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Review: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 SEA HAWK X
Oh yes we're going Hybrid today as we review a GeForce GTX 1080 being tested with Corsair hybrid cooling!, yes join us as we test the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 SEA HAWK X . The gear that everybody is waiting to see are the board partner cards, all custom, tweaked and cooled better and the SEA HAWK X certainly fits that description with its include AIO liquid cooler. Let's have a peek at the new 8 GB beast From MSI.
Read the full review here.
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larsbaby
Senior Member
Posts: 120
Joined: 2010-02-22
Senior Member
Posts: 120
Joined: 2010-02-22
#5298689 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:01 AM
Overclockers have really yanked the price up on this to an eye watering £899.99..Ouch.
Scan on the other hand are more realistic at £829.49. That's still £200+ over a founders edition. The prices are out of control.
If and when I get a 1080 It seems the best option (for me at least) is to find one of the cheaper 1080 cards and slap an EK water block on it.
Overclockers have really yanked the price up on this to an eye watering £899.99..Ouch.
Scan on the other hand are more realistic at £829.49. That's still £200+ over a founders edition. The prices are out of control.
If and when I get a 1080 It seems the best option (for me at least) is to find one of the cheaper 1080 cards and slap an EK water block on it.
Glottiz
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
#5298691 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:03 AM
Again a great product from Msi.I really dig this one.
The cards tempratures are astonishing low in idle and full load.And above all she is a beauty
.
Thx Hilbert for the great review.
i'm puzzled why MSI insists on having a fan on GPU. Gigabyte's hybrid 1080 is fully cooled by AIO, no extra fans.
Again a great product from Msi.I really dig this one.
The cards tempratures are astonishing low in idle and full load.And above all she is a beauty
.
Thx Hilbert for the great review.
i'm puzzled why MSI insists on having a fan on GPU. Gigabyte's hybrid 1080 is fully cooled by AIO, no extra fans.
0blivious
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
#5298692 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:04 AM
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
Glottiz
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
#5298694 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:06 AM
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
not placebo. pascal starts throttling at above 50C in steps, so if you can keep it under 50C, and you can with hybrid cards, you'll have higher and more stable core clock, as confirmed by this review, too.
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
not placebo. pascal starts throttling at above 50C in steps, so if you can keep it under 50C, and you can with hybrid cards, you'll have higher and more stable core clock, as confirmed by this review, too.
fantaskarsef
Senior Member
Posts: 11068
Joined: 2014-07-21
Senior Member
Posts: 11068
Joined: 2014-07-21
#5298696 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:07 AM
Thanks for the review Hilbert, I was really waiting for this one! Great review as always.
Maybe MSI will clock better because it's that extra few degrees cooler, or can hold it's boost a tad higher under certain games, only direct comparison can tell if the fan's a waste, or indeed does something at least.
Thanks for the review Hilbert, I was really waiting for this one! Great review as always.
i'm puzzled why MSI insists on having a fan on GPU. Gigabyte's hybrid 1080 is fully cooled by AIO, no extra fans.
Maybe MSI will clock better because it's that extra few degrees cooler, or can hold it's boost a tad higher under certain games, only direct comparison can tell if the fan's a waste, or indeed does something at least.
0blivious
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
#5298697 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:08 AM
The numbers I saw seemed to indicate it performed like every other 1080 out there. Within 1%.
not placebo. pascal starts throttling at above 50C in steps, so if you can keep it under 50C, and you can with hybrid cards, you'll have higher and more stable core clock, as confirmed by this review, too.
The numbers I saw seemed to indicate it performed like every other 1080 out there. Within 1%.
Glottiz
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
Senior Member
Posts: 477
Joined: 2006-11-18
#5298699 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:11 AM
i think it's merely a cost saving measure. it's simpler to just cool the core, unlike gigabyte's method that cools core, vrm and vram all with AIO and no extra fans.
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?
