MSI SuprimX RTX 3080 12GB LHR Graphics Card Review

How Much Does It Cost?

At the time of writing, I don’t have any retail links for this graphics card. However, you can check for up to date pricing and stock information on Amazon UK here, or Amazon US here. Of course, we fully expect stock to be sporadic, and prices to be inflated at many retailers.

Overview

This card is quite a conundrum in so many regards. On a technical level, it is an upgrade of an older model, but I’m not sure why it’s really upgraded either. In many regards, the original RTX 3080 is still a very competitive card, and the main crippling factor would be stock availability. It’s not that Nvidia isn’t making lots of GPUs, they certainly are, but between mining and scalping, and just huge consumer demand, it feels like there’s nothing out there. Thankfully, this card is one of the LHR cards, so it’s less appealing to mining operations, but even that is just one small battle in the larger GPU wars right now.

Why?

Perhaps with this new revision, it’s bringing in their improved manufacturing techniques, so not only is the card performing a little better, but it’s also possible to manufacture more easily too. However, Nvidia and the brands that release their cards, such as MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, and many more, have all been pretty quiet about this launch. There are no early previews, there likely won’t be many reviews, and few details about the card prior to launch. This lack of fanfare makes the launch feel either rushed or hushed. Is something kept quiet to cover a negative aspect? Most likely the price vs the performance not really pushing the limits like new launches used to, or just simply how many will or won’t be available.

New and Improved

Don’t get me wrong though, the RTX 3080 is a fantastic card. This new version isn’t really much different, but it is still technically better. It has rock-solid performance throughout, and you’ll not be left wanting more when it comes to high-end gaming. It’ll game at 4K, it’ll do high refresh rate gaming, and you’ll be able to enjoy ray tracing on your favourite games. It’s a bloody rock-solid gaming card. However, it’s just not the big leap in the price to performance ratio we really would like to see.

Should I Buy One?

MSI will sell this card at a premium, as the SUPRIM is one of their most high-end models. That means bigger power delivery, bigger boost clocks, and most notable, a freaking massive cooler. It’s a sexy cooler though, and the sheer amount of raw materials used to create it doesn’t come cheap. However, it looks great, it keeps it cool and quiet, and I can’t really argue with that.

If the price isn’t too different from the normal RTX 3080, then absolutely, this is the one to get. It’s got a little more VRAM, it’s a little bit better tuned, and it benefits from improved manufacturing overall. It’s a very powerful and stylish graphics card that’s sure to complement any high-end PC build. The only question is, can you buy one? LHR keeps the miners away, but stock vs demand will be the main focus. I really hope those who want this card find one at a price they can live with. Price aside though, I can’t really fault the card, it’s a sound revision to an already solid foundation.