a Core i7-8700K processor, but the company could prevent the CPU from being overclocked. There are no overclocking-related options within the BIOS on our test device, so we suspect that overclocking is out of the question even with an unlocked CPU. This makes sense though, given the limited cooling within the Aegis 3 8RD’s compact case and that MSI has included a 450 W power supply, which may reach its limits if it were to power an overclocked CPU and GPU.

Overclocking the GPU is possible as we mentioned earlier, but we would recommend against doing so permanently. The GeForce GTX 1070 in our test handled a 100 MHz core clock increase and a 550 MHz VRAM boost stably. We also set the power limit to 108% as stated in the Graphics Card section. The changes resulted in a 700-point higher score in 3DMark 11, which represents around a minor 3% performance boost. So, while it is possible to overclock the GPU, the returns are insignificant and are offset by increased power consumption and potential system instability.

Emissions

Fan Noise

MSI Gaming Center – fan curves
MSI Gaming Center – fan curves

The Aegis 3 8RD is audible at idle mainly because of its 3.5-inch HDD that always whirrs away. The sound is not annoying, but it could be mitigated if you remove the HDD altogether. The CPU cooler has two heat pipes that are cooled by a radial fan. MSI markets its cooling system as Silent Storm Cooling 2 that the company describes as being an:

exclusive, silent and powerful cooling system that embraces several separated chambers for component cooling.

The cooling solution blows warm air out of the back of the case, which is effective but noisy under sustained load. MSI Gaming Center has a manual fan curve option should you wish to adjust the fan speed to your liking. The ‘Silent mode’ preset makes our test system quiet enough under load for our liking, but the system will run hotter. We could not find any performance difference between the different fan profiles though. Please keep in mind that we ran our benchmarks with the Aegis 3 8RD set to ‘Game Mode’. The GPU has two axial fans that work quietly even under prolonged load.

Temperature

3DMark 11 results after a stress test
3DMark 11 results after a stress test

The Aegis 3 8RD manages its temperatures well. We did not notice any thermal throttling regardless of how hard we pushed our test machine and no area of the machine got noticeably hot.

The Core i7-8700 reached a maximum of 85 °C during a one-hour stress test, with the GeForce GTX 1070 remaining slightly cooler at a maximum of 72 °C. In short, neither the CPU nor the GPU get worryingly warm and you should not experience any overheating when gaming. 

Our test machine also passed the 3DMark Sky Diver stress test with 98.1% peak performance. Moreover, 3DMark 11 demonstrated that the Aegis 3 8RD does not thermal throttle even if pushed to its limits.

Combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test
Combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test
FurMark stress test
FurMark stress test
3DMark Sky Diver stress test
3DMark Sky Diver stress test

Power Management

Power Consumption

Power consumption during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark
Power consumption during a looped Cinebench R15 multithreaded benchmark

The Aegis 3 8RD has a 450 W power supply that can power the system comfortably even when it is pushed hard. Our test machine achieved a maximum power consumption of 247.8 W when gaming, which is respectable and gives the power supply room to breathe. Please keep in mind that these measurements do not include how much power an external monitor uses.

Our test machine consumes an average of 41 W at idle. The limited Turbo Boost time keeps power consumption down too. The Aegis 3 8RD averaged 126 W during the eight-second Turbo Boost window at the start of the Cinebench R15 multi-core looped benchmark. This then drops to an average of 112 W after the Turbo Boost switches off.

Neither the CPU nor GPU are under 100% load when gaming, so it is worth keeping in mind that the Aegis 3 8RD can consume more than 247.8 W. We established the machine’s maximum power consumption by running a combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test, which returned a maximum power consumption of 278 W.

The GeForce GTX 1070 has a 150 W TDP, which should act as a guide for those who plan on upgrading to a more-powerful GPU. In short, the Aegis 3 8RD has plenty of wattage in reserve for more-powerful components or additional drives, but we would recommend against upgrading the system so that it consumes above 400 W, as this could cause power supply problems.

The power consumption of our test system

At idle
At idle
During a one-hour FurMark stress test
During a one-hour FurMark stress test
During a one-hour FurMark and Prime95 stress test
During a one-hour FurMark and Prime95 stress test
While playing The Witcher 3 1,080p on the ultra preset
While playing The Witcher 3 1,080p on the ultra preset
Power Consumption
Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
270 Watt * -140%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Idle: 74.3 W)
211.2 (205min - 216max) Watt * -88%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Idle: 71.3 W)
171.7 (166min - 176max) Watt * -53%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
157.5 Watt * -40%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
140.9 Watt * -25%
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
132.7 (120min - 145max) Watt * -18%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
112.3 Watt *
1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
421 Watt * -70%
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
411 Watt * -66%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Idle: 74.3 W)
408 Watt * -65%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
396.5 (376min - 415max) Watt * -60%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
378.2 Watt * -53%
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
353.6 (271min - 395max) Watt * -43%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
247.8 Watt *
1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor)
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
218.2 Watt *
Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
263 Watt * -133%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Idle: 74.3 W)
219.2 Watt * -94%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
164.4 (159.3min - 165.75max) Watt * -46%
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
149.5 Watt * -33%
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
143.2 Watt * -27%
Intel Core i7-8700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
112.8 Watt *
Intel Core i5-8500T
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
108.1 (106min - 110max) Watt * +4%

* ... smaller is better

Verdict

Pros

+ fast hexa-core processor with 65 W TDP
+ Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU
+ 256 GB NVMe SSD
+ 1 TB HDD & Intel Optane memory
+ plenty of USB ports
+ compact case
+ impressive gaming performance
+ comparatively low power consumption
+ Wi-Fi ac
+ Bluetooth 5.0

Cons

- the case looks rather cheap
- no standard ATX motherboard
- stock CPU cooler is audible under load
The MSI Aegis 3 8RD desktop PC review. Test device courtesy of MSI Germany.
The MSI Aegis 3 8RD desktop PC review. Test device courtesy of MSI Germany.

The MSI Aegis 3 8RD is a compact gaming PC that costs between US$1,500 and US$1,600 at the time of writing. The PC is powered by a fast hexa-core CPU and a decent graphics card. In short, the Aegis 3 8RD can display modern triple-A games smoothly at maximum details.

The Core i7-8700 is not Intel’s latest CPU, which the company launched late last year. However, it is efficient and is great value for money. The same applies to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU but equipping the machine with an AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 would further reduce power consumption when gaming.

The MSI Aegis 3 8RD is a compact gaming desktop PC that can handle modern triple-A games with ease. The machine has great cooling too, which ensures that the system will not thermal throttle even if pushed to its limits. Buyers will not go wrong if they pick up the Aegis 3 8RD instead of creating a system themselves. In short, the MSI Aegis 3 8RD is ideal as a second PC for LAN parties or as a living room gaming PC.

The Aegis 3 8RD has a relatively compact 19.6-litre case, which has been adorned with RGB lighting. People can disable the lighting if they find it distracting or gimmicky though. We would have preferred a more premium looking exterior case though as the plastic panelling looks and feels cheap for a US$1,500/US$1,600 machine.

The case is not all bad though. The carrying and headset handles are useful, while the plastic used keeps the total system weight below 10 kg, which makes the Aegis 3 8RD relatively easy to carry between LAN parties.

The machine has five drive bays and 1.2 TB of storage, which should be enough for most people. There are pre-wired spare 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drive bays though, so you could simply drop in additional drives without having to reformat your system.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > MSI Aegis 3 8RD (Core i7-8700, GTX 1070, 16 GB) Desktop PC Review
Sebastian Bade, 2018-12- 1 (Update: 2019-02-25)