The main players in the computer components market have not experimented with new or, on the contrary, forgotten series of products for a long time, giving preference to models that are well known among their fans. This is understandable, the old ones are sold anyway, even older ones no longer correspond to modern trends and company strategies, and for one reason or another there is no point in spending resources on new series. But there are exceptions and some manufacturer will take and remember a long-forgotten line, like ASUS with its Matrix, or even introduce a new series, like MSI with Expert video cards. And this is the new product we will consider.
MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16G Expert
The manufacturer positions the Expert series mainly as products for work PCs, which are used, for example, when creating graphic and video content, working with AI, etc. But they are also suitable for games, and users can easily build a gaming computer based on them. The main thing is that you like the appearance of the cards, but here MSI did a great job and the new products really look great and are somewhat similar to the latest Nvidia Founders Edition products. In total, the new line includes two models based on older GeForce RTX 40 Super chips and, most likely, the company decided to devote the Expert series to updating the “green” cards. Perhaps, by the time GeForce RTX 50 is released, the model range will be limited to them.
The older model based on the GeForce RTX 4080 Super was tested. It has 10,240 thread processors, 80 ray tracing acceleration units, 320 texture and tensor units, and 112 rasterization units. Compared to the regular GeForce RTX 4080, this is actually a 5% increase in computing power, which is not so much – the younger representatives of the Super “update” have a more significant upgrade in this regard. Even the memory size was not increased, nor was the bus.
Manufacturer MSI Model GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16G Expert Core AD103 Technical process, nm 5 Number of stream processors 10240 Base frequency, MHz 2295 Boost Clock frequency, MHz 2610 (2625 OC Mode) Memory bus, bit 256 Memory type GDDR6X Memory frequency, MHz 23000 Memory capacity , GB 12 Supported version DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) Interface PCI-E 4.0 (x16) Image output 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1a Power consumption, W 320 Dimensions, mm 312 x 123 x 61 Weight, kg 1.9 Average cost , UAH 52000
The video card comes in a large, light box with the device on the front and features and specifications on the back.
The package includes documentation, a card support and a power adapter for three 8-pin connectors. A similar support with a stand is found in older products of the Suprim series, while more affordable ones come with a bracket, that is, the positioning of the card is visible even before you take it out of the box.
The design of the GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16G Expert graphics adapter is completely redesigned and has nothing in common with all other MSI series of graphics cards. In concept, it is reminiscent of Nvidia GeForce RTX Founders Edition cards, but unlike them, the radiator here is completely covered with a casing.
The new product seems to be armored with a cooling system called FLOW FROZR. It has smooth contours and is equipped with two fans on opposite sides. The map looks and feels solid, but it's not as big as some top products. And if the height of this graphics adapter corresponds to the SUPRIM models, then it is shorter in length – only 31 cm, which allows it to be installed in an average case.
The main thing is that the case is full-size, because the video card takes up three slots and in the mATX chassis there may be problems with its cooling. On the back panel there are three DisplayPort 1.4a and one HDMI 2.1a connectors, as well as a bunch of holes for the passage of heated air – unlike many cards, they are really necessary here.
The inner end has only two threaded holes for installing additional accessories such as handles or stands for rigid mounting in the PC case.
The adapter is cooled by two 120 mm fans with nine blades connected at the ends by a ring. On the reverse side there is a reverse turntable. Under light load they do not rotate and begin to work when the chip heats up to a certain level.
The air to the outer fan passes through a black metal grille with chrome serrations. Externally, everything looks aesthetically pleasing.
As a result, we have a cooling system that removes part of the heated air outside the case immediately through the rear panel, and directs part of it upward and then it comes out thanks to the case fan.
Almost in the center of the card there is a 12VHPWR power connector, the latch of which will be inside the cooling system and pulling out the cable will not be very convenient.
The casing and back plate are solid and made entirely of aluminum alloy. The plate opposite the GPU has a thermal pad through which heat from the GPU area is transferred to it.
The radiator consists of an evaporation chamber and two massive sections of thin aluminum plates, with which six heat pipes are in contact. Gray paste is used for contact with the GPU, while thermal pads are provided for the memory and power converter elements. Additionally, nickel-plated copper plates are soldered opposite the microcircuits, and there are also bars opposite the power elements.
A section of plates placed along the cooling system is in direct contact with the camera, while the other section, with plates placed transversely, is already pierced by heat pipes.
The printed circuit board is relatively small and follows the contours of the cooling system and has a fan-shaped cutout on the right side. There are places under unsoldered elements. By the way, the manufacturer promises high-quality components and a more durable board, there is even a fuse.
The AD103-400-A1 graphics processor is oblong and without a protective frame, and communicates with Micron D8BZF memory (MT61K512M32KPA-24:U) with a total capacity of 16 GB via a 256-bit bus. To power the chip, a 13-phase converter from DrMOS OnSemi NCP302150, rated at 50 A each, is used. For memory, there are already three phases on the same elements. The chokes are noisy under load, and perhaps even more so than in the second models of MSI video cards.
The chip operates at 2295 MHz, but can be automatically accelerated to 2610 MHz and up to 2625 MHz after installing the proprietary MSI Center application. The memory operates at a speed of 23 GT/s, in other words, at its standard performance.
In real-world tasks, the GPU frequency reached 2625–2715 MHz (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor) or even 2730 MHz (most other games).
In temperature terms, this was 70 degrees (Hot Spot 84°C) for the chip and 68 degrees for the memory, which is slightly higher than cards that use larger, more efficient cooling systems.
The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16G Expert was overclocked to 2480 MHz at the base frequency, which gave 2795 MHz during acceleration. Memory performance was increased to 26 GT/s.
In this mode, GPU frequencies reached 2865–2895 MHz under high load (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor) or even 2895 MHz in most games. To be honest, not the highest figures, which is due to the low power limit of 115%.
Also, the cooling system with such an overclock did not demonstrate the best efficiency, so the graphics processor heated up to 75 degrees (Hot Spot 91 ° C!), while the memory was at around 68 degrees.