Real competition in the discrete graphics market benefits both developers and potential owners of new graphics cards. The first helps to stay in good shape and move forward, the second – to spend their money with maximum return. A good example of this is the improved Super versions of the popular models of the GeForce RTX line, which appeared partly as a response to the release of new AMD products. One of the most interesting updates of this wave was the GeForce RTX 2070 Super graphics card. An extraordinary model of the line came to our review – MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio. What is such a large version with a massive cooling system capable of?

Message from the editor: Our defenders from the 115th brigade, which is now fighting in the east, need a pickup truck . Details for transferring funds to a monobank card – Polyanskaya Karine Sergeevna, card number 5375414101372265. We ask you to take part in the fundraising.
Glory to Ukraine!

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super

The GeForce RTX 2070 Super video card is an accelerated modification of the GeForce RTX 2070, however, despite the similarity of the designation, it has much more in common with the older model of the line – the GeForce RTX 2080. The main difference was the use of the TU104 GPU instead of the TU106 in the base model.

To further accelerate the GeForce RTX 2070, a GPU replacement was indispensable. In the standard version for this series, a GPU (TU106-400A) with all unlocked blocks was already used, and the chip itself worked at fairly high frequencies. Therefore, the appearance of TU104 as part of the Super-modification was quite logical.

As a result, the number of CUDA computes increased from 2304 to 2560 (+11.1%), and texture units from 144 to 160. Also, the number of hardware RT computes (from 36 to 40) and tensor cores increased proportionally from 288 to 320 The memory subsystem has not changed. For the video card, the same 8 GB of high-speed GDDR6 is used, operating at an effective 14,000 MHz. A 256-bit bus in this embodiment provides a total throughput of 448 GB / s.

Looking at the specification table, we can say that the GeForce RTX 2070 Super is more likely a somewhat lighter version of the GeForce RTX 2080 than an accelerated GeForce RTX 2070. It has only the recommended price of $ 500 for the American market and nominal positioning.

Recall that the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, as well as the enhanced junior modification, the GeForce RTX 2060 Super, were presented on July 9th. Just two days after the official launch of the Radeon RX 5700/5700 XT. It’s probably just a coincidence. Not really. Such an update to the GeForce RTX line obviously somewhat blurred the appearance of new products from AMD, which initially planned to compete with the classic GeForce RTX 2070 and RTX 2060. With the advent of Super versions of the adapters, the main opponent had to hastily adjust the price tags for their products. But, that’s a completely different story.

MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio

By the launch of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, MSI has introduced almost a dozen different modifications of the adapters in this series. The manufacturer offers similar versions in the starting lines VENTUS, ARMOR, improved GAMING, as well as three-fan GAMING Trio, which were previously used only for top-end adapters with NVIDIA chips.

It is in this design that the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio that came to our review was made. Of course the video card is factory overclocked. The graphics processor received a frequency formula of 1605/1800 MHz, instead of the recommended 1605/1770 MHz. GDDR6 memory runs at a specified 14,000 MHz.

In a similar design, the manufacturer also offers a modification of the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING Z Trio, which, in addition to the GPU (1605/1815 MHz), also has accelerated local memory (15,500 MHz), which is now extremely rare.

Contents of delivery

The video card is offered in a fairly large box, the size of which is more typical for a motherboard. On the packaging are large-scale photos of the device and the model name.

The adapter comes with a set of documentation, a disk with drivers and software, as well as an additional metal bracket to support and securely fix the video card in the PC case. Such elements are no longer a novelty for “heavyweights”, they can be useful especially during the transportation of the system unit.

Design and layout

The large size of the video card is the first thing you notice after unpacking the device. Yes, and one and a half kilograms of weight hint at the fact that we are dealing with an uncommon graphics adapter.

The model is equipped with a massive cooler series Tri-Frozr. The overall radiator block consists of two stacked cassettes of aluminum plates with an original wavy profile shape, which additionally increases the dispersion area and makes it possible to more efficiently use the air flow generated by the fans.

