MSI is celebrating its 30th anniversary of creating PC hardware. To commemorate the event, it partnered with EK Water Blocks to create a limited edition graphics card package worthy of such a milestone.
MSI and EK Water Blocks have worked together on several occasions in recent past. The MSI GeForce GTX 1080 and 1070 Sea Hawk EK X cards come out of the box with EKWB designed water blocks pre-installed, and MSI will honor the warranty for graphics cards and motherboards that its customers install EKWB water blocks onto. For its 30th Anniversary edition, MSI went further than just a custom water block for the card, though the anniversary card does, of course, have a unique design.
MSI’s GeForce GTX 1080 30th Anniversary graphics card features a full cover Acetal top with striking stainless steel accents. The face of the block includes the MSI and EKWB logos, which are lit up by RGB LEDs that can be controlled by the MSI Gaming App. The base of the block is made of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, as are almost all of EKWB’s recent products.
Aside from the aesthetic features, the block installed on MSI’s GTX 1080 30th Anniversary edition is standard fare for EKWB products. The block features channels directly above the GPU, memory, and VRMs to help keep the heat generating components as chilled as possible.
Unlike the Sea Hawk EK X cards, MSI’s GeForce GTX 1080 30th Anniversary edition isn’t just a graphics card and a water block. It is a complete package, which includes an EK-XLC Predator cooler. This isn’t just an off the shelf Predator, though. EKWB developed a 120mm version of its customizable closed loop system solely for the anniversary edition card.
“EK Water Blocks is very proud to be part of MSI 30th Anniversary celebration and exclusively for this project, we engineered and designed EK-XLC Predator 120 All-In-On liquid cooler, that is not available anywhere else,” said Niko Tivadar, EK R&D Chief. “Combining this AIO with never before seen GPU water block design, we created a very unique liquid cooling solution, making it a true collector’s piece.”
MSI did not release the price of the card, nor did it comment on the availability, other than to say that it would be a limited edition release. We expect it to carry a hefty price premium above the rest of MSI’s already substantial lineup of GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards.
| Name | GeForce® GTX 1080 30th Anniversary |
|---|---|
| GPU | GP104-00 |
| Core Clock speeds (OC Mode) | Base: 1721 MHz / Boost: 1860 MHz |
| Memory Size / Type | 8GB GDDR5X |
| Thermal Design | Full Cover EK Waterblock |
| RGB LED Backplate | Yes |
| LED | Yes (RGB) |
| Connectivity | DisplayPort x 3 / HDMI / DL-DVI-D |
| Dimensions Card | 277 x 167 x 54 mm |
| Dimensions Radiator | 177 x 133 x 68 mm |
