MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X Review – With AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU

Today, we are checking out MSI‘s fastest and flagship graphics card for the RTX 40 series generation – the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G graphics card. Many of you perhaps already know how an RTX 4090 performs. So, in this review, I’ll use a different CPU instead of the Ryzen 7 7700X that I use to test GPUs. I’ll pair the RTX 4090 with the currently fastest and best gaming CPU on the market – the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D. So, will pairing the MSI’s RTX 4090 with the Ryzen 7800X3D boost its performance further? Let’s find out how fast the RTX 4090 SUPRIM X can perform in our review below.

MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G Review – One Of The Best 4090 Graphics Cards!

The GeForce RTX 4090 has been in the market for quite some time now. Released in October 2022, it’s almost a year, and to this day, NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 is still the fastest gaming GPU in the market, with no competition or successor in sight. And by a successor, I mean the “RTX 4090 Ti” since there was a rumor that NVIDIA canceled the RTX 4090 Ti. It’s just a rumor, so take that information with a grain of salt.

However, the RTX 4090, indeed, has no competition. AMD’s fastest GPU to date is the Radeon RX 7900XTX, and that GPU doesn’t even compete with the RTX 4090. Instead, it directly competes with the RTX 4080. The RX 7900 XTX is AMD’s flagship GPU for this generation, and we don’t know if a certain “7950 XT/X” will be released later.

NVIDIA Ada Lovelace Architecture

Going back to MSI’s RTX 4090, the RTX 4090 is powered by the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, with 16384 CUDA cores, 512 Tensor cores, and 128 RT cores. According to NVIDIA, the RTX 4090 is the world’s most advanced GPU, boasting 83 Shader-TFLOPS, 191 RT-TFLOPS, and 1.3 Tensor petaFLOPS. The RTX 4090 achieves over 1 TB/s memory bandwidth with its staggering 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. It is also built with a 72 MB L2 cache, an improvement of 12x over RTX 3090 Ti.

In other words, the RTX 4090 is almost 70% faster than the RTX 3090 or nearly 50% faster than the RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 3090 Ti launched at a retail price of $2,000; “fortunately”, the RTX 4090 launched at $1,600. It is still a very expensive GPU, but at least NVIDIA didn’t price this GPU more than $2,000. The RTX 4090 is not just a gaming GPU but is also an excellent GPU for machine learning, deep learning, and AI applications, thanks to its 24GB of GDDR6X memory.

Other Technological Innovations of RTX 40 Series GPUs

• New Streaming Multiprocessors (SM) – The new SM delivers up to 2x performance and power efficiency
• 4th Generation Tensor Cores and Optical Flow – Enable and accelerate transformative AI technologies, including NVIDIA DLSS and the new frame rate multiplying NVIDIA DLSS 3
• 3rd Generation RT Cores – Up to 2x ray tracing performance, delivering incredibly detailed virtual worlds like never before
• Shader Execution Reordering (SER) – SER improves ray tracing operations by 2x, boosting FPS up to 44% in Cyberpunk with RT: Overdrive Mode
• DLSS 3 – A revolutionary breakthrough in AI-powered graphics that massively boosts performance using AI to generate additional high-quality frames
• NVIDIA Studio – Unmatched performance in 3D rendering, video editing, and livestreaming
• AV1 Encoders – The 8th generation NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) with AV1 is 40% more efficient than H.264, enabling new possibilities for streamers, broadcasters, and video callers

MSI GeForce RTX 4090 24G SUPRIM X Features

All the GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards in the market share all the features that the Ada Lovelace architecture offers. After all, they are powered and made with the same GPU inside. The cooler design separates and distinguishes these custom graphics cards from one another. Some manufacturers have custom PCBs and sometimes unnecessary levels of engineering and components. But, at the end of the day, all RTX 4090 cards will perform similarly since NVIDIA sets the limit and controls these graphics cards.

The SUPRIM lineup is the MSI’s flagship model. For the RTX 4090 series, MSI has the Ventus (OC), Gaming (X) Trio, and SUPRIM (X). The RTX 4090 SUPRIM X has a boost clock speed of 2625MHz, which is 105MHz higher than the Founders Edition. But since the RTX 4090 SUPRIM X has a beefy cooler and a massive 26+4 power phase design, you can manually overclock it to squeeze out more performance.

