MSI launches its most powerful gaming desktop to date but is mum on price

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MSI has gone and gutted its Infinity X gaming desktop and replaced the previous generation internals with some of the fastest components money can buy. Namely, the newest version of the Infinity X pairs the best gaming processor, a Core i9-9900K, with the best graphics card for gaming, a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.

We couldn't find the upgraded desktop in stock at the usual destinations, or at any online retailer, and MSI didn't mention a price. There's little chance this thing goes for less than two grand, though—the CPU and GPU alone are worth north of $1,700.

If you go shopping for one, be aware that there are two main models, the Infinity X 9th and Infinity X 9th Plus. They appear identical at a glance, and for the most part they are, except the Plus model sports a motherboard based on Intel's Z390 chipset and the non-Plus version uses a Z370 board. That's not immediately obvious on the product pages—you have to click on the "Configurations" link to see the expanded spec sheets.

Beyond those core components, the Infinity X 9th supports up to 64GB of DDR4-2666 memory and can accommodate up to two M.2 solid state drives, two 3.5-inch drives, and a single 2.5-inch drive. For the power supply, the system comes with either a 850W 80 Plus Platinum PSU, or a 550W 80 Plus Bronze model.

Front panel ports include two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (Type-A and Type-C) and a USB 2.0 port. Around pack, there are four USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C and USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports (one each), a GbE LAN port, a PS/2 combo port, various audio jacks, and HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, and DVI-D video outputs.

For cooling, MSI plops all these high-end parts into what it claims are three separate chambers. This consists of the traditional top and bottom chambers for the motherboard/CPU and power supply, respectively. However, MSI also mounts the graphics card vertically and considers that a third chamber. It's an interesting design, though we haven't spent any hands-on time with the Infinity X 9th, so we can't say how effective it is.

MSI did not say when the Infinity X 9th and Infinity X 9th Plus will be available.