MSI GeForce RTX 2080 & 2080 Ti GPUs Smile for the Camera

Images of the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio and Duke graphics cards have appeared in the wild three days before their expected launch.

Nvidia's next-generation graphics cards are rumored to launch on August 20 at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. As it happens with every major graphics card launch, leaked images of the unannounced models have started to surface over the internet. On this occasion, VideoCardz has reportedly leaked images of MSI's upcoming GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti from the company's Gaming X and Duke series.

MSI GeForce RTX 2080 & 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio

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According to the leaked images, the GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio inherit the characteristic Tri Frozr triple-fan cooling solution present on previous Gaming X Trio models. Therefore, they should occupy up to three PCI slots in a case. However, MSI did make several minor changes to the Tri Frozr cooler itself.

For starters, the body now features a black and gray theme that resembles a carbon fiber finish. Aficionados of the brand will be happy to know that MSI has replaced the red LED strips with customizable RGB lighting on both sides of the graphics card so it blends effortlessly into any build.

The manufacturer has switched up the order of the fans on the Tri Frozr cooler a bit as well. In past models, the middle 90mm fan was sandwiched between the two larger 100mm fans. For the RTX 2080 & 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio, MSI placed the 90mm in front, which does make the design look a little unorthodox. Although judging by its design, these should be the same 14-blade Torx 2.0 fans that MSI is so fond of using in its graphics cards. We can expect them to come with the brand's Zero Frozr technology, which would basically keeps the fans off until the GPU's temperature hits 140°F (60°C). The RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio also flaunts a sleek, silver, brushed aluminum backplate.

In addition to the PCIe lane, the RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio appears to draw its power from two eight-pin PCIe power connectors, which means it can pull up to 375W. Unfortunately, the PCIe connectors are not visible on the RTX 2080 model but it should come with a six-pin and eight-pin PCIe connectors. In terms of video outputs, the graphics cards come equipped with three DisplayPort outputs, one USB Type-C port (VirtualLink), and possibly an HDMI port.. It seems Nvidia has finally decided to stop using SLI connectors, with both graphics cards utilizing NVLink instead.

MSI GeForce RTX 2080 & 2080 Ti Duke

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In terms of aesthetics, the MSI GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti Duke graphics cards look like they'll carry a toned-down version of the Tri Frozr cooler. If MSI utilized a similar design as previous Duke models, then the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti Duke should only require two PCI slots for installation. The cooler employs a trio of same-sized 100mm 14-blade Torx 2.0 fans with Zero Frozr technology. However, it lacks flash compared to the the Gaming X Trio models. Nevertheless, the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti Duke do have their own RGB LED bar on the side and a cool full-cover metallic backplate. The MSI RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti Duke are expected to use the same combination of PCIe connectors as the Gaming X Trio models.

The rumored specifications for the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti indicate that both graphics cards are based on the Turing architecture and manufactured under TSMC's 12nm FinFET process. The RTX 2080 features the TU104 silicon and comes with 2944 shading units, 192 TMUs (texture mapping units), 64 ROPs (render output units), 24 SMs (streaming multiprocessors) and 384 tensor cores. It's clocked at 1,515MHz with a boost clock that escalates to 1,750MHz. There is 8GB of GDDR6 memory onboard operating at 14GHz across a 256-bit memory interface. The RTX 2080 has a 200W TDP (thermal design power) rating. 

As for the RTX 2080 Ti, this model purportedly utilizes the TU102 silicon. The RTX 2080 Ti possesses 4,352 shading units, 272 TMUs, 88 ROPs, 68 SMs and 576 tensor cores. It has a base clock of 1,350MHz and a boost clock in the range of 1,500MHz. The graphics card's 11GB of GDDR6 memory comes in at 14GHz across a 352-bit memory bus. The RTX 2080 Ti features a 250W TDP rating.