Today, let’s review a custom-designed RTX 4060 Ti from MSI. We have the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio 8G graphics card here. It is a factory-overclocked card with a boost clock speed of 2670MHz. While the boost clock speed is not that impressive, its cooling solution is quite remarkable. Some may find its large heatsink unnecessary, but thanks to its large heatsink, it’s able to boost higher. The Gaming X Trio is $50 more expensive than the base model. In our review below, let’s find out if MSI’s RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio is an excellent graphics card.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio 8G Review
Right off the bat, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the successor of the outgoing RTX 3060 Ti Ampere GPU. The new RTX 4060 Ti features NVIDIA’s Lovelace architecture and will have all the latest technologies offered by the new architecture. Like its bigger brother RTX 40 GPUs, the RTX 4060 Ti also features DLSS 3 and the latest NVENC encoder with AV1 support.
At the heart of the RTX 4060 Ti is an AD106 chip with 4,352 CUDA cores, which deliver 22 FP32 Shader-TFLOPS for traditional rasterized graphics rendering. It is equipped with 136 4th gen Tensor cores that provide 353 FP8 Tensor-TFLOPS (with Sparsity) for AI processing and DLSS. Additionally, it features 34 3rd gen Ada RT Cores, capable of delivering 51 RT-TFLOPS for advanced ray-traced graphics.
Like its predecessor, the RTX 4060 Ti has 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. However, its memory configuration is somewhat inferior, with slower bandwidth and only running on a 128-bit interface. To combat this, NVIDIA increased its L2 cache to 32MB; the RTX 3060 Ti only has 4MB of L2 cache. According to NVIDIA, “increasing the size of the L2 cache improves performance, reduces latency, and increases power efficiency, as data accesses can remain on-chip rather than having to go out across the GPU’s memory interface to external graphics memory.”
Below is NVIDIA’s illustration of how the increased L2 cache affects the GPU’s performance.
Below are additional features of the RTX 4060 Ti and its specifications. After that, let’s discuss MSI’s RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio and see how it performs.
Ada Lovelace Technological innovations include:
- New Streaming Multiprocessors (SM) – The new SM delivers up to 2x performance and power efficiency
- 4th Generation Tensor Cores and Optical Flow – Enable and accelerate transformative AI technologies, including the new frame rate multiplying NVIDIA DLSS 3
- 3rd Generation RT Cores – Up to 2x ray tracing performance, delivering incredibly detailed virtual worlds like never before
- Innovative Ada Memory Subsystem – Ada delivers a significant increase to the L2 cache, delivering better performance, reduced memory bus traffic, and increased power efficiency.
- Shader Execution Reordering (SER) – SER improves ray tracing operations by 2x, boosting FPS up to 44% in Cyberpunk with RT: Overdrive Mode
- DLSS 3 – A revolutionary breakthrough in AI-powered graphics that massively boosts performance using AI to generate additional high-quality frames
- NVIDIA Studio – Unmatched performance in 3D rendering, video editing, and livestreaming
- AV1 Encoders – The 8th generation NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) with AV1 is 40% more efficient than H.264, enabling new possibilities for streamers, broadcasters, and video callers
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Specifications
| Graphics Card | RTX 4060 Ti | RTX 4070 | RTX 4070 Ti | RTX 4080 | RTX 4090 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrication Process | TSMC 4N NVIDIA Custom Process | TSMC 4N NVIDIA Custom Process | TSMC 4N NVIDIA Custom Process | TSMC 4N NVIDIA Custom Process | TSMC 4 nm NVIDIA Custom Process |
| Transistor Count | 22.9 billion | 35.8 billion | 35.8 billion | 45.9 billion | 76.3 billion |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace |
| GPU | AD106 | AD104 | AD104 | AD103 | AD102 |
| Graphics Processing Clusters | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| Texture Processing Clusters | 17 | 23 | 30 | 38 | 64 |
| Streaming Multiprocessors | 34 | 46 | 60 | 76 | 128 |
| CUDA Cores | 4352 | 5888 | 7680 | 9728 | 16384 |
| Tensor Cores | 136 (4th Gen) | 184 (4th Gen) | 240 (4th Gen) | 304 (4th Gen) | 512 (4th Gen) |
| RT Cores | 34 (3rd Gen) | 46 (3rd Gen) | 60 (3rd Gen) | 76 (3rd Gen) | 128 (3rd Gen) |
| Texture Units | 136 | 184 | 240 | 304 | 512 |
| ROPs | 48 | 64 | 80 | 112 | 176 |
| Boost Clock | 2535 MHz | 2475 MHz | 2610 MHz | 2505 MHz | 2520 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 9000 MHz | 10500 MHz | 10500 MHz | 11200 MHz | 10501 MHz |
| Memory Data Rate | 18 Gbps | 21 Gbps | 21 Gbps | 22.4 Gbps | 21 Gbps |
| L2 Cache Size | 32,768 KB | 36,864 KB | 49,152 KB | 65,536 KB | 73,728 KB |
| Total Video Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 / 16 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR6X | 12 GB GDDR6X | 16 GB GDDR6X | 24 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit | 192-bit | 192-bit | 256-bit | 384-bit |
| Total Memory Bandwidth | 288 GB/s (554 GB/s effective) | 504 GB/s | 504 GB/s | 716.8 GB/s | 1008 GB/s |
| Texture Rate | 345 GigaTexels/sec | 455.4 Gigatexels/sec | 626 Gigatexels/sec | 761.5 Gigatexels/sec | 1290.2 GigaTexels/sec |
| Connectors | 3 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI | 3 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI | 3 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI | 3 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI | 3 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI |
| Minimum Power Supply | 550 Watts | 650 Watts | 700 Watts | 750 Watts | 850 Watts |
| Total Graphics Power (TGP) | 160 Watts | 200 Watts | 285 Watts | 320 Watts | 450 Watts |
| PCI Express Interface | Gen 4 | Gen 4 | Gen 4 | Gen 4 | Gen 4 |
| Release Date | May 2023 – 8GB July 2023 – 16GB | April 2023 | January 2023 | November 2022 | October 2022 |
| Launch Price | $399 – 8GB $499 – 16GB | $599 | $799 | $1,199 | $1,599 |
Check the latest pricing and availability: (#ad)
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio 8G is available on Amazon.com here.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X 8G is available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Ventus 2X Black 8G OC is available on Amazon.com here.
