When it comes to GPUs and the stupidly high-end, there are some choices to make. Not just with which brand to go for, but which particular model you decide to spend your hard-earned cash on. So, with lots of choices out there, where do you turn to? MSI’s Suprim lineup has been at the forefront of this segment of the market for the last few generations, and MSI believe they have the secret sauce for delivering the very best RTX 5080 experience for those not wanting to compromise on any area, including features, cooling potential and that all-important overclocking headroom. But with a price premium well above MSRP, does it offer enough to tempt you in? Well, that’s what we’re going to find out.
MSI SUPRIM RTX 5080 SOC
Okay, so elephant in the room time. The Nvidia RTX 5080 is meant to be a $999-based card, and while I’m sure some gamers managed to snap a few MSRP-based models up for that price, we are seeing inflated pricing, even for your run-of-the-mill basic models without all of the flashy lights, huge overclocking potential and massive chunky coolers. Which means that the models that do offer those features are going to command even more, and are priced at what’s meant to be $1250. It’s a steep increase over the MSRP pricing that never was, and you could easily be expected to pay over $1500 right now for this model, if you can get it at all, that is.
- Core Clocks:
- Extreme Performance: 2760 MHz (MSI Center)
- Boost: 2745 MHz (GAMING & SILENT Mode)
- HYPER FROZR THERMAL DESIGN: An apex evolution of advanced thermal design that delivers unparalleled cooling and quiet operation.
- STORMFORCE Fan: Seven fan blades, claw texturing, and a circular arc are designed for optimal airflow with minimal noise.
- Advanced Vapor Chamber: Built-in Vapor Chamber swiftly transfers heat from the GPU and VRAM to the core pipe for optimal dissipation.
- Core Pipes: Square-shaped Core Pipes maximize heat dissipation with the Vapor Chamber for superior cooling.
- Filled Fins: Shaped fins cover the core pipes to reduce turbulence and enhance cooling performance.
- Wave Curved 4.0: Precision-engineered wave edges with a high-low fin design enhance airflow and reduce turbulence.
- Air Antegrade Fin 2.0: The fins feature a V-shaped cutout and a high-low design at the airflow passthrough to optimize flow efficiency.
- Metal Backplate: A reinforcing metal backplate with airflow vents and thermal pads enhances cooling.
- Dual BIOS: Dual BIOS gives you the choice to prioritize for full performance in GAMING mode or low noise in SILENT mode.
- MSI Center: The exclusive MSI Center software lets you monitor, tweak and optimize MSI products in real-time.
- Afterburner: Take full control with the most recognized and widely used graphics card overclocking software in the world.
Check out the official MSI product page here.
Pricing to one side, let’s take a look at what we have on offer. The MSI RTX 5080 SUPRIM SOC is a pre-factory overclocked, premium SKU that highlights MSI’s latest developments and feats in cooling technology. Out of the box, the card packs a 2745MHz boost clock, which comes in just under 5% faster than the reference 2617MHz clock speed, while still packing the same 1875MHz memory clock. So, not the biggest overclock in the world, especially given that we know these Blackwell-based GPUs can clock pretty far, but we’ll look at how much more we can squeeze out shortly, especially given the large cooler that should help maintain temperatures, allowing us to push things further.
