MSI has confirmed what we exclusively said a few days ago, that AMD’s Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” CPUs & X670 motherboards will launch on the 15th of September.
MSI Officially Confirms A 15th September Launch Date For AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs & X670 Motherboards
You would think that AMD would beat MSI to reveal the release date of their product, but instead, the latter revealed the launch of the Ryzen 7000 CPU series and its X670 motherboard series at once, falling mid-September, and both indicating the same day.
Product announcement: August 29, 2022 at 8:00PM ET / August 30, 2022 at 2:00AM CET / 8:00AM TW
Press embargo: September 13, 2022 at 9AM ET / 3PM CET / 9PM TW
Sales embargo: September 15, 2022 at 9AM ET / 3PM CET / 9PM TW
AMD has not officially revealed the dates themselves but our sources already pointed this out and we even got to know about the 29th August announcement where the red team will disclose full specs and prices. We already gave you the full run-down of the specs too which we also revealed first, exclusively.
MSI plans to release four X670 motherboards initially for the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU family which would include the MEG X670E GODLIKE, MEG X670E Ace, MPG X670E Carbon WiFI & the PRO X670E-P WIFI. We will be getting more information such as prices, overclocking, and memory DDR5 support closer to the launch. The company will also have a range of B650 chipset motherboards to showcase but they aren’t planned for launch until a bit slightly later.
Yesterday at the AMD “Meet The Experts” Livestream, MSI gave a bit more insight into their X670E motherboards. MSI is pushing things to the limits with high-end heatsink designs such as screwless M.2 Shield Frozr technology, M.2 XPANDER-Z Gen 5 Dual AIC (supporting up to two PCIe Gen 5.0 x4) SSDs in actively cooled solution), 60W USB Type-C power delivery and more robust power delivery for each tier of the motherboard. We also get a better look at the MEG X670E GODLIKE which looks as beast as ever with its massively saturated PCB design and tons of IO to work with. More details on MSI’s lineup here.
AMD AM4/TR4 Chipset Features and Specifications:
Wccftech
X670E/X670
X570
X399 Refresh
X399
X470
X370
B450
B350
A320
X300
A300
CrossfireX/SLI
Triple CFX/2-Way SLI
Triple CFX/2-Way SLI
Quad SLI/CFX (Max 6 GPU Support)
Quad SLI/CFX (Max 6 GPU Support)
Triple CFX/2-Way SLI
Triple CFX/2-Way SLI
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
PCIe Gen 5 Lanes
24 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
PCIe Gen 3/4 Lanes
TBD
30 +16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
60 (With Threadripper CPU) 4 Lanes Reserved for PCH
60 (With Threadripper CPU) 4 Lanes Reserved for PCH
AMD’s motherboard partners such as ASUS, MSI, ASRock, Gigabyte & Biostar have unveiled more details about their top X670E designs for Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs.
The AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs will be migrating to a new home known as AM5, the successor to the long-lasting AM4 platform. It marks a fresh start for the Ryzen Desktop family and as such, existing Ryzen CPUs starting with Ryzen 1000 & all the way up to Ryzen 5000 won’t be supported by the new platform we will tell you why it is so.
The AM5 platform will first and foremost feature the brand new LGA 1718 socket. That’s correct, AMD isn’t going the PGA (Pin Grid Array) route anymore and now focusing on LGA (Land Grid Array), similar to what Intel uses on its existing desktop processors. The main reason to go LGA is due to the addition of enhanced and next-gen features such as PCIe Gen 5, DDR5, etc that we will get to see on the AM5 platform. The socket has a single latch & gone are the days of worrying about pins underneath your precious processors.
Representatives of each motherboard manufacturer joined AMD’s latest “Meet The Experts” live-stream to talk about their next-gen X670E designs but it looks like we may still be missing some details regarding overclocking and memory support which is something that AMD might not like being talked about right now although the full announcement of the product lineup is just a few weeks away on 29th August with a launch planned for 15th of August. So let’s look into what the new high-end motherboard offerings have to offer.
ASUS X670E Motherboards
ASUS kicked it off by unveiling its high-end ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and ROG Crosshair X670E HERO motherboards. The ROG Crosshair motherboards come with 20+2 phases for the Extreme & 18+2 phases for the HERO models. Both models are designed with some insane 110A Power Stages and in a Teamed design. The VCore PWM controller is an Infineon ASP2205 while the Power Stages are based on Vishay’s SIC850.
ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme – 20+2 Phase (110A)
ROG Crosshair X670E HERO – 18+2 Phase (110A)
ASUS specifically states that the high-end power delivery is a necessity when overclocking the CPU as it leads to massive current swings and power demand increasing exponentially. Some features highlighted include WiFi 6E (AX210), 10 GbE Marvell AQC113CS connectors, Gen 5.0 PCIe x16 & M.2, USB 4 and Quick Charge 4+ ports.
