Usman Salis
NVIDIA's new RTX 5080 is finally here, and it's packing some serious power. MSI just announced their EXPERT series cards based on this chip, and they're bringing back something pretty cool - literally. Remember those double-sided cooling systems from the RTX 40 series? They're back, and they look even better this time around.
The RTX 5080 isn't messing around when it comes to specs. We're talking 10,752 CUDA cores paired with 16GB of GDDR7 memory running on a 256-bit bus. That's a lot of horsepower for handling whatever you throw at it, whether you're gaming at 4K or doing some heavy video editing.
NVIDIA (NVDA) RTX 5080 Performance and Overclocking Options
MSI's keeping things interesting with two versions of their RTX 5080 EXPERT. The standard model runs at NVIDIA's reference speed of 2617 MHz, which is already pretty fast. But if you want more juice, there's an overclocked version that cranks things up to 2715 MHz right out of the box. And here's the kicker - you can push both versions even further using MSI's Center app to squeeze out another 15 MHz.
The cooling setup is where things get really interesting. MSI's gone with their push-pull design again, putting one fan above the chip and another on the back side. It's basically the same idea as NVIDIA's Founders Edition cards, and it works really well for keeping temperatures in check during those marathon gaming sessions.
RTX 5080 Design Changes and Pricing
MSI's made some tweaks to the design this time around. They've switched from 9-blade to 7-blade fans, which should move air more efficiently and hopefully run a bit quieter. The whole card has more gold accents now, giving it a more premium look that matches the price tag.
Speaking of price, MSI's RTX 5080 EXPERT is going for $1,399.99 in their US store. That's definitely not cheap, but it's competitive for what you're getting. The card measures 319 × 150 × 60 mm and weighs 1.9 kg - so make sure your case can handle it.
For now, MSI's only doing the double-sided cooling thing with the RTX 5080, but they'll probably roll it out to other cards in the RTX 50 series eventually. If you're in the market for a high-end graphics card that can handle anything you throw at it, the RTX 5080 looks like a solid choice.
Usman Salis