MSI’s new SUPRIM looks similar to the RTX 30 series SUPRIM with some facelifts. It uses MSI’s tested and proven Tri Frozr 3S thermal design and has a dual BIOS feature. Some of its notable characteristics are brushed metal cover, octagon-shaped fan cutouts, and chevrons around each fan. Although the edges of the graphics card look sharp, MSI polished the edges with a diamond-tipped cutter to achieve a mirror finish.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the card and find out how it performs.

GeForce RTX 4090 Specifications

MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G is available on Amazon.com here. (#ad)

Packaging and Closer Look

The box art of MSI’s SUPRIM X graphics cards has a less gamer vibe. Instead, it’s mostly white, giving it a clean look and elegant feel. The RGB lighting is not much emphasized either, unlike in other “gaming” graphics cards. Instead, the LEDs are white, and only the photo at the back shows that it’s also RGB capable. The RTX 4090 SUPRIM X’s lighting is set to white by default, but it can be changed via MSI’s App Center.

You can read some of its features and specifications at the back of the box. Note that this box opens from the top rather than on its sides. It’s like opening an attached case minus the locks, thus giving it a much better presentation and unboxing experience. The package includes a mouse pad, a 4x 8-pin to 16-pin adapter and a graphics card stand/holder.

The SUPRIM X Graphics Card

Above are the front and rear views of the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X. It looks identical to the RTX 4080 SUPRIM X. It also looks similar to the previous RTX 30 series SUPRIM but with improvements and facelifts. Looking at the front cooler shroud, you can see the three Torx 5.0 fans; this time, there’s more metal surface on the cooler shroud than the previous generation.

The logo on the backplate is different as well. In the RTX 30 SUPRIM, MSI placed its Dragon logo on the backplate. MSI has replaced the dragon with a hexagon-shaped geometric figure. To date, I still don’t know what that logo means or resembles. There are also cutouts next to the logo to allow hot air to pass through.

Like most current generation graphics cards, the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X has a fan stop feature; MSI calls it Zero Frozr. When I was testing this graphics card, it ran silently, inaudible, even in a full load. I didn’t even use the silent mode. However, if you manually increase the fans’ speed to maximum, they become audible. On top of that, unlike my Asus RTX 4090 TUF, this one has no coil whine issues.

MSI Tri Frozr 3S Thermal Design features:

• TORX Fan 5.0: Fan blades linked by ring arcs and a fan cowl work together to stabilize and maintain high-pressure airflow.
• Vapor Chamber: The GPU and memory modules are covered with a Vapor Chamber, which rapidly transfers heat to Core Pipes.
• Core Pipes: Precision-machined heat pipes ensure maximum contact with the GPU baseplate and spread heat along the full length of the heatsink.
• Airflow Control: Sections of different heatsink fins disrupt unwanted airflow harmonics and reduce noise.

Ports and Switch

The MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X has three DisplayPort 1.4a and one HDMI 2.1 port. It’s also using the new 16-pin 12VHPWR connector; thankfully, my unit did not encounter any burning issues. The included adapter requires four 8-pin PCIe power connectors. I didn’t use the included adapter since the PSU I used comes with the native 16-pin 12VHPWR connector. So far, I haven’t encountered any (burning) issues with any of my RTX 40 series cards. I make sure that the connector is plugged properly just to be safe.

The BIOS switch is located near the PCIe power connector. There’s a clear label for the silent mode and gaming mode. Gaming mode was used throughout testing this graphics card. I don’t see any reason to use the silent mode since, even in gaming mode, the graphics card runs silently.

I really like how the new SUPRIM X looks compared to the previous generation. It feels and looks more refined. I appreciate the gold finish on the edges and cutouts. It’s a subtle touch but adds to the aesthetics and attention to detail.

Test Setup – MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X Review

In testing the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X for this review, I’m using an X670E motherboard. However, instead of the Ryzen 7 7700X used with the other graphics card testing, AMD’s fastest and best gaming CPU was used instead. For the memory, a DDR5-6000MHz kit was used (AMD EXPO). Resizable BAR was also enabled from the BIOS settings. Below are the rest of the specifications of the system:

Operating System	Windows 11 Pro
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi
Memory	Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000MHz CL30 AMD EXPO
Graphics Card	MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G
OS Drive	MSI Spatium M480 Play
Game Drive	SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 and Extreme Portable SSD V2
Power Supply	MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5
Chassis	MSI MPG Velox 100P Airflow
Monitor	MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD 4K 144Hz

I used NVIDIA driver version 537.13, and the graphics card was tested in three resolutions – 1920×1080 FHD, 2560×1440 WQHD, and 3840×2160 4K UHD.