MSI X670E Motherboards
MSI will be rolling out four brand new X670E Motherboards within its MEG, MPG, and PRO lineups. We recently revealed their flagship MEG X670E GODLIKE motherboards and the manufacturer has confirmed the specs and PCB we reported. The VRM configuration for MSI’s X670E motherboard is as listed below:
MEG X670E GODLIKE – 24 (105A) + 2 + 1
MEG X670E ACE – 22 (90A) + 2 +1
MPG X670E Carbon – 18 (90A) + 2 +1
PRO X670E-P WiFI – 14 (80A) + 2 +1
MSI is pushing things to the limits with high-end heatsink designs such as screwless M.2 Shield Frozr technology, M.2 XPANDER-Z Gen 5 Dual AIC (supporting up to two PCIe Gen 5.0 x4) SSDs in actively cooled solution), 60W USB Type-C power delivery and more robust power delivery for each tier of the motherboard. We also get a better look at the MEG X670E GODLIKE which looks as beast as ever with its massively saturated PCB design and tons of IO to work with. More details on MSI’s lineup here.
Gigabyte X670E Motherboards
The lineup that Gigabyte unveiled includes four AORUS motherboards which include X670E AORUS Xtreme, AORUS Master, AORUS Pro AX & AORUS Elite AX. The Xtreme is expected to break some OC records on AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
We already covered these motherboards including the AERO model previously over here along with their prices.
ASRock X670E Motherboards
ASRock is showcasing five X670E motherboards for the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs. These include the X670E Taichi Carrara, X670E Taichi, X670E Steel Legend, X670E PRO RS & X670E PG Lightning. All five motherboards feature full compatibility with the next-gen AMD Zen 4 CPUs along with DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5.0.
The company highlighted some of the main features being USB Type-C with fast charging, an 8-layer PCB design, PCIe 5.0, and M.2 fan heatsink design plus DDR5 with protection circuits. The lineup is also detailed by us here.
Biostar X670E Motherboards
Biostar also talked a bit about their flagship X670E VALKYRIE motherboard which features a 22-phase VRM design and a very solid-looking design that comes with DR.MOS and Digital PWM ICs. The motherboard is a very premium product designed to support the highest-end AMD Zen 4 CPUs.
Will There Be mATX & Mini-ITX AM5 Motherboards?
Answering a question raised by viewers on whether we will see mATX and Mini-ITX designs within the AM5 family, ASRock’s Mike Yang stated that there are certain obstacles that they are working on such as thermal heat dissipation on such a small form factor but once a breakthrough is made, they certainly plan on offering smaller board designs for every chipset of the AMD 600-series line.
Do 2280 M.2 SSDs Fit On The New 2510 M.2 Slots?
MSI’s Michiel Berkhout stated that the current 2280 M.2 form factor is fully compatible with the 2510 M.2 slots featured on their motherboards.
Will Gigabyte Have A Tachyon Motherboard For AM5?
Gigabyte’s Sofos Oikonomou has stated that there will indeed be a Tachyon motherboard based on the AM5 socket but it will be based on a different chipset, not the X670 so we are likely looking at a B650(E) product.
It is always great to hear more information directly from motherboard manufacturers but key details such as AMD EXPO DDR5 memory and overclocking support are still missing. It looks like we now have to wait till the reviews which don’t come out until the 13th of September to get more data on those but we will try to provide you with more information on those in the coming weeks.
Which motherboard manufacturer do you think has the best X670E design?Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
MSI tries to share as much information on AMD AM5 platform as possible.
The company already confirmed AMD EXPO technology for DDR5 memory overclocking profiles, as well as published an installation guide AMD Ryzen 7000 engineering sample CPU. AMD was clearly not happy about MSI being so direct with all this information, after all Computex was only a showcase, not a full reveal. Thus, some of this information was already removed on AMD request.
But MSI is clearly not bothered. During their MSI Insider stream, the company showcased the AMD X670 chipset design without the heatspreaders. This is actually the first time we get to see the dual chipset design, that AMD confirmed but did not show by themselves.
AMD X670 motherboard, Source: MSI
The AMD AM5 platform featuring LGA1718 socket will host CPUs with up to 170W PPT (socket power). The first generation AM5 CPUs will be based on Zen4 architecture with support for DDR5 memory as well as PCIe Gen5 devices. The X670E and X670 chipsets with their dual chipset design will offer up to 24 PCIe Gen5 lanes for graphics and storage.
Although it was already confirmed by AMD, the new X670 chipsets do not require active cooling. This will greatly simply the design of AMD 600 series motherboards, lower the development cost and probably also means lower power requirement.
AMD X670 chipset cooling, Source: MSI
Computex Ryzen 7000 and X670 showcase is just a glimpse of what will be released this fall (officially). AMD promised to provide more details this summer. The B650 motherboards are to feature a single-chipset design, so that should mean even smaller heatsinks.
The MSI RTX 3080 video card for under $1000 is back in stock on Amazon. This was available for one day last week but it sold out within hours. The next cheapest priced RTX 3080 card on Amazon is closer to $1200. You can also save on an Xbox Series X bundle, which includes Halo Infinite and an Elite Series 2 controller, exclusively at Dell. Currently no other reputable vendor has the Xbox Series X in stock. In other deal news, pick up an HP Victus RTX 3060 Ti gaming PC for a mere $875, get 10% off a Nintendo eShop gift card, and score the best price we’ve seen on an LG C1 4K OLED TV.
Xbox Series X Bundle in Stock at Dell
Slightly discounted
Xbox Series X Bundle with Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller and Halo Infinite
The Xbox Series X is still hard to find at most places, and it’s rare to see it even in stock at Dell. Yes this is a bundle deal, but the extra accessories are quite good: get a bonus Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller and the Halo Infinite game. There’s even a bit of a discount. You’re essentially paying $500 for the console (normal price), $150 for the controller ($20 off), and $50 for the Halo Infinite game ($10 off).