Maybe MSI will clock better because it's that extra few degrees cooler, or can hold it's boost a tad higher under certain games, only direct comparison can tell if the fan's a waste, or indeed does something at least.
i think it's merely a cost saving measure. it's simpler to just cool the core, unlike gigabyte's method that cools core, vrm and vram all with AIO and no extra fans.
The numbers I saw seemed to indicate it performed like every other 1080 out there. Within 1%.
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?
0blivious
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
Senior Member
Posts: 2602
Joined: 2006-04-25
#5298704 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:16 AM
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?That's what I meant. Even over the lowest of the bunch, the overclocked STRIX, it's a mere 1.3% better.
I guess 1% is something but I seem to recall the older generation of water-cooled cards to be more impressive.
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?
That's what I meant. Even over the lowest of the bunch, the overclocked STRIX, it's a mere 1.3% better.
I guess 1% is something but I seem to recall the older generation of water-cooled cards to be more impressive.
Hilbert Hagedoorn
Don Vito Corleone
Posts: 36516
Joined: 2000-02-22
Don Vito Corleone
Posts: 36516
Joined: 2000-02-22
#5298710 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:21 AM
That's what I meant. Even over the lowest of the bunch, the overclocked STRIX, it's a mere 1.3% better.
I guess 1% is something but I seem to recall the older generation of water-cooled cards to be more impressive.
You are totally right looking at it from a pure perf point of view and I mention that in the conclusion. The GTX 1080 is complex in that manner.
This product however is for those that like low GPU temps, silence and aesthetics in an AIO package. Obviously the cheapest 1080 you can find will make a lot more sense value/perf for money wise ... thing is, this product is just not about that. It's something different and more unique.
That's what I meant. Even over the lowest of the bunch, the overclocked STRIX, it's a mere 1.3% better.
I guess 1% is something but I seem to recall the older generation of water-cooled cards to be more impressive.
You are totally right looking at it from a pure perf point of view and I mention that in the conclusion. The GTX 1080 is complex in that manner.
This product however is for those that like low GPU temps, silence and aesthetics in an AIO package. Obviously the cheapest 1080 you can find will make a lot more sense value/perf for money wise ... thing is, this product is just not about that. It's something different and more unique.
fantaskarsef
Senior Member
Posts: 11068
Joined: 2014-07-21
Senior Member
Posts: 11068
Joined: 2014-07-21
#5298716 Posted on: 07/01/2016 09:43 AM
The fan does look like it's on top of the GPU, but I seriously doubt it cools the GPU just by itself, I more think it's cooling 'everything', whereas the AIO cools the GPU only. But I guess you can only be sure about that when somebody takes it apart.
But, as we've seen, in general it's irrelevant for stock BIOS cards, to say the least. Maybe a custom BIOS could help with anything there, but I have the feeling overclocking gets more and more restrictive again the way Nvidia designs it's GPU boost (which, just mentioning it, is useless and actually a drawback for people that toy with their own cards, afterburner, and even more vBIOS flashes).
i think it's merely a cost saving measure. it's simpler to just cool the core, unlike gigabyte's method that cools core, vrm and vram all with AIO and no extra fans.
The fan does look like it's on top of the GPU, but I seriously doubt it cools the GPU just by itself, I more think it's cooling 'everything', whereas the AIO cools the GPU only. But I guess you can only be sure about that when somebody takes it apart.
But, as we've seen, in general it's irrelevant for stock BIOS cards, to say the least. Maybe a custom BIOS could help with anything there, but I have the feeling overclocking gets more and more restrictive again the way Nvidia designs it's GPU boost (which, just mentioning it, is useless and actually a drawback for people that toy with their own cards, afterburner, and even more vBIOS flashes).
cryohellinc
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Posts: 2764
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#5298729 Posted on: 07/01/2016 10:13 AM
Thank you for a fantastic review Hilbert.
