Review and testing of the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT video card

Author svl, March 26 2024. Published in Test Video Cards

As part of this review, we will look at the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT video card, which is based on the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER GPU. We will test this card in various games and compare its performance with other video cards on the market.

APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

This subsection of our review highlights the main aspects of the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT, such as appearance and hardware configuration.

APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS

The packaging of the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT graphics card stands out with its design that highlights the RTX technologies, including NVIDIA Ada architecture, ray tracing and DLSS support. The back of the box lists the main specifications and features of the card. When you open the box, you will find the graphics card protected by foam packaging, as well as a set of accessories and manuals that can be useful for both gamers and regular users. The package includes a stand to prevent the card from bending, which is especially important for such large graphics cards.

The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT graphics card package includes not only the graphics card itself, but also a number of important accessories. In particular, the package includes an anti-deflection bracket, which helps prevent the card from deforming due to its weight and size.

Also provided is a 16-pin power adapter needed to connect the graphics card to the system's power supply.

The video card itself has impressive dimensions and weighs about 2 kg, occupying three slots in the system. The card is equipped with two 102mm fans that provide efficient airflow through the heatsink. It also features a full-length metal back panel with a matte gold finish, adding to its aesthetics and functionality.

For cooling, MSI's new Flow Frozr cooler is used, similar to the design of NVIDIA's Founders Edition coolers. The card uses 0dB Zero Frozr technology, in which the fans only start spinning when a certain temperature is reached, which reduces noise levels when idle. The design also uses a vapor chamber that covers the GPU and memory modules for improved cooling.

The card's design includes a vapor chamber that effectively distributes heat from the GPU and VRAM across the entire heatsink area. The board features a compact design with electronic components that minimizes inductance and impedance, improving power transfer efficiency.

As for video outputs, on the rear panel of the card there is one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a, providing ample connectivity to various displays and support for modern visualization standards.

ARCHITECTURE

4080s

The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT is based on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture and represents a significant improvement over its predecessor, the RTX 4080.

Architecture and Performance

Basic Architecture: RTX 4080 SUPER OC is built on a 5nm process technology and is based on the AD103 GPU. It is an advanced version of the Ada Lovelace architecture, known for its efficiency and performance.
Shader Units, TMUs and ROPs: The graphics card has 10 shader units, 240 TMUs, and 320 ROPs, while the RTX 112 has 4080 shader units, 9 TMUs, and 728 ROPs. Increasing the number of cores improves overall performance.
Tensor and RT cores: Both models are equipped with 320 Tensor Cores and 80 RT Cores, which are important for tasks related to AI and ray tracing, respectively.
Frequencies: The RTX 4080 SUPER OC has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, which is slightly higher than the RTX 4080 with its base and boost clock of 2205 MHz and 2505 MHz.
Memory Configuration: Both cards feature 16GB of GDDR6X memory, but the RTX 4080 SUPER OC increases memory speed to 23Gbps compared to the RTX 22.4's 4080Gbps.
Bus Width and Bandwidth: The memory bus width is 256-bit for both cards, with the RTX 4080 SUPER OC having a slightly higher bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s compared to the RTX 716.8's 4080 GB/s.
Thermal Power (TDP) and Energy Efficiency: The RTX 4080 SUPER OC supports 320W Total Graphics Power (TGP), similar to the RTX 4080. This power efficiency is an important aspect of the Ada Lovelace architecture.

The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT features an increased core count, higher clock speeds, and improved memory speeds over the RTX 4080. These improvements contribute to faster overall performance, making it a suitable choice for gamers and professionals who require high-performance graphics. The use of NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture ensures that this card is not only powerful, but also efficient, balancing high performance and power consumption.

TECHNOLOGIES Flow Frozr

MSI's Flow Frozr technology includes a number of innovative cooling solutions aimed at optimizing GPU performance. The main idea is to create an effective heat dissipation system that ensures the stability of the graphics card even under high loads.

The key elements of Flow Frozr technology are:

Double ventilation system (Push-Pull Airflow): Uses two fans, one blows cool air onto the heatsink and the other exhausts hot air, increasing cooling efficiency and reducing component temperatures.
V-Shaped Fins: The heatsink fins have a V-shaped cutout that directs airflow for more efficient heat dissipation.
Zero Frost technology: Fans stop when GPU temperature is low, reducing noise during periods of low load, and automatically turn on when temperature increases.
Heat Pipe Core Pipe: Heatpipes are optimized for maximum contact with the GPU die, distributing heat across the entire surface of the heatsink.
Vapor Chamber: Effectively captures heat from the GPU and memory, quickly transferring it to the heat pipes and heatsink.
Quality materials: Using aluminum alloy for the body and precision casting improves rigidity, durability and thermal conductivity.
Optimized Design: MSI integrates high-end components and optimized design into its graphics cards to achieve maximum reliability and stability while maintaining high performance.

MSI's Flow Frozr technology is an advanced cooling system designed to optimize thermal management in graphics cards. The principle behind this technology is to create an efficient airflow through the graphics card components to minimize temperatures and improve performance.

The Flow Frozr is based on a dual airflow strategy that uses two fans operating in a push and pull mode. This means that one fan supplies cool air to the radiators while the other exhausts hot air outside. This approach allows for more efficient heat removal from the GPU and other heat-producing components.

The Flow Frozr system also includes innovative solutions such as Zero Frozr, which controls fan operation based on GPU temperature. At low temperatures, fans can stop completely, ensuring quiet when idle. When the temperature rises, such as during gaming or demanding tasks, the fans automatically activate to provide the necessary cooling.

The V-fin design of the heatsink improves airflow and heat dissipation. The Core Pipe heatpipe design maximizes contact area with hot components, distributing heat more evenly across the entire surface of the heatsink.

The use of a vapor chamber enhances the heat dissipation effect by quickly absorbing heat from the GPU and memory and transferring it to the heat pipes. This ensures more efficient and uniform heat dissipation from the main heat-generating components of the graphics card.

As a result, Flow Frozr provides high cooling efficiency, reduces noise levels and improves overall graphics card performance, ensuring more stable and long-lasting operation in demanding gaming and professional applications.

HEATING AND POWER CONSUMPTION

The energy efficiency testing of the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT graphics card was carried out in an assembly mounted in a closed DeepCool CH510 WH case.

As a result of tests performed using the FurMark program, the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER EXPERT video card showed excellent thermal efficiency and energy efficiency. At full load, the device reached a maximum temperature of 71 degrees Celsius, while its power consumption was 326 watts. The video card was almost silent during the stress test.

TEST PART

Test configuration
test stands	32 GB DDR5 7200@7800 CL30 Kingston FURY Renegade Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Case DeepCool CH510 WH
Multimedia equipment	Monitor Philips 326M6VJRMB/00 Seasonic PRIME TX-1000 power supply
Software configuration
Operating system	Windows 10 21H2/ Windows 11(Alder Lake)
Graphics driver	Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 551.86 WHQL
Monitoring programs	MSI Afterburner

GAMES

All games were taken at the discretion of the editors, from the point of view of why this new product could be purchased now. For a long time now we have not accepted synthetics at all; we are only interested in games:

Hogwarts Legacy