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 GPU for Only $999
This is easily the best price we’ve seen for an RTX 3080 video card since launch. At this price point, the RTX 3080 is a better value than the 3080 Ti, which costs at least $300 more at reputable vendors. The performance gap between the 3080 and 3080 Ti is about 3%, hardly noticeable. The 3080 is significantly more powerful than the previous generation’s champ: the 2080 SUPER. This is the card you want to get if you plan to game at 4K or 1440p with very high framerates. Because other RTX 3080 cards are still selling for at least $1200, it’s very unlikely that this model will stay in stock for very long.
HP Victus RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC for $875
Select RTX 3060 Ti
HP Victus AMD Ryzen 5 5600G RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
This is far and away the lowest price we have ever seen for a prebuilt gaming PC equipped with an RTX 3060 Ti GPU. Once you hit the product page, you’ll have to select “RTX 3060” for $250 and a “500W Power Supply) for $50. You can buy the system as is, or you can choose to add a few more choice upgrades. You certainly have leeway with this super cheap price.
Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch SE
The Series 7 is Apple’s latest and greatest watch. Today, both the 41mm and 45mm models are heavily discounted on Amazon (cheaper than Black Friday). The biggest upgrade the Series 7 has over the Series 6 is the display. It has the same always-on Retina display, but it’s 20% bigger and features a more crack-resistant front crystal screen. It also adds on even more health-related features, like measuring your blood oxygen or taking an ECG. If you don’t need the health related features, you can save $100 and go with the Apple Watch SE instead. Despite the low price tag, this watch is still big on features, such as a large Retina OLED display, 2x faster CPU than the Series 3, heart rate monitoring, GPS, swimproof design, haptic feedback, and more.
Razer Anzu Smart Glasses
Razer Anzu Smart Glasses with Interchangeable Blue Light Filtering and Polarized Sungless Lenses
These Razer smart glasses retail for a ridiculous $199.99. Fortunately, they’re on sale today for a much more reasonable price of $59.99. The Razer Anzu glasses comes with two types of interchangeable lenses; blue-light filtering lenses for PC use and polarized lenses for outdoor use. They also feature a built-in mic and bluetooth speaker for hands-free calling.
10% Off $50 Nintendo eShop Gift Card
Save $5 off any game at the eShop with this digital gift card from Amazon. Use it to pick up rarely discounted favorites like Super Smash Bros Ultimate or Metroid Dread, recent new releases like Kirby and the Forgotten Land or Triangle Strategy, or new DLC like the new one for Animal Crossing: New Horizon. Or you can just hold onto the card and use it during the next eShop sale, since it stacks with instant discounts.
48″ and 55″ LG C1 4K OLED Smart Gaming TVs
Supports 4K @ 120Hz for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers
This is the lowest price we’ve seen for both the 48″ and 55″ LG C1 OLED TVs. If money isn’t an object, OLED TVs are considered the best TVs you can buy right now. Compared to traditional LED LCD TVs, they offer better image quality, deeper blacks, better contrast ratio, wider color gamut, and super fast response times. They excel at both gaming and viewing 4K HDR content. In terms of general usability, they consume less power and they’re very thin and sit flusher against the wall. Amongst OLED TVs, the LG C1 is oft considered the flag bearer; it’s the one TV that all other OLED TVs are compared against. The LG OLED TV boasts several generations of optimizations under its belt and the latest C1 model is future proofed with technology like HDMI 2.1 (4K @ 120Hz), variable refresh rate, G-SYNC, the newest LG A9 Gen4 processor and a revamped webOS smart TV interface.
LG Ultragear 27″ 1080p 240Hz Gaming Monitor
LG Ultragear 27GP750-B 1080p 1ms 240Hz G-SYNC IPS Gaming Monitor
This is the best price we’ve seen for the LG Ultragear GP750 27″ gaming monitor. The Ultrager GP750 caters to fps gamers who crave maximum frame rates. It boasts a 1080p resolution with a low 1ms response time, 240Hz refresh rate, and G-SYNC compatibility. Depending on the game, 240Hz at 1080p is achievable with an RTX 3060 Ti or RTX 3070. The IPS panel means that the Ultragear GP750 also doubles as a fine workstation monitor thanks to its wide viewing angles and accurate color reproduction.
15% Off Instacart Gift Card
Score a $100 Instacart gift card at Best Buy for only $85. Instacart is an online service that delivers groceries from your local neighborhood right to your door; you’ll never have to step foot into any grocery store. Depending on your location, you can even get same day delivery within 2 hours of ordering. For us gamers, that saves us lots of time.
Dell XPS RTX 3060, 3060 Ti, and 3070 Gaming PCs
Dell XPS Intel Core i7-11700 RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Dell XPS Intel Core i7-11700 RTX 3060 Gaming PC with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD
Dell XPS Intel Core i7-11700 RTX 3070 Gaming PC with 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD
Dell is offering deals on XPS gaming PC equipped with an 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor and your choice of RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, and RTX 3070 video cards. The RTX 30 series video cards are getting a bit easier to find, but most vendors (including reputable ones like Amazon) are still charging for hundreds of dollars over MSRP. If you’re building out an entire new gaming PC, in most cases you’ll still save a lot of money going the prebuilt route, especially since Dell is offering an unbeatable price for a solidly built, warrantied gaming rig.
