MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X Review

1. Introduction2. Meet the MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X3. Testing Methodology4. 3DMark Time Spy Extreme5. Game Benchmarks6. Clock Speed7. GPU Temperatures8. Memory Temperatures9. Acoustics10. Noise-Normalised Temperatures11. Power Draw12. Overclocking13. Closing Thoughts14. View All Pages

The MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X is the fourth RTX 4090 card we've tested, but the first one to ship with a hybrid cooler approach, using a 240mm AIO to tame the GPU and memory, while an active fan in the shroud deals with the power delivery components.

While that primarily allows the Suprim Liquid X to run quiet and cool, the factory overclock and increased thermal headroom also makes this the fastest RTX 4090 we have tested to date. Not by much, though it is on average 3% faster than the Founders Edition. We don't place too much emphasis on this metric as you simply wouldn't be able to tell the difference in the real world, but it's good to know this RTX 4090 performs as expected.

Of course, thermals are of key interest, and out of the box we noted the Gaming BIOS running about 5C cooler than the next-best partner card, Inno3D's X3 OC. There is, however, a slightly larger delta between the GPU and the hot spot temperature than what we have come to expect, with the hot spot temperature running a touch warmer than the X3 OC, possibly indicating that the coldplate flatness or mounting pressure could be improved. It's not a major concern, but it is something we noticed.

Likewise, the memory thermals also run hotter than both the X3 OC and the Palit GameRock OC. The AIO itself does cool the memory modules, but they contact with a slightly raised section of the copper coldplate which isn't directly mounted to the AIO, resulting in the higher temperatures we saw today versus the air-cooled cards which use large vapour chambers to contact the memory. The temperatures are still well within safe limits, but we would have hoped for better results.

Other benefits of the watercooled approach include the fact that the card itself is relatively compact. Most cases on the market will accommodate a 240mm radiator, but if you don't want to lose an expansion slot with a triple-slot cooler, or perhaps your case can't fit cards that are 30cm+, then this could be an appealing option.

We did note a bit of a ‘screw situation' though, indicating fairly poor attention to detail on MSI's part. For one, only four radiator screws – instead of eight – are provided, which is quite baffling to me for a £2000+ graphics card. Additionally, if you want to flip the fans to the other side of the radiator and secure the unit that way, the fan screws aren’t even long enough to screw into the radiator due to the anti-vibration rubber pads causing the screw holes to sit back from the radiator mounting holes.

None of those issues are deal-breakers, and if you are in the US market where the Suprim Liquid X costs $1749.99 – just a 9% premium over the baseline MSRP – then they could well be forgiven. For UK buyers however, we were told the MSRP is set at £2179.99 – a 26% premium over the baseline MSRP. I understand the pound is fairly weak against the dollar, but even taking that and 20% VAT into account, we are clearly getting the short end of the stick this side of the Atlantic.

Ultimately, while there is a lot to like about the MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X, there are just a few too many question marks around the design to give it a wholehearted recommendation, something which is only exacerbated due to the very steep price – even by RTX 4090 standards.

We found the card listed on Overclockers UK HERE, though it is currently out of stock.

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Pros

• Low GPU temperatures.
• The card itself is a compact dual-slot design (just be sure you can fit a 240mm radiator.)
• Sleek aesthetic.
• Fans run nice and quiet.
• 4-pin PWM fans are used and can be swapped for third-party models.

Cons

• Memory runs hotter than the air-cooled AIB cards we've tested.
• Larger than expected delta between GPU and hot spot temperatures.
• Some coil whine was audible.
• Not enough radiator screws included.
• Included fan screws don't allow for certain mounting configurations.
• UK buyers are getting a very poor deal compared to the US.

KitGuru says: The MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X does a few things very well indeed, but it also left me scratching my head on a number of occasions.

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