Below is the GPU-Z screenshot of the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G.

MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X Benchmarks with AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU

Again, I would like to emphasize that for this MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X review, I used the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The rest of the graphics cards on the charts were paired with the Ryzen 7 7700X. The reason behind this is we already know how fast the RTX 4090 is. But can we make it even faster by simply using a suitable or matching CPU?

Currently, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the fastest gaming CPU, followed by the Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X3D. However, the 7800X3D is (significantly) cheaper compared to the latter two CPUs. Although, note that the 7800X3D is not the fastest when it comes to productivity workloads. In fact, it is even slightly slower than the Ryzen 7 7700X in productivity.

I highlighted the other RTX 4090 with the Ryzen 7 7700X in light green to make it visually easier for comparison. Again, all the graphics cards in the chart are paired with the 7700X, and only the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X is paired with the 7800X3D.

Synthetic Benchmark Results

Here are the results that I got with 3D Mark’s benchmark suite. The numbers are the graphics scores.

Both the RTX 4090 graphics cards sit at the top of the chart. But the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X edges the TUF RTX 4090 by a small margin, more or less due to the faster gaming CPU – 7800X3D.

GeForce RTX 4090 Ray Tracing and DLSS Benchmark Results

Let’s start with the more demanding game titles with ray tracing and DLSS enabled. Some of you may not be interested in ray tracing. But with the help of DLSS 2 and DLSS 3 Frame Generation, even an X60-class GPU can offer playable frame rates while ray tracing is enabled.

Cyberpunk 2077

At 1080p, both RTX 4090 cards are bottlenecked by the resolution. But since the 7800X3D is faster than the 7700X, the MSI RTX 4090 performed better at 1080p. The performance difference between the two cards narrowed as the resolution increased. At 4K, the TUF RTX 4090 with the 7700X is just a couple of FPS behind.

Forza Horizon 5

The same can be said in Forza Horizon 5. There’s no massive difference in performance between the two RTX 4090 cards.

Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy

However, in the case of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the RTX 4090 with the 7700X was severely bottlenecked in 1080p and 1440p. There is a 25%-26% performance difference, and the MSI RTX 4090 was able to perform much better thanks to the faster CPU. But at 4K resolution, the TUF 4090 was able to catch up since it’s mostly GPU-bound at this resolution.

The Witcher 3

We can see the same scenario in The Witcher 3 when ray tracing is enabled. The Ryzen 7700X is holding back the TUF RTX 4090, and it was even outperformed by the Radeon RX 7900 XTX in 1080p

Watch Dogs: Legion

The performance hit is not substantial in Watch Dogs: Legion, unlike in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Witcher 3. But there is still a considerable performance difference of about 17% in 1080p and 1440p.

1080p Game Benchmark Results

Full HD or 1920×1080 is not the target resolution of the RTX 4090 or even an RTX 4080. I do not recommend buying an RTX 4090 if you only have a 1080p monitor. The resolution and perhaps your CPU will only bottleneck the RTX 4090, severely limiting its capability and leaving a lot of performance on the table. The RTX 4090 is best suited for 4K gaming or (super) ultrawide 1440p.

But for the sake of this RTX 4090 review, here are the benchmark results I got when testing the cards in 1080p resolution.

As you can see from the charts above, the MSI RTX 4090, paired with the 7800X3D, outperformed the RTX 4090 with only the 7700X. Also, in some games, like Deus Ex Mankind Divided and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, there’s a huge performance difference, and the slower CPU holds back the other RTX 4090.

However, The Division 2 seems to be an oddity. Even with the Ryzen 7800X3D, the MSI RTX 4090 was performing poorly. Both the RTX 4090 cards were outperformed by the RTX 4080 and the Radeon RX 7900 GPUs. This is one of the best examples of why I don’t recommend a fast GPU, like the RTX 4090, to be used on a 1080p resolution.