Apple AirPods 2 for $99.99
Pick up a pair of Apple AirPods 2 wireless earbuds for under $100. These AirPods include a charging case that you plug in via USB Type-C, not the “wireless” charger that supports Qi charging. The Apple AirPods 3 earbuds currently cost $170; the main upgrade is the MagSafe support, and that definitely isn’t worth the $70 price premium.
Cooler Master NR200P Max Mini ITX Computer Case
Cooler Master NR200P MAX SFF Small Form Factor Mini-ITX Case with Custom 280mm AIO, 850W SFX Gold PSU, Triple-Slot GPU, Premium PCIe Gen4 Riser, Tempered Glass or Vented Panel Option
The NR200P MAX, might command a hefty price, but it’s the highly rated NR200P on steroids. For starters, despite the diminutive SFF form factor, there’s a pre-installed 280mm AIO liquid cooling system that’s powerful enough to cool even the newest Alder Lake processors (LGA 1700 bracket included). It can also fit big cards like the RTX 3080. Unlike most other PC cases with vertically oriented GPUs, there’s ample clearance between the video card and the side panel for sufficient airflow for the GPU. A massive 850W SFX 80PLUS Gold PSU is also included with custom length cables designed specifically for this case.
This case has been out of stock most of the time and has been very hard to get ahold of. Today, though, it’s available on Amazon with fast delivery. I highly recommend this case; I currently use it myself with an Intel Core i7-12700K Alder Lake and RTX 3080 FE setup without any hiccups whatsoever.
ASUS ROG RTX 3080 Gaming Desktop PC
ASUS ROG Intel Core i7-11700KF RTX 3080 Gaming PC with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 2TB HDD
One of the least expensive pre-built RTX 3080 equipped gaming PCs on the market has been discounted by an additional $300 today at Best Buy The price is quite a surprise because ASUS ROG gaming PCs are generally considered to be better built than your average prebuilt PC with quality components and a slick gaming aeshetic. This particular model is equipped with an unlocked 11th generation Intel Core i7-11700KF processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 2TB HDD for extra storage.
ASUS Vivobook 14″ Laptop w/ WQXGA+ OLED Display
ASUS VivoBook Pro 14″ WQXGA+ (2880×1800) OLED Intel Core i5-11300H Intel Iris Xe Laptop
This ASUS Vivobook laptop has one of the best laptop displays we’ve seen, especially at this really low price. The 14″ OLED display sports a 16:10 WGXGA+ (2880×1800) resolution with a 100% DCI-P3 color range and Pantone color calibration. It’s paired with an Intel Core i5 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. It even has a Thunderbolt 4 port.
New LEGO Star Wars Dioramas up for Preorder
Out April 26
LEGO Star Wars Death Star Trench Run Diorama Building Kit
Out April 26
LEGO Star Wars Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama Building Kit
Out April 26
LEGO Star Wars Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama Building Kit
LEGO recently announced its new set of LEGO Stars Wars Diorama building sets. These sets capture some of the most iconic moments from the original Star Wars trilogy, including the climactic Death Star trench run, Luke’s Jedi training in the swamps of Dagobah, and the harrowing escape from the trash compactor aboard an Imperial Cruiser.
Intel claimed at CES that its new Alder Lake mobile chips would be the fastest mobile chips ever made. We’ve finally gotten to try out the flagship in this line, the 14-core Core i9-12900HK, inside MSI’s GE76 Raider gaming laptop. And it turns out that Intel was right… with some caveats.
The GE76 Raider is a monster in both gaming and productivity workloads. It blew every 11th Gen gaming system I’ve ever tested out of the water. And it even beat Apple’s MacBooks in many of our benchmarks, but that comparison is a bit more… complicated.
Check out the video above to see the full results of our Alder Lake testing and our impressions of how it compares to the M1 Max. For even more benchmark results, in-depth performance analysis, and details about the laptop’s chassis, make sure you also read our full review of the GE76 Raider.
Keeping their tradition alive of launching a new graphics architecture every two years, this year, NVIDIA introduced its Ampere GPU. The Ampere GPU is built upon the foundation set by Turing. Termed as its biggest generational leap, the NVIDIA Ampere GPUs excel compared to previous generations at everything.
The Ampere lineup offers faster shader performance, faster ray tracing performance, and faster AI performance. Built on a brand new process node and featuring an architecture designed from the ground up, Ampere is a killer product with lots of numbers to talk about. The fundamental of Ampere was to take everything NVIDIA learned with its Turing architecture and not only refine it but to use its DNA to form a product in a completely new performance category.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Rumored To Have Better Supply Than RTX 3060 Ti & RTX 3060 Graphics Cards
Today, we will be taking a look at the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB graphics card, a silent release from NVIDIA that wasn’t announced till its official release on 11th January.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Graphics Cards – The Biggest GPU Performance Leap in Recent History
Turing wasn’t just any graphics core, it was the graphics core that was to become the foundation of future GPUs. The future is realized now with next-generation consoles going deep in talks about ray tracing and AI-assisted super-sampling techniques. NVIDIA had a head start with Turing and its Ampere generation will only do things infinitely times better.
