MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti LIGHTNING Z review

#5629885

Undying

2019-01-21 14:11

Manual overclocking > oc scanner. Nice looking card and nice review.

#5629903

999Anticlock9wiSe

2019-01-21 15:06

Instead of led lights why dont they put some useful information in the lights. red lights for +65c yellow light for +55c green light for +35c Display RPM Display clock speeds. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexible-Gooseneck-Cooling-Display-Notebook/dp/B06XQH86NZ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1548079380&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=fan+clock&psc=1

#5629908

george1976

2019-01-21 15:25

I cannot understand why this card is tested at 1080p also. Surely anyone paying this amount of money won't be gaming at 1080p, maybe not even 1440p.

#5629913

Hilbert Hagedoorn

Administrator

2019-01-21 15:38

george1976:

I cannot understand why this card is tested at 1080p also. Surely anyone paying this amount of money won't be gaming at 1080p, maybe not even 1440p.

I agree + it is CPU limited at that resolution. Problem is that if I do not post 1080p results, people will also complain as to why I did not post Full HD numbers.

#5629917

Netherwind

2019-01-21 15:44

For those who think the FE is way too cheap 😀 Jokes aside, it would be seriously cool to own this card paired with a 9900K to avoid bottlenecks.

#5629922

Moto_Life

2019-01-21 15:55

$1.500.00? HAHAHAHA

#5629925

SpajdrEX

2019-01-21 16:02

Hilbert Hagedoorn:

I agree + it is CPU limited at that resolution. Problem is that if I do not post 1080p results, people will also complain as to why I did not post Full HD numbers.

Yeah, forgot to mention actually that i wanted 720p resolution test!

#5629931

chispy

2019-01-21 16:17

Great review as always Hilbert , thank you for a great read. This card it's aimed more towards the extreme LN2 overclocking crowd wish is a small community hence this video cards will be in short supply with a big price , nonetheless already benchmarks world records already have been broken on this video card on LN2 by my team mate Gunslinger. MSI Lightnings I like it 😀 !

#5629934

fantaskarsef

2019-01-21 16:22

For what it's worth, I can only hope that this card has comparable build quality to my trusty GTX 580 Lightning XE. I loved that card, served me well for many years.

#5629938

Undying

2019-01-21 16:28

I actually still think that GTX780 and R9 290X are the best looking Lightning cards. https://i.postimg.cc/pXkbcBtH/MSI-GTX-780-Lightning-2.jpg

#5629943

Ridiric

2019-01-21 16:34

Hilbert Hagedoorn:

I agree + it is CPU limited at that resolution. Problem is that if I do not post 1080p results, people will also complain as to why I did not post Full HD numbers.

I get where you are coming from saying this, but I don't agree. Until top end cards are able to hit 144fps or higher at 1440p reliably across the majority of current gen titles in these benchmarks, 1080p will still have a place for all those people who (like me) would like to play at high refresh rates without having to lower the graphics settings to do so. Or until the CPU bottlenecking at 1080p becomes so bad that the model bellow the top end card starts achieving basically the same results, either one of those two options really. We are getting close to 144fps across most titles at 1440p though so maybe next gen you can stop testing top end cards at 1080p? lets hope!

#5629946

fantaskarsef

2019-01-21 16:39

Ridiric:

I get where you are coming from saying this, but I don't agree. Until top end cards are able to hit 144fps or higher at 1440p reliably across the majority of current gen titles in these benchmarks, 1080p will still have a place for all those people who (like me) would like to play at high refresh rates without having to lower the graphics settings to do so. Or until the CPU bottlenecking at 1080p becomes so bad that the model bellow the top end card starts achieving basically the same results, either on of those two options really.

I just want to say, the point where you can play 144fps on 2K or 4K, it will probably only come when 8K will get a PC standard. For many years still to come, I think, 1080p will be many gamer's resolution. Not that I'd be a fan of it tbh, but I think 1080p benchmarks will accompany us. Especially if DXR will be a thing...

#5629951

H83

2019-01-21 16:46

Great card but that price... I build my system for less than that... Also good thing we can turn off the RGB because that stuff is getting out of hand... Also keep the 1080p tests for the near future Hilbert, they are still useful.

#5629952

Ridiric

2019-01-21 16:46

fantaskarsef:

I just want to say, the point where you can play 144fps on 2K or 4K, it will probably only come when 8K will get a PC standard. For many years still to come, I think, 1080p will be many gamer's resolution. Not that I'd be a fan of it tbh, but I think 1080p benchmarks will accompany us. Especially if DXR will be a thing...

144fps at 4k I agree will take a loooong time, which is why I didn't say anything about 4k, 1440p though? we are already getting quite close with top end cards (and I have been speaking specifically about the benchmarking for top end cards). Hell just look at this review about half the benchmarks get very close to 144fps at 1440p and some get much higher, nearly all of the benchmarks at 1080p get 144fps or better on this card, so yeah 1080p is still a valid benchmark resolution for top end cards right now, but I could see the next top end card or the one after that being able to drop 1080p from its testing if things continue like this. DXR is another thing all together though, for the games that support it, yeah I can see 1080p being in the testing resolutions for a much longer time.

#5629955

tunejunky

2019-01-21 16:49

i'm so jealous! what a great looking and performing card. the good news for the people who buy one is that MSI really knows how to put a premium product together. it really does come down to the equivalent of "nuts and bolts", which you pay for, but if i was going to buy a super-premium card i want it to feel like one. that said, as a tech enthusiast i could just look at this in a plexi display and get my jollies. but, as a RL person balancing expenditures i can't justify a card costing the price of a whole 'puter. which would be a different story if i needed it for income or if i gamed well enough to pay for a fps advantage over the 15 months before the next super-duper card. and yeah, 15 months is about right. there is going to be no extended Pascal-style life for Turing gen 1, there's a refresh right around the corner.

#5629962

DeskStar

2019-01-21 17:09

Hilbert...... I freakin love you!!! (No homo). And no offense to anyone as its not directed like that.... sad i even need to put that considering today's insecurities and all.....!! With that all aside.... These cards nowadays are making it harder and harder for people like me to want to rip the board apart and slap on a waterblock! I mean.....LOOK at this beautiful thing....this....this....piece of art we have presented to us!! MAN!!!!

#5629964

cowie

2019-01-21 17:12

nice card I would love to pair it with a better monitor someday

#5629967

Ricepudding

2019-01-21 17:21

Love the card, the upgrade of mine... but what the hell is up with the pricetag... in the UK this is at £1439... A standard 2080ti is £1049, talking about a 40% price hike... just what even is this generation, my Lightening was more expensive sure, but not £400 more! more like £50-80 more... very hard to get onboard this generation, then again this 11XX series thats rumoured might change that since i have to assume they will be normal prices just without the RTX/tensor cores

#5629969

rgothmog

2019-01-21 17:36

I have got to get me one of these 🙂 get rid of my MSI 1080.Its served me well...

#5629976

Legacy-ZA

2019-01-21 18:04

I remember the days you could by the top line for $350