MSI Secretly Launches New GeForce RTX 3080 GPUs With Tiny Retouches

Attachment 47462

MSI (via VideoCardz) has added the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G to its existing lineup of custom GeForce RTX 3080 (Ampere) graphics cards.

If you think you've already seen the two graphics cards before, you're not crazy. The new offerings are almost identical replicas of the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio that MSI announced last year. Given the very close resemblance, the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G could just be mere revisions of the original.

Aesthetically, they employ the same Tri Frozr 2 cooling system with the triple-fan setup. The dimensions (323 x 140 x 56mm) are identical to the original except for the weight. The GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio weighs 1,565g, while the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G check in at 1,537g.

MSI obviously did something to the new models to reduce the weight by 1.8%, but we're unsure just what that is. From what's visible, MSI reworked the backplate's design. The backplate on the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G feature more diagonal cutouts that could help heat dissipation. The backplate on the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio was made of plastic with a composite graphene coating, and it's uncertain if the backplates on the latest models use the same recipe.

The boost clock speed is the biggest differentiator between the four Gaming models. The GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G arrives with a 1,830 MHz boost clock, which is 15 MHz faster than the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G, on the other hand, appears to be a revised version of the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio 10G. Other than the redesigned backplate, the graphics card rocks the same 1,755 MHz boost clock as the original.

Attachment 47463

The GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G are still rated with power consumption up to 340W. Therefore, the graphics cards retain the three 8-pin PCIe power connectors to feed the GPU. The minimum recommended capacity for a power supply is fixed at 750W.

Both graphics cards support up to four monitors simultaneously. The display outputs layout remains untouched with one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Pricing for the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 10G and GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming Trio Plus 10G is currently unknown.