The Ampere GPU does many traditional things that we would expect from a GPU, but at the same time, also breaks the barrier when it comes to untraditional GPU operations. Just to sum up some features:
MSI GK71 SONIC Keyboard Review – A Faster Experience with All Bells and Whistles
New Streaming Multiprocessor (SM)
New Turing Tensor Cores
New Real-Time Ray Tracing Acceleration
New Shading Enhancements
New Deep Learning Features For Graphics & Inference
New GDDR6X High-Performance Memory Subsystem
New 2nd Generation NVLINK Interconnect
New HDMI 2.1 Display Engine & Next-Gen NVENC/NVDEC
The technologies mentioned above are some of the main building blocks of the Ampere GPU, but there’s more within the graphics core itself which we will talk about in detail so let’s get started.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Pricing Per Segment
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 30 series is made up of a diverse portfolio of graphics cards. The lineup starts at the GeForce RTX 3060 with an MSRP of $329 US and goes all the way up to higher-end configurations starting at $499 US for the GeForce RTX 3070, $599 US for the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, $699 US for the GeForce RTX 3080, $1199 US for the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and $1499 US for the GeForce RTX 3090. NVIDIA themselves call the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti the flagship graphics card and not the GeForce RTX 3090.
The RTX 3080 & RTX 3070 are both priced well and in line with their predecessors but the GeForce RTX 3090 goes all out with a price of $1499 US. Even the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has seen a price hike compared to the MSRP of the RTX 2080 Ti ($999 US vs $1199 US). NVIDIA calls the GeForce RTX 3090 the “BFGPU” and as per the terminology, it seems like this is a new marketing name for the Titan graphics card. It is likely that we could see a Titan-based card under the Quadro branding with faster specs out of the box but the GeForce RTX 3090 is purely a gaming graphics card first with all the horsepower for intense professional and workstation workloads.
With that said, the GeForce RTX 3080 replaces the RTX 2080 SUPER at the same price point and the GeForce RTX 3070 replaces the GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER at the same price point. Given this trend, we might see the more mainstream variants cost just as much as their RTX 20 SUPER series cards but with a higher performance out of the box.
NVIDIA GeForce GPU Segment/Tier Prices
Graphics Segment
2014-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2020
2020-2021
Titan Tier
Titan X (Maxwell)
Titan X (Pascal)
Titan Xp (Pascal)
Titan V (Volta)
Titan RTX (Turing)
GeForce RTX 3090
Price
$999 US
$1199 US
$1199 US
$2999 US
$2499 US
$1499 US
Ultra Enthusiast Tier
GeForce GTX 980 Ti
GeForce GTX 980 Ti
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Price
$649 US
$649 US
$699 US
$999 US
$999 US
$1199 US
Enthusiast Tier
GeForce GTX 980
GeForce GTX 1080
GeForce GTX 1080
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER
GeForce RTX 3080
Price
$549 US
$549 US
$549 US
$699 US
$699 US
$699 US
High-End Tier
GeForce GTX 970
GeForce GTX 1070
GeForce GTX 1070
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GeForce RTX 3070
Price
$329 US
$379 US
$379 US
$499 US
$499 US
$599 $499
Mainstream Tier
GeForce GTX 960
GeForce GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060
GeForce GTX 1060
GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER GeForce RTX 2060 GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GeForce GTX 1660
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB
Price
$199 US
$249 US
$249 US
$249 US
$399 US $349 US $279 US $229 US $219 US
$399 US $329 US
Entry Tier
GTX 750 Ti GTX 750
GTX 950
GTX 1050 Ti GTX 1050
GTX 1050 Ti GTX 1050
GTX 1650 SUPER GTX 1650
TBA
Price
$149 US $119 US
$149 US
$139 US $109 US
$139 US $109 US
$159 US $149 US
TBA
In addition to the specs/price update, NVIDIA’s RTX technologies are being widely adopted by major game engines and APIs such as Microsoft’s DirectX (DXR), Vulkan, Unreal Engine, Unity, and Frostbite. While there were only three RTX titles around the launch of the RTX 20 series cards, NVIDIA now has at least 28 titles that utilize their RTX feature set to offer real-time ray tracing with more coming soon.
In addition to that, with the upcoming consoles confirmed to feature ray tracing, developers can also make use of the RTX technology to fine-tune future games for the GeForce RTX hardware. Currently, NVIDIA has 13 game engines that are leveraging their RTX technologies for use in their upcoming and existing games while both Vulkan and DirectX 12 Ultimate APIs are part of the RTX ecosystem on the PC platform.
So for this review, I will be taking a look at MSI’s latest GeForce RTX 30 SUPRIM X series graphics card which includes the GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB SUPRIM X.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB Graphics Card
NVIDIA designed the GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB graphics card, not just for any gamer but all gamers who want to have the best 4K graphics performance at hand to power the next-generation of AAA gaming titles with superb visuals and insane fluidity. It’s not just the FPS that matters these days, it’s visuals, and a smoother frame rate too and this is exactly what the GeForce RTX 30 series is made to excel at. There’s a lot to talk about regarding NVIDIA’s flagship Ampere gaming graphics cards so let’s start off with the specifications.
For the GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB, NVIDIA has enabled a total of 70 SM units which results in a total of 8960 CUDA cores, a 3% increase over the standard RTX 3080. In addition to the CUDA cores, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 also comes packed with next-generation RT (Ray-Tracing) cores, Tensor cores, and brand new SM or streaming multi-processor units. The card is suggested to have a TDP of 350W and will operate at a base clock of 1260 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz.
