GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X in review - MSI's new high-end graphics card series

Until now, the Gaming X Trio was the part of MSI's portfolio that was intended for special high-end models. In recent years, there were also Lightning Z models every now and then, which offered even more performance due to selected components and special adjustments. Now, MSI introduces a new division in the high-end sector with the Suprim X models. MSI offers RTX 3070, 3080, and 3090 models of the new Ampere graphics cards under this name. At the same time, there's still the Gaming X Trio models, which have to make do with slightly less performance, because the Suprim X models offer a BIOS with a higher TDP.

We took a look at the top model based on the RTX 3090 and were very excited about the results after unboxing the graphics card. Admittedly, there should be a lot of space in the case, because the graphics card measures a whopping 34 centimeters in overall length. The weight adds up to a good 1.7 kilograms, which is why MSI also includes a separate stand to stabilize the graphics card at the end due to the excess length. Without the stand, the graphics card sags a lot in the case, making you fear that the PCIe slot will be damaged in the long run. There should be no problems if you mount it vertically. Furthermore, the cooler is very thick, so that a total of three slots is needed.

The build quality of the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is very high. This graphics card looks and feels very high-end. The front and back are made of aluminum, although there are also some plastic elements on the front. However, these don't ruin the high-quality impression at all. A total of seven powerful heat pipes distribute the heat to the huge heat sink, because the 420 watts also need to be kept in check. Moreover, you can still always count on RGB lighting as well. The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X has many illuminated elements that literally beg for a case with a window side panel.

As already mentioned, the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X is equipped with a 420-watt BIOS, which means that using three 8-pin power connectors is unavoidable. Externally, 8K displays at up to 60 Hz can be connected via HDMI thanks to the 2.1 standard. Likewise, 4K at 120 Hz is also possible via this connection, and this was able to be confirmed in the test too. Furthermore, there are three DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

To start with, we can say that the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X can handle all modern titles without any problems. Occasionally, there are games where the average frame rate slips below the 60-FPS mark in 2160p. Nevertheless, smooth gaming is possible, and you don't get the impression that you're watching a slideshow.

Compared with the GeForce RTX 3080, the GeForce RTX 3090 can repeatedly set itself apart a bit. Nonetheless, the graphics card always requires very high resolutions in order to also be able to take advantage of the performance difference. However, in comparison with AMD's Radeon RX 6800 XT, the GeForce RTX 3090's performance plus is much bigger than we saw in the synthetic benchmarks. Performance varies depending on the game, although the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT always sets the tone.

We use the game The Witcher 3 (Ultra preset) to log the frame times and the frame progression, since it also scales very well with the latest graphics cards. There are no anomalies in the frame times. Nevertheless, there are only a few isolated outliers that do not affect the smooth gameplay. When it comes to the frame progression, the frame rates are a bit better in the first third; they stabilize in the further course, though, and show a very good result of 168 FPS over the entire period. For comparison purposes: The Asus GeForce RTX 3080 ROG Strix Gaming OC achieved 139 FPS.