To speed up heat transfer, the blocks are pierced by seven nickel-plated heat pipes, one of which has a diameter of 8 mm, the rest – 6 mm. For uniform heat removal from the entire surface of the GPU chip, the design of the heat sink includes a nickel-plated copper distribution plate.

The height of the plates is also increased (22-28 mm), which automatically makes the cooling system bulky, making it impossible to get by with two slots for installing a video card. The manufacturer does not even try to downplay the size of the device, introducing specific terms like “2.7-slot” or something similar. To install a video card, you definitely need three free slots.

In the profile of the plates there are specific deflectors that concentrate the air flow in the areas where the heat pipes are located.

As expected, the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio uses an original PCB with a reinforced power subsystem. The layout of the stabilizer suggests a 10-phase circuit (8 + 2) with spectacular DrMOS assemblies. The MP2888A controller from Monolithic Power Systems controls the VRM settings for the GPU, while the uP9512P controls the two-phase voltage regulator on the memory chips.

Power assemblies and chokes through thermal pads are in contact with the main radiator unit. Additional cooling is also provided for memory chips. A separate aluminum plate covers the GDDR6 chips, and is also attached to the interface panel with screws, forming an additional stiffening rib.

On the reverse side, the printed circuit board is covered with an aluminum plate with versatile decorative polishing. The protective element is also used to optimize the temperature regime. Thermal pads in the GPU area help speed up heat dissipation from the hot zone on the PCB. Of the interesting options, one can also note additional decorative holes on the plane of the panel to improve ventilation.

Three axial fans are used to blow the radiator block. Two of them have a diameter of 100 mm and one more – 90 mm. The fans have double ball bearings and are designed according to the Torx FAN 3.0 design, which has a special shape of the blade profile with a curve and specific notches. According to the developers, such improvements increase the static pressure without increasing the fan speed.

There are a lot of small nuances in the overall design of the cooler, which form the general impression of the developers’ attention to details. One example is an additional clamp for cables that connect fans and lights.

Two 8-pin connectors are provided for connecting additional power. In this configuration, the adapter can receive up to 375 watts of power, given the capabilities of the PCI-E x16 slot. Recall that the thermal package of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super is 215 W, and in the basic configuration, video cards can easily get by with a bunch of 6 + 8 connectors, but for tuned versions, the 8 + 8 option is quite expected.

However, despite a certain factory overclocking of the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio, the recommendations for the power supply for a system with this video card remain the same as for PCs with a reference GeForce RTX 2070 Super – from 650 watts.

The NVLink connector on the top edge will remind you of the support for SLI-links with two video cards, with minimal synchronization costs. In the case of devices based on chips with the Turing architecture, NVLink connectors were previously only equipped with the GeForce RTX 2080/2080 Ti, now this option is available starting with the GeForce RTX 2070 Super.

The MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio has additional RGB lighting. And here it is in abundance. The logo of the game series with a recognizable dragon silhouette is highlighted on the top panel. Matted translucent segments with a set of LEDs are fixed on the upper and lower edges of the front panel. Sources provide a pleasant soft glow, which, if necessary, can be very intense.

To control the backlight, Mystic Light, which is part of the proprietary MSI Dragon Center complex, is used. Two dozen different modes are available here, it is possible to synchronize the backlight with that for other components of the platform.

The interface panel has four video outputs: three full-sized DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0b. The manufacturer did not include in the connectors a specific USB Type-C port with a VirtualLink channel for connecting virtual reality helmets using a single cable, which transmits both the video signal and power. If the prospect of connecting such headsets is not of great importance to you, then the absence of such a connector is a small loss.

Part of the interface plate is perforated to remove heated air outside the system unit. Axial-type fans are used for the video card, and the radiator fins are transversely oriented, so there is no large outward flow here, rather, we are talking about additional ventilation holes.

The MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio has impressive overall dimensions. We have already mentioned the three-slot layout, but it is also important to note that the video card is 328 mm long. In this case, before buying an adapter, you should definitely make sure that there is free space in the case for such a device. If you use a case with the current spacious layout, then no questions will arise. Owners of older models with bays for 5.25-inch devices and non-removable hard drive cages should be more careful.

A metal bracket is also supplied with the video card for a reason. The MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio weighs in at just over 1.5kg, so some extra insurance won’t hurt. Here we can also recall the benefits of the metal plating of PCI Express x16 slots.

Heating and noise level

The video card is implemented with ZeroFrozr technology, which involves stopping the fans at minimal load and GPU heating. This technique is often used by manufacturers for video cards with a large radiator block, but the MSI GeForce RXT 2070 Super GAMING X Trio was able to surprise here.

The fact is that in the passive silent cooling mode, the temperature of the GPU on the open bench increased to only 37-38C at 24C indoors. Recall that we are talking about the TU104, and not some ultra-economical entry-level chip. The indicators are very good, the complex design of the cooler with a sweeping radiator is bearing fruit.

Under gaming load, the GPU temperature rose to 65C. At the same time, the fan speed did not exceed 1200 rpm. At such speeds, the operation of the cooling system is barely audible against the background of other components of the platform. For example, in our case, with a starting 36 dBA after increasing the speed to the set one, the noise level increased to only 37.5 dBA. The values were obtained using a UNI-T UT353 household sound level meter, placed half a meter from the video card. In office conditions, such a difference is difficult to catch against the background of the fans of the test power supply and the processor cooler.

It remains only to repeat, noting the minimum level of noise emitted. Let’s assume the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio is one of the quietest GeForce RTX 2070 Super on the market. Perhaps even the quietest.

Returning to the received telemetric indicators, we note that the GPU in games was automatically accelerated to 2010 MHz. This is the peak recorded value, typical frequencies for the chip were ~1930–1970 MHz.

Overclocking

MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio initially has a factory overclocked GPU, but it was also curious to determine the additional frequency potential of the adapter.

The video card allows you to increase the Power Limit parameter to 111%. Using this opportunity, the base value of the GPU frequency was increased from 1605 MHz to 1700 MHz. At the same time, the average acceleration value increased to 1895 MHz. Good, but not record-breaking. The success of a particular instance of the GPU is still important. Yes, and I would like to be able to increase the Power Limit parameter to 15-20%. However, additional 10-20-30 MHz will be important only for competitive stages, in practice, this difference has almost no effect on performance.

Recall that the actual frequency of the GPU dynamically changes depending on the nature of the load. GPU Boost automatically speeds up the GPU when the temperature and power consumption of the graphics card is acceptable. Therefore, the actual frequency of the chip can be noticeably higher than the declared average value.

After additional overclocking, the chip accelerated up to 2070 MHz. The TU104 processor often takes the bar at 2000-2050 MHz, and then – as you’re lucky.

Memory chips were also further accelerated. In this case, Micron chips worked stably at an effective 16,000 MHz, instead of the standard 14,000 MHz. The 14.3% increase in memory bandwidth will certainly be useful for heavy graphics modes.

After additional overclocking, the GPU temperature increased at the peak to 67C, while the fan speed grew minimally – up to ~1250 rpm. The level of emitted noise has not changed much. The sound level meter registered ~38 dBA.

Performance 1920×1080

We studied the performance of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super in sufficient detail during the first acquaintance with the adapter of the new line. Super-update significantly expanded the capabilities of the devices in this series. Replacing the GPU from TU106 to TU104 with an increased number of functional blocks and increased operating frequencies affected the number of fps.

Video cards in this class already provide very comfortable performance in Full HD mode with maximum quality settings. Moreover, the GeForce RTX 2070 Super is well suited for owners of gaming monitors with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a screen refresh rate of 144/165 Hz.

Even with maximum graphics quality in heavy projects, the video card can often average more than 75 frames / s, and in slightly less resource-intensive games – more than 100 frames / s. In this case, the effect of “144 Hz monitor” can already be felt not only in relatively lightweight competitive games.