In terms of memory, the updated GeForce RTX 3080 comes packed with 12 GB of memory and that too is the next-generation GDDR6X design. With Micron’s latest and greatest graphics memory dies, the RTX 3080 can deliver GDDR6X memory speeds of 19.0 Gbps. That along with a bus interface of 384-bit will deliver a cumulative bandwidth of 912 GB / s or a 20% increase over the 10 GB variant. The TGP for the card is set to be slightly higher than the RTX 3080 at 350 Watts. That’s definitely needed to feed the extra cores so NVIDIA might have to optimize the clocks a bit here.
The reception of this card mostly depends on its pricing. While the MSRP of $ 699 US was never true for the GeForce RTX 3080, the same can be expected for the 12 GB variant. It will slide between the RTX 3080 10 GB and RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB graphics card so expect around $ 899- $ 999 US as an MSRP & realistic pricing should be expected over $ 1500 US. As for performance, the card may end up being really close to the RTX 3080 Ti at a lower price point.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series ‘Ampere’ Graphics Card Specifications:
Graphics Card Name
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
GPU Name
Ampere GA107
Ampere GA107
Ampere GA106-300
Ampere GA104-200
Ampere GA104-300
Ampere GA104-400
Ampere GA102-200
Ampere GA102-225
Ampere GA102-300
Process Node
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Samsung 8nm
Die Size
TBA
TBA
TBA
395.2mm2
395.2mm2
395.2mm2
628.4mm2
628.4mm2
628.4mm2
Transistors
TBA
TBA
TBA
17.4 Billion
17.4 Billion
17.4 Billion
28 Billion
28 Billion
28 Billion
CUDA Cores
2048?
2560?
3584
4864
5888
6144
8704
10240
10496
TMUs / ROPs
64 / 40
80 / 48
112 / 64
152 / 80
184 / 96
192/ 96
272 / 96
320 / 112
328 / 112
Tensor / RT Cores
64 / 16
80 / 20
112 / 28
152 / 38
184 / 46
192/ 48
272 / 68
320 / 80
328 / 82
Base Clock
TBA
TBA
1320 MHz
1410 MHz
1500 MHz
1575 MHz
1440 MHz
1365 MHz
1400 MHz
Boost Clock
TBA
TBA
1780 MHz
1665 MHz
1730 MHz
1770 MHz
1710 MHz
1665 MHz
1700 MHz
FP32 Compute
TBA
TBA
12.7 TFLOPs
16.2 TFLOPs
20 TFLOPs
22 TFLOPs
30 TFLOPs
34 TFLOPs
36 TFLOPs
RT TFLOPs
TBA
TBA
25.4 TFLOPs
32.4 TFLOPs
40 TFLOPs
42 TFLOPs
58 TFLOPs
67 TFLOPs
69 TFLOPs
Tensor-TOPs
TBA
TBA
101 TOPs
129.6 TOPs
163 TOPs
174 TOPs
238 TOPs
273 TOPs
285 TOPs
Memory Capacity
4 GB GDDR6?
4 GB GDDR6?
12 GB GDDR6
8 GB GDDR6
8 GB GDDR6
8 GB GDDR6X
10 GB GDDR6X
12 GB GDDR6X
24 GB GDDR6X
Memory Bus
128-bit
128-bit
192-bit
256-bit
256-bit
256-bit
320-bit
384-bit
384-bit
Memory Speed
TBA
TBA
15 Gbps
14 Gbps
14 Gbps
19 Gbps
19 Gbps
19 Gbps
19.5 Gbps
Bandwidth
TBA
TBA
360 Gbps
448 Gbps
448 Gbps
608 Gbps
760 Gbps
912 Gbps
936 Gbps
TGP
~75W
~100W
170W
200W
220W
290W
320W
350W
350W
Price (MSRP / FE)
$149?
$199?
$329
$399 US
$499 US
$599 US
$699 US
$1199
$1499 US
Launch (Availability)
2021?
2021?
February 2021
December 2020
29th October 2020
10th June 2021
17th September 2020
3rd June 2021
24th September 2020
In case you want to read our full NVIDIA Ampere GPU architecture deep dive and GeForce RTX 30 Founders Edition review, head over to this link.
MSI has shared a lot of details in their recent Insider episode of Livestreams regarding Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs, DDR5 memory & their Z690 product lineup. The motherboard manufacturer revealed some interesting information regarding the different dies, power requirements, thermal operations, and cooling configurations for the new platform.
Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU Dies, Hot Spots, DDR5 Memory Power, Temperatures, Z690 Prices & Best Cooling Configurations Detailed
We know from the official announcement that Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPUs will be available in two main die configurations. These include an 8+8 (C0) die which will be featured on high-end unlocked and non-K SKUs and a 6+0 (H0) die that will be used for non-K SKUs. All of the dies are based on the 10nm ESF process node (Intel 7) and feature a smaller die size compared to 14nm SKUs.
Intel Demos XeSS Super Resolution In Hitman 3 & The Riftbreaker, Talks How Alder Lake E-Cores Can Help Boost Gaming Performance
Intel Alder Lake CPU Dies, Hot Spots & Best Cooling Configurations
The Intel Alder Lake C0 die has a surface area of 215.25mm2 while the H0 die has a surface area of 162.75mm2. This means that as the area shrinks and transistor density increases, heat dissipation will become a major challenge. The CPUs will use a Tin TIM material between the die and IHS along with a soldered design. Just for comparison, the 14nm Rocket Lake CPUs with 8 cores & 16 threads had a surface area of 276mm2.
