MSI Trident 3 is returning with Core i7-9700F CPU and GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics for $1200
MSI Trident 3 launching soon with Core i7-9700F CPU and GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics for $1200 (Image source: Amazon)
The venerable and highly configurable design of the Trident 3 is paying off for MSI. First launched during the Nvidia Pascal days, the internals have been updated to sport the latest desktop-class Coffee Lake-H CPUs and the removable GTX 1660 Super graphics card.
Though the chassis is a few years old by now, the MSI Trident 3 continues to be a popular SFF PC due to its upgradeable CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage components. Competing mini PCs like those from Zotac may be smaller, but their highly integrated components make servicing and upgrading comparatively more difficult.
The last time we saw the Trident 3 was back in 2018 when it was updated with GeForce GTX 1080 graphics. By the end of the month, however, MSI will be reintroducing the series with a new 65 W Coffee Lake-H Core i7-9700F CPU and a removable GeForce 1660 Super desktop GPU. In fact, Amazon claims it will begin shipping the new configuration as soon as March 28.
Nothing else appears to have changed aside from the CPU and GPU update, but there is a chance that the WLAN module will be updated from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6. Nvidia is expected to announce the GeForce Super series for laptops soon.
Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S. - 5158 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011
After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.