Introduction

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a mean machine based on NVIDIA's second biggest implementation of its "Pascal" architecture, the 16 nm "GP102" silicon. This is the same chip that drives the TITAN X Pascal. The GTX 1080 Ti features the same number of CUDA cores as the latest TITAN, at 3,584 spread across 28 streaming multiprocessors. There is some cost-cutting here, but none that is designed to lower performance - the chip has a slightly narrower memory bus at 352 bit; that's one memory chip less than what you'd find on the TITAN X Pascal. The total memory amount is hence 11 GB. A cluster of ROPs is also disabled, so you now get 88 ROPs (as opposed to the 96 ROPs on the TITAN). The memory chips are, however, clocked 10% higher to make up for the 8.3% narrower memory bus. This move also translates into cost savings due to the lack of a 12th memory chip and probably better yields for the GP102 chip.



The MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X is one of the more hotly anticipated custom-design GTX 1080 Ti cards owing to the reputation the company built over its predecessors' exceptionally low noise output and power draw. The GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X we review today features a beefier 2.5-slot thick version of the TwinFrozr VI cooling solution which debuted with the GTX 1080 Gaming series, mated to a custom-design PCB that draws power from a pair of 8-pin power connectors. The card also comes with a moderately high factory overclock out of the box and is priced at a $50 premium over reference.

Packaging

You will receive:

• Graphics card
• Driver CD
• Documentation
• PCIe 6-pin to 8-pin adapter
• MSI stickers

The Card

MSI conducted a slight refresh of their TwinFrozr cooler design for their GeForce 10 cards. The differences are small, but the card definitely looks good. On the back, you will find a metal backplate with an MSI Dragon. Dimensions of the card are 28.0 cm x 14.5 cm.


Installation requires three slots in your system. The actual thickness of the card is 2.5 slots, so there is some space left for SLI airflow.


Display connectivity options include a DVI port, two HDMI ports, and two DisplayPorts. Note that one DisplayPort has been switched to HDMI, which seems to cater to users who are looking to either run two VR headsets or a VR headset and TV off their graphics card. Also, the DVI port has been brought back, which was missing on the GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition.

Unlike previous-generation NVIDIA cards, the DVI port no longer includes the analog signal, so you'll have to use an active adapter. NVIDIA also updated DisplayPort to be 1.2 certified and 1.3/1.4 ready, which enables support for 4K at 120 Hz and 5K @ 60 Hz, or 8K @ 60 Hz with two cables.

The GPU also comes with an HDMI sound device. It is HDMI 2.0b compatible, which supports HD audio and Blu-ray 3D movies. The GPU's video-encoding unit has been updated to support HEVC at 10-bit and 12-bit.


With Pascal, NVIDIA made some changes to how SLI works. In a nutshell, for 4K at 60 Hz and above, NVIDIA recommends new high-bandwidth SLI bridges it dubbed "SLI HB." These bridges occupy both SLI fingers. Traditional triple- and quad-SLI setups are gone as well. Only certain benchmarks can run more than the dual-SLI setup to which all games are limited.


When installed inside the case, there is no visible sagging, bending, or warping.


Pictured above are the front and back, showing the disassembled board. High-res versions are also available (front, back).

A Closer Look

MSI's thermal solution uses five heatpipes to keep the GPU cool.


Once the main heatsink is removed, you can see this metal baseplate which covers memory chips (the main heatsink covers the VRMs, too). MSI is using a different kind of thermal pad here, which breaks much more easily than the ones I've seen before. Use pliers or a flat screwdriver to lift them.


The backplate is made from metal and protects the card during installation and handling.


MSI has upgraded the power input of their GTX 1080 Ti to two 8-pins. This input configuration is specified for up to 375 watts of power draw.


We have seen the OnSemi NCP81274 on various other custom design cards. The reference design uses a uPI controller.


The GDDR5X memory chips are made by Micron and are marked with "D9VRL," which decodes to MT58K256M321JA-110. They are specified to run at 1375 MHz (11,000 MHz GDDR5X effective).


NVIDIA's GP102 graphics processor is the company's second-largest chip using the Pascal architecture. It is produced on a 16 nm process at TSMC, Taiwan, with a transistor count of 12 billion and a die size of 471 mm².