Since both Alder Lake dies have a different core configuration, their hot spots are also different. As shown in the thermal imagery by MSI, the C0 (8+8) die has its hot spot close towards the center but the H0 (6+0) die has its hot spot slightly towards the left side. So it will be important to use the right cooling configuration based on the SKU you are getting.
Newegg Requests Customers To Remain Quiet for Breaking Embargo Date & Shipping Intel Alder Lake CPUs Early
For this purpose, MSI has shown some best cooling configurations to use with the Intel Alder Lake CPUs. For starters, it is suggested that copper-based heatsinks are used instead of aluminum ones. The positioning will also play an important role as you are advised to have the heat pipes running parallel to the die and not perpendicular. The parallel configuration will ensure that the heat pipes are making direct contact over the hot spots and not making inefficient contact.
We already detailed previously how some older coolers might have mounting pressure issues with the new LGA 1700 socket chips. You can read more on that here but MSI has ensured its users that the majority of their lineup will be getting the LGA 1700 mounting kit free-of-charge and older CPU coolers from them will be receiving a new V2 revision for proper support for Intel Alder Lake CPUs.
DDR5 Memory Power Consumption, Temperatures & PSU Compatibility
A key feature of Intel’s Alder Lake lineup is support for DDR5 memory and the memory introduces some key upgrades including higher transfer speeds, larger capacities, dual-banks, On-Die ECC, and PMIC.
PMIC or power management IC is a big change for DDR5 as it brings the VRMs for the memory over to the memory modules themselves instead of having them on the motherboard. But while it has benefits in terms of power management, lowering the requirements, and improving efficiency, the downside is the heat transfer. A demo unit from MSI is shown which features the RENESAS P8911-Y0 controller and voltages (VDDQ/VDD) set to 1.35V. In thermal imagery, it can be seen that the ICs for VRM get really hot, especially the inductors which have the highest temperature on the entire DIMM. So it looks like a lot of high-end memory modules will be fitted with some beefy heatsinks as we get even higher-clocked DIMMs.
MSI Z690 motherboards, like every other manufacturer, will come with three DDR5 Power Modes. The first is the standard Security mode which will feature locked standard values of 1.1/1.1/1.8V (VDD/VDDQ/VPP), the Program mode which will be the standard always-on mode by the board & that will operate at 1.1-1.435/1.1-1.435/1.8-20135V while the OC mode will require a specific IC on certain high-end motherboards to unlocked the ranges beyond the standard Program mode. MSI also sent us some mode retails on the PSU type suitable for DDR5 memory that can be read below:
1. The difference in the DDR5 power supply.
In the past, the power supply for the memory was directly provided by the Motherboard, take DDR4 as an example, as the standard specification for DDR4 memory was 1.2V which is powered by the motherboard.
However, the power of the new generation DDR5 is powered by PMIC which is located on the DIMM module instead of Motherboard directly.
2. The Challenges of PSUs on DDR5
Due to the new power architecture change of DDR5, the power is directly supplied from the PSU to the PMIC with 5V. If the 5V power is unstable, it is easy to cause an abnormal power supply of the memory and cause a system crash. Therefore, keeping the 5V power stable in any condition has become crucial for those PSUs that are prepared to power the DDR5 memory.
3. The power testing on MSI PSUs.
Based on the power testing with the benchmarking tool, it can be found that the MSI series power supplies face drastic 12V power changes, and 5V(CH2) still maintains stability, which means the PSUs of MSI can ensure the stable operation of DDR5 memory at all times.
MSI also goes into specific about when they can see DDR5 prices drop. As expected of a new-gen, DDR5 is currently 30-50% more expensive than DDR4 memory at the same density and that could go even higher based on key materials supply situations such as PMIC and SPD hub. It is expected that prices will fall down to DDR4 levels around mid of 2023 as the adoption rate climbs and more platforms start using the new standard. We detailed more on the pricing situation of DDR5 DRAM in this article.
PCIe Gen 5 AIC, M.2 Heatsinks For Gen 4 SSDs & Z690 Motherboard Prices
MSI also unveiled its brand new PCIe Gen 5 AIC card for next-generation M.2 SSDs. The new AIC M.2 XPANDER-Z Gen 5 card will feature a dual-slot single-fan design with a single PCIe 5.0 slot & support one Gen 5 M.2 SSD through x4 lanes. This will offer up to 64 GB/s of transfer speeds & will be powered by a single 6-pin connector interface. Do note that the Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs only provide Gen 5 PCIe lanes to the expansion slots and not the M.2 slots so this is a very useful feature once the Gen 5 SSDs hit the market.
