MSI Infinite X (8700K & 1080 Ti) System Review

Rating: 7.5.

MSI Infinite X is a pre-built gaming PC that you can pick up locally, provided you live somewhere near a John Lewis department store. The hardware is a classic combination of Intel Core i7-8700K and Nvidia graphics and naturally enough both the motherboard and graphics card are manufactured by MSI.

There are three versions of the Infinite X on sale here in the UK that are differentiated by the choice of graphics card, which affects both price and performance. At the bottom end of the scale we have the 8RC at £1499 with GTX 1060 graphics. For an extra £200 you can step up to the 8RD at £1699 with a GTX 1070 GPU, or you can push the boat out the whole way and go for the 8RE at £2100 with GTX 1080 graphics.

So there are three models of Infinite X, however the sample we received came with a GTX 1080 Ti graphics card which means it is unique, and also means it is not representative of the Infinite X you might buy. Put it this way, the Infinite X we have here looks like the best case scenario for this family of PCs.

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Specification
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K 6 cores/12 threads, 3.7GHz-4.7GHz
CPU cooler: 120mm Silent Storm Cooling 3 Pro
Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400MHz dual channel (Max. 64GB)
Motherboard: MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC
Graphics: MSI Armor GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11GB GDDR5X
Storage:
2x Intel 600P M.2 SSD in 500GB RAID 0
2TB Seagate BarraCuda SATA HDD

Audio:
7.1 Channel HD Audio with Nahimic audio enhancer
Optical drive Slim Type (9.5mm) Tray-Load Super Multi DVD-RAM

Front I/O:
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type C
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A
1x USB 2.0

Rear I/O:
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A
2 x USB 2.0
(1x DisplayPort 1.4 and 1x HDMI 2.0)
1x RJ45
5x Audio connectors
1x S/PDIF
1x PS/2
Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Intel Wireless-AC 3168
Bluetooth: Intel BT4.2
Ethernet: Intel WGI219V
Power supply: Delta 550W 80 Plus Bronze (ATX)
Chassis volume: 42 litres
Dimensions: 210mm x 45mm x 488mm
Weight: 15kg
Software: MSI Command Centre

The layout of the Infinite X is conventional, however your first glance inside the chassis might suggest otherwise. MSI has divided up the interior with a plastic shroud that separates the GPU from the CPU, which is intended to control air flow through the case. After all, none of us want the hot air to rise from our graphics card and gently toast the CPU.

The power supply is housed in a lower compartment, so from bottom to top there are three separate areas for power supply, GPU and CPU. With the main shroud removed you can clearly see the Infinite X uses regular desktop components although it took us a moment to figure out the MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC motherboard has much smaller VRM heat sinks than the retail version of the motherboard.

Our initial tour around the Infinite X raised question marks over the use of DDR4-2400MHz memory as that looks like an obvious bottleneck. We also wondered why MSI had chosen an 80+ Bronze rated Delta power supply. Delta is a good brand however the Bronze rating just looks cheap in a world where enthusiasts surely deserve Gold, Platinum or Titanium. When you’re paying top money for a gaming PC you should expect high end components and a Bronze PSU falls short of that mark.

And then there’s the CPU cooler. A 120mm AIO liquid cooler looks rather small for cooling a six-core Core i7-8700K, even at stock clock speeds, and we were genuinely unsure just how the Infinite X would perform in our testing.

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