Impressive card indeed. Sadly cannot find it on the market right now. However temperatures are impressive indeed. And with this overclocking, for 1440p it seems like a very future proof card.
Grabbing one as soon as its out here on the market, I've had enough of SLI and all issues that come with it, most importantly temperatures. When @ SLI 980's @1440p turn a game all on Max and temperatures go sky high instantly.
Cant wait!
Thank you for a fantastic review Hilbert.
Impressive card indeed. Sadly cannot find it on the market right now. However temperatures are impressive indeed. And with this overclocking, for 1440p it seems like a very future proof card.
Grabbing one as soon as its out here on the market, I've had enough of SLI and all issues that come with it, most importantly temperatures. When @ SLI 980's @1440p turn a game all on Max and temperatures go sky high instantly.
Cant wait!
DangerousQQ
Junior Member
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Posts: 5
Joined: 2014-07-25
#5298750 Posted on: 07/01/2016 10:45 AM
Overclockers have really yanked the price up on this to an eye watering £899.99..Ouch.
Scan on the other hand are more realistic at £829.49. That's still £200+ over a founders edition. The prices are out of control.
If and when I get a 1080 It seems the best option (for me at least) is to find one of the cheaper 1080 cards and slap an EK water block on it.
Perhaps you need to check these sites again, the prices you quote are for the EK waterblock version of the seahawk X. The corsair AIO version is still expensive but not unpalatable at £698.99. I personally dont think its good value as its still over £100 more expensive than the base card without water.
Overclockers have really yanked the price up on this to an eye watering £899.99..Ouch.
Scan on the other hand are more realistic at £829.49. That's still £200+ over a founders edition. The prices are out of control.
If and when I get a 1080 It seems the best option (for me at least) is to find one of the cheaper 1080 cards and slap an EK water block on it.
Perhaps you need to check these sites again, the prices you quote are for the EK waterblock version of the seahawk X. The corsair AIO version is still expensive but not unpalatable at £698.99. I personally dont think its good value as its still over £100 more expensive than the base card without water.
Spets
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Posts: 2986
Joined: 2011-05-10
#5298765 Posted on: 07/01/2016 11:10 AM
Awesome review HH.
Awesome review HH.
Netherwind
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Posts: 6937
Joined: 2009-11-13
#5298766 Posted on: 07/01/2016 11:11 AM
I'm very happy with this review Hilbert, thank you!
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
The point of this AIO solution is to eliminate throttling thus hopefully have a higher boost clock than normal. But the chip lottery still has to be taken under consideration since you can still get a bad chip.
i think it's merely a cost saving measure. it's simpler to just cool the core, unlike gigabyte's method that cools core, vrm and vram all with AIO and no extra fans.
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?
This sample yea, but if HH would test 5 different SeaHawks, one of the might not clock past 2050 for example?
No chip is guaranteed to overclock at a specific value.
I'm very happy with this review Hilbert, thank you!
Am I missing the point of the Seahawk for a 10 series card? Isn't it pre-water cooled to get a great overclock? These cards don't overclock past the Pascal wall so why go overboard on the cooling? Placebo?
Are we depending on a tweaked bios or something to make this worth it?
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool piece of kit, nonetheless.
The point of this AIO solution is to eliminate throttling thus hopefully have a higher boost clock than normal. But the chip lottery still has to be taken under consideration since you can still get a bad chip.
i think it's merely a cost saving measure. it's simpler to just cool the core, unlike gigabyte's method that cools core, vrm and vram all with AIO and no extra fans.
check overclocking section of review, it's above all other 1080s. still think it's a placebo?
This sample yea, but if HH would test 5 different SeaHawks, one of the might not clock past 2050 for example?
No chip is guaranteed to overclock at a specific value.
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Again a great product from Msi.I really dig this one.
The cards tempratures are astonishing low in idle and full load.And above all she is a beauty
Thx Hilbert for the great review.