Some M.2 Shield Frozr numbers for Gen 4 SSDs on Z690 motherboards are also shared. MSI is highlighting the important need for heatsinks in high-performance SSDs. Stats such as thermal performance and throttling can be seen in the slides shared below:
Lastly, MSI has revealed the final prices of its entire Z690 motherboard range for Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs in USD and Euros. You can see the lineup below:
MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE (TBD)
MSI MEG Z690 ACE ($699 US)
MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X ($619 US)
MSI MEG Z690 Unify ($589 US)
MSI MPG Z690 Carbon EK (TBD)
MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi ($469.99 US)
MSI MPG Z690 Force WiFi ($429.99 US)
MSI MPG Z690 Edge WiFi ($349 US)
MSI MPG Z690 Edge WiFi DDR4 ($329 US)
MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk ($309 US)
MSI MAG Z690 Torpedo ($289 US)
MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk DDR4 ($299 US)
MSI PRO Z690-A WiFi ($249.99 US)
MSI PRO Z690-A ($229.99 US)
MSI PRO Z690-A WiFi DDR4 ($239.99 US)
MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ($219.99 US)
MSI has a more detailed event for these motherboards and how they perform alongside Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs planned for tomorrow along with a full launch event on 2nd November & we will make sure to provide more data related to specifications and new features for the Z690 motherboards really soon!
(Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.)
A 2-in-1 laptop may seem like the ultimate device for people who want portability and versatility without giving up too much power. You get the ultraportability of an ultraportable from lightweight builds measuring under 1 inch thick. When you don’t need an old-school physical keyboard, you can switch to tablet mode, and with touchscreen and stylus options, creative work seems more attainable, too.
But problems with battery life, heat management, durability, and audio quality often come with that oh-so-versatile approach. The MSI E13 Flip Evo isn’t completely immune to all these issues, but it evolves the story around convertibles that insist on being under an inch thick.
Hailing from MSI’s business- and productivity-focused Summit series of machines, the E13 (there’s also a 16-inch E16 with Nvidia RTX options) starts at a $1,300 MSRP and goes up to $1,900. (We’ve spotted it for $1,800.) With its lightweight, trim aluminum build, shiny accents, and dedicated pen, the machine is a clear rival for premium ultraportables like Dell’s XPS line and Microsoft’s Surface offerings.
Specs at a glance: MSI Summit E13 Flip Evo
Worst
Best
As reviewed
Screen
13.4-inch 1920 x 1200 60Hz IPS-level touchscreen
OS
Windows 10
Windows 10 Pro
CPU
Intel Core i7-1195G7
Intel Core i7-1185G7
RAM
16GB LPDDR4X-4267
32GB LPDDR4X-4267
Storage
512GB NVMe PCIe SSD
1TB NVMe PCIe SSD
GPU
Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
Networking
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Ports
2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A), 1x microSD card reader, 1x 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack
Size
11.82 x 8.75 x 0.59 inches (300.23 x 222.25 x 14.99 mm)
Weight
2.98 lbs (1.35 kg)
Battery
70 Whr
Warranty
1 year
Price (MSRP)
$1,500
$1,900
Other perks
USB-C to USB-A adapter, MSI Pen, sleeve, black or white finish
MSI’s 13-incher still has its flaws, like an uncomfortable keyboard that fails to keep up and limitations in audio quality. But its ability to get the most from its 11th Gen Intel CPU as well as its integrated Iris Xe graphics (without becoming unbearably hot) makes it a worthy rival among 2-in-1 devices. And a good-looking build with a taller and brighter-than-average screen make the competition even more intense.
Great looks, great port selection
MSI’s E13 Flip Evo proves that a black laptop doesn’t have to look boring. In the Ink Black hue, it carries a matte black finish accented by what MSI describes as “rose gold” (in person, the accents appear more like copper). The copper-ish shade is a subtle difference for the aging rose-gold trend, but it makes the machine look slightly more unusual. These accents are reflective (but less so than the slanted MSI logo on the lid) for that prim and proper feel.
The 2-in-1’s entire body is made from a block of CNC-milled aluminum. Mildly chamfered sides on the upper left and right corners approach HP Spectre territory without crossing the line. I carried this ultraportable around a lot during my time with it, and it picked up fingerprints, but I’ve seen much worse, especially with black laptops. You can opt to get the machine in Pure White, too.
Enlarge / The PC comes with a thin sleeve and USB-C-to-USB-A adapter.
Scharon Harding
Weighing just 2.98 pounds (1.35 kg) and measuring 0.59-inch (1.5 cm) thick, the machine easily fit into various tasks with tablet and tented modes, and the latter withstood my most aggressive uses of the touchscreen. For comparison, Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1 is similarly light and thin (2.9 pounds, 0.56-inch thick, or 1.32 kg and 1.4 cm), while Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio convertible is notably heavier and slightly thicker and (4 pounds [1.81 kg] with an i7 CPU, like the E13 I’m reviewing has, 0.75-inch [1.91 cm] thick).
Enlarge / A 2-in-1 is only as reliable as its hinge.
Scharon Harding
Still, the E13 Flip Evo feels surprisingly dense and durable. The thin lid does have some flex when forced but is far from flimsy. The all-important (and rose-gold-accented) hinges are hearty and reliable. When you flip the screen backward, the two hinge pieces rotate back slightly. I could also feel some movement internally in the deck portion. Most importantly, the laptop was reliable when flipped into a tablet or arched up like a tent.
Enlarge / 0.56 inch thick.
Scharon Harding
The deck’s frosted finish seems harder to scratch than cheaper, plastic alternatives, and it feels good on the wrist (if a bit sharp near the edge). MSI claims military-grade durability from its MIL-STD-810G certification (PDF), which calls for testing under extreme temperatures, humidity, shock, low- and high-pressure altitude, and other parameters. Topping off the deck is a FIDO 2-backed fingerprint reader. Its deck location isn’t as snazzy or intuitive as those on the power button, but it doesn’t take up space on the touchpad, either.