Comparing the performance with that of other test participants, we can note a strong advantage over the Radeon RX 5700 XT. The difference in the number of frames varies from a vanishingly small 5% to quite noticeable 20-30%. In fairness, it should be noted that initially these are not quite direct competitors. Even the stated recommended price of the model with the Navi 10 chip is $100 lower than the RTX 2070 Super – $400 vs. $500. However, there are still no more productive devices in the AMD range. Radeon VII can be considered as such with a stretch, but the active life cycle of this model is already behind.

At the same time, against the background of the GeForce RTX 2060 Super, which is equal at the declared price, the RX 5700 XT model looks quite good. However, now we are still more interested in the capabilities of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, so we increase the image resolution and evaluate the results.

Performance 2560×1440

Before the advent of improved Super-versions of video cards, the GeForce RTX 2070 could be considered the starting model for games in 1440p mode, but for such conditions it was still very desirable to strengthen the position. As the resolution increases, the load on the GPU increases significantly, and the amount of local memory required by the graphics adapter also increases.

The GeForce RTX 2070 Super generally handles games very well at 2560×1440. The GeForce RTX 2080 has a 5-10% advantage here, but it’s worth considering that in our case we are using a somewhat accelerated model of this series – the Founders Edition.

In many games, even at the maximum graphics quality, you can get an average of more than 75 frames / s. In simpler projects, and 100 fps is not the limit. However, there are a number of games in which, when using ultra settings, video cards like the GeForce RTX 2070 Super barely manage to get the average 60 frames / s. If you want to improve performance, you will either have to look towards the twice as expensive GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, or reduce requests by playing with graphics settings.

After additional overclocking of the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING X Trio, the performance of the graphics card increased by 5-8%. Such acceleration has already allowed the video card to get close to the performance of the GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition, which means that it will surely bypass the classic RTX 2080 with the recommended frequency formula. There is an additional increase in fps here, but still it does not fundamentally change the situation.

As an experiment, for the most difficult projects, we used regular presets and profiles with high graphics quality settings, instead of the maximum ones. After such simple adjustments, the number of frames / s in most cases increased by 15-30%. If you already have a 1440p gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 144/165 Hz, then for some games this acceleration may not seem enough. But such issues are resolved on an individual basis.

For example, in the same Borderlands 3, the “volumetric fog” is an unreasonably resource-intensive effect. If this setting alone is changed from high quality to medium quality, performance will immediately increase from 73/63 to 88/74 fps with minimal visual loss.

Metro Exodus is also quite heavy at the settings with maximum graphics quality, and it’s worth making allowances for the complex scene of the built-in benchmark, with drawdowns generally uncharacteristic of a regular game. If you want more here in 1440p mode, then switching to a profile with medium quality will already allow you to get 101/51 fps.

The long-awaited version of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC turned out to be quite flexible in terms of graphic settings. Of course, if you basically managed to launch the game and get to the appropriate options. In our case, there were also some starting rough edges, but the presence of a built-in benchmark became an argument for finding solutions to the problematic launch of the game. In Ultra mode, the novelty is very resource-intensive.

For those who want to get a stable 60+ fps at quality settings with a high level of detail, NVIDIA recommends using the GeForce RTX 2060 for 1080p and the GeForce RTX 2070 Super for 1440p. For the same performance in 4K, you will need a GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, but in this case you will have to play around with the options. Fortunately, there are many options available here, so choosing a balanced mode will certainly work. It is important not to limit yourself to the available presets. Advanced guides for the corresponding optimizations are already available on the network.

Rockstar Games is actively working on fixing numerous starting inconsistencies that have thoroughly spoiled the first impression of the game. For its part, NVIDIA is also trying to improve the situation. The company initially offered a Hotfix version of the driver ( GeForce 441.34 ) to eliminate possible lags for owners of 4/6-core processors when using the Vulkan API. These fixes are also included in the current WHQL version of GeForce 441.41.