1440p Game Benchmark Results

The performance I got in the 1440p resolution is slightly better than the 1080p resolution. At 1440p, the RTX 4090 cards have a bit more room to stretch their legs. The RTX 4090 is still overkill for a 2560×1440 resolution, depending on the game. However, it’s a different case if the monitor is 3440×1440, especially the super ultrawide 5120×1440, which is almost a 4K resolution in terms of pixel count.

2160p Game Benchmark Results

Finally, at 3840×2160 (4K), the performance difference between the RTX 4090 cards and the other GPUs became significant. It looks like the 4090s left the other cards to dust. At 4K UHD, this is where the RTX 4090 truly shines, and it is the intended resolution.

Despite being GPU-bound, the MSI RTX 4090 with the 7800X3D still outperforms the TUF RTX 4090 with the 7700X by up to 9% at best. So yes, even at 4K, pairing the fastest gaming GPU with the best gaming CPU is an excellent combination.

Pricing and Availability

NVIDIA’s official pricing for the GeForce RTX 4090 starts at $1,599. Sadly, even after almost a year, with no competition in sight, the RTX 4090 still starts at $1,599. MSI has several RTX 4090 graphics cards. The cheapest is supposed to be the Ventus 3X model, followed by the Gaming X Trio, and finally, the SUPRIM X and SUPRIM Liquid.

I don’t recommend the Ventus 3X model since the Gaming X Trio and the SUPRIM X are better, aesthetically speaking, and cooling solution-wise. True that the latter two models are a bit pricier than the Ventus model, but if you spend almost $2,000 on a graphics card, better get the best of the best instead.

The prices of these graphics cards fluctuate, so check the latest pricing and availability below. (#ad)
MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G is available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM Liquid 24G is available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 24G is available on Amazon.com here.

MSI GeForce RTX 4090 24GB SUPRIM X Review Conclusion

Well, what else can I say? NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is an absolute beast of a gaming GPU. I haven’t even included DLSS 3 Frame Generation in this review, which will further improve the smoothness of the gameplay. The RTX 4090 can handle any games you can throw at it, even at 4K resolution.

The RTX 4090 is more than just a gaming GPU. The RTX 4090 can be used for machine learning, content creation, deep learning, and AI applications outside of gaming. This is thanks to its fast 24GB GDDR6X memory. It also has dual NVIDIA encoders, making it an excellent GPU for those streaming, encoding, and processing video files for media consumption.

Regarding the graphics card, the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X is identical to the RTX 4080 SUPRIM X we reviewed. It performs well, runs silently, is inaudible most of the time, and looks and feels very premium. Well, it is a premium graphics card, after all. The photos alone cannot fully describe this graphics card. Holding one in hand and looking at it up close is a pleasant experience.

Power and Temperature

I almost forgot to include these. But the MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X drew an average of 349 Watts during my testing. Generally, it drew lesser power at FHD but consumed more at 4K. Luckily, my MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM X emits no coil whine noise. Its average temperature was only about 63°C, with a maximum temperature of 71°C and an idle temp. of 51°C. The fans are not spinning when idle or low load, so the GPU is passively cooled, thus the slightly higher idle temperature.

Best Alternative to Ryzen 7 7800X3D?

We also found in this review that pairing the RTX 4090 with the best gaming CPU, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, will produce more frames and can further increase its performance.

However, what if you use your PC not only for gaming but also for work and productivity? What if you need a fast CPU for gaming and work?

Well, you have two options. You can go with an Intel system, the Core i9-13900K, or the Ryzen 9 7950X3D if you want an AMD system. Avoid the Ryzen 7900X3D because only six cores have the 3D V-cache on that CPU. Both the Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X3D are excellent productivity CPUs.

One advantage of going for an AMD Zen 4 base system is that they have lower power consumption compared to the Core i9-13900K. This also results in less heat, and a 360mm AIO is not “required” just to cool the CPU. Also, a DDR5-6000MHz (EXPO) memory kit is enough for the 7800X3D or 7950X3D. Meanwhile, you will need to get the fastest, and unfortunately expensive, DDR5 memory kit for the Core i9-13900K just to match the 7800X3D’s gaming performance.

Finally

At the end of the day, the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X is an excellent graphics card, an absolute beast! It is one of the best RTX 4090 cards in the market, and you simply can’t go wrong with this graphics card.