Owners of video cards with AMD chips having problems with Red Dead Redemption 2 should also update to the latest current driver version – Adrenalin 19.11.3.

Ray tracing

Game developers are actively trying to work with hybrid rendering, using ray tracing for various tasks. The method is very promising, and for those who get used to the DXR ecosystem earlier, it will be easier to further optimize their projects. So far, NVIDIA has to develop the platform alone. However, AMD also plans to implement hardware-based tracing acceleration in future RDNA 2 graphics chips. Moreover, next-generation consoles should also support ray tracing. The launch of both types of products is expected as early as next year.

So far, only owners of GeForce RTX video cards can appreciate the nuances of hybrid rendering. There are still not as many game projects with tracing as we would like, but they appear. In some games, the effects are better felt, in some weaker. Their implementation requires significant computing resources, therefore, certain losses cannot be dispensed with here.

Many probably care about performance when tracing is enabled. Here you can often achieve good results with additional settings. Somewhere to refuse the maximum quality and intensity of tracing, somewhere to connect DLSS.

Just a few days ago, NVIDIA made recommendations for building a system for ~$1000 with a GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card that allows you to get 60+ fps in games with activated ray tracing at Full HD resolution.

Of course, with the GeForce RTX 2070 Super graphics card, you can allow more, so we experimented a little with ray tracing in the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare game at a resolution of 2560×1440. Here, such a rendering method is used to render shadows from local light sources.

In a number of situations, shadows really become more realistic or even appear in those objects that did not have them initially. In such a dynamic shooter, you don’t always pay attention to such nuances, but if you look closely, the difference is visible.

Of course, activating ray tracing affects performance. After a 5-minute session of passing through the Piccadilly stage with tracing turned off and the general maximum graphics quality settings, we get an average of 93 frames / s with a minimum of 76 frames / s.

With the option activated at the same location, performance dropped to 70/55 fps. That is, fps is reduced by about 30%. You can either put up with it, or compensate for the losses with additional settings. There are plenty of opportunities here too.

Ray tracing is a hot topic right now. Developers are particularly attracted to the possibilities that can be realized with this processing method. Some teams are trying to use various tricks to achieve interesting results even without explicit support for hardware acceleration.

A recent example is Wargaming’s attempt to use tracing to implement dynamic soft shadows on vehicles. To run the World of Tanks enCore RT project, Intel Embree technology is used, which allows shifting part of the necessary calculations to the central processor. The scale of processing in this case is relatively small, but such a method can achieve the necessary results.

A few days ago, Crytek introduced an interesting Neon Noir benchmark based on the new CryEngine 5.7 engine. Here, the method of voxel global illumination and, in particular, Voxel Cone Tracing is used to implement reflections. The result looks very promising, despite some visual nuances in the form of loss of reflection detail when the object is removed. The demo uses the DirectX 11 API.

Despite the fact that in this case the hardware capabilities of RT blocks are not used, GeForce RTX video cards have an advantage here. GeForce RTX 2070 Super in 1440p mode at maximum tracing quality provides an average of about 70 frames / s with a minimum of 50 frames / s.

We didn’t get a chance to test the GeForce RTX 2060 Super in this test, but based on the results already available, it offers performance on par with the Radeon RX 5700 XT in Neon Noir. AMD adapters may be able to improve performance when using DirectX 12 or Vulkan, but there is no information yet about Crytek’s plans to optimize their development for these APIs.

power usage

The power consumption of the accelerated version of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super is close to that of the GeForce RTX 2080. This is not surprising, given the use of a similar platform and GPU in a slightly lighter version.

A system with a Radeon RX 5700 XT consumed an average of 15-20 watts more under identical conditions. AMD managed to significantly curb the appetites of its video cards, not least thanks to the 7-nanometer process technology, but NVIDIA’s solutions still have some advantage here. Especially when you consider that the performance of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super is higher.

After further overclocking the GPU/Memory by increasing the Power Limit setting, the power consumption of the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio increased by approximately 35W. The massive cooling system of the video card easily coped with such an increase in load.