Packaging and Closer Look
The Gaming (X) Trio lineup is one of MSI’s higher-end custom-designed graphics cards. SUPRIM (X) is the flagship, but MSI doesn’t make SUPRIM cards for the mid to lower-tier segment. MSI only made a SUPRIM model for the RTX 4090, 4080, and 4070 Ti GPUs. There’s no SUPRIM variant from RTX 4070 down. So, basically, the RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio is the highest-end card for the 4060 GPU series.
MSI also has the RTX 4060 Ti Gaming (X) for those who prefer a dual-fan design. It’s also a custom graphics card with a cooling solution and design similar to the Gaming (X) Trio. But instead of having three fans, the Gaming (X) only has two.
By the way, “X” means the graphics card is an OC version. For example, the Gaming X Trio is the overclocked version, while the Gaming Trio is the non-overclocked version. Between an OC variant and a non-OC card, get the cheapest one at the time. Don’t worry since these cards will eventually boost higher thanks to NVIDIA Boost Technology.
The MSI RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio
MSI’s Gaming X Trio isn’t a thick and chunky graphics card but is quite long. It measures 338mm in length, 141mm in width, and has a thickness of 52mm. It also weighs around 1.17 kg. So you still need to check if your case or chassis can support its size.
What separates the MSI RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio from the other RTX 4060 Ti cards is its superb cooling solution. It features MSI’s Tri Frozr 3 thermal design, with three Torx Fan 5.0. It also features a copper baseplate for the GPU and VRAM. According to MSI, additional fuses are built into the custom PCB, providing additional safeguards against electrical damage.
As you can see from the photo, the backplate is metal and has a huge cutout. The cutout is so big that you can see almost half of the center fan. There is RGB lighting on the front cooler shroud and the MSI logo at the front-side portion.
I like the new design of the Gaming X Trio. I think it’s better and polished compared to the Gaming X Trio from the RTX 30 series, where they just slapped an RGB bar for the sake of having RGB lighting.
The MSI RTX 4060 Ti uses the good-old 8-pin PCIe power connector, requiring only one 8-pin connector. MSI recommends at least a 550W PSU for this graphics card. The RTX 4060 Ti generally has a TGP of 160W, making it a very efficient GPU. It also has three DisplayPort 1.4a and a single HDMI port.
Overall, I think the design is excellent. Undeniably it is a large graphics card, but its cooling performance and noise level are fantastic. In my testing, I only got an average of 53°C while benchmarking this graphics card. It also ran silently, inaudible at best. For comparison, on average, my Zotac RTX 4060 Ti Twin Edge, a dual-fan card, reached around 63°C. That’s a substantial 10°C difference in temperature.
Test Setup for RTX 4060 Ti Review
I’m using an X670E motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X to test the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti graphics card. It is paired with a DDR5-6000MHz CL30 memory kit with the AMD EXPO profile enabled. Resizable BAR was also enabled from the BIOS settings. Below are the rest of the specifications of the system:
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000MHz CL30 AMD EXPO |
| Graphics Card | MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio |
| OS Drive | MSI Spatium M480 Play |
| Game Drive | SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 and Extreme Portable SSD V2 |
| Power Supply | MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 |
| Chassis | MSI MPG Velox 100P Airflow |
| Monitor | MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD 4K 144Hz |
I used NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready Driver version 531.93 WHQL. The card was tested in two resolutions – 1920×1080 FHD and 2560×1440 WQHD only. For synthetic benchmarks, I used 3DMark’s benchmark suite. I also used the following games to test the graphics card in traditional rasterization: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Read Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and The Division 2.
For ray tracing and DLSS-enabled games, I tested the graphics card with Cyberpunk 2077, Watch Dogs Legion, The Witcher 3 Next Gen, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Forza Horizon 5, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB Benchmarks
Synthetic Benchmark Results
Below are the results that I got with 3D Mark’s benchmark suite. The numbers are the graphics scores.
I included the results I got for the Zotac RTX 4060 Ti in the benchmark graphs (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB). Zotac’s card is a non-OC card and has a stock configuration. According to Zotac, it should perform similarly to NVIDIA’s Founder Edition.
Generally, the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB only edges its predecessor, the RTX 3060 Ti, by a small margin. I expected the RTX 4060 Ti to be a bit faster than the RTX 3060 Ti, but that’s not the case here. There’s also a huge performance gap between the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4070. Next, let’s check out how the GPU performs in actual games.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Ray Tracing and DLSS Benchmark Results
Let’s start with the more demanding game titles with ray tracing and/or DLSS enabled. In some game titles below, like Cyberpunk 2077, I included some DLSS 3 (AI frame generation) results.
DLSS 3 is a bit tricky since it doesn’t really increase the frame rate natively, unlike DLSS 2 (an upscaling tech). Instead, you get the performance or smoothness of an “X” frame rate, making the game more playable and run or look smoother. However, at this point, DLSS 3 is not that mature yet. I can observe visual imperfections, pixelations, and other visual anomalies.
Cyberpunk 2077
With traditional rasterization, the RTX 4060 Ti got decent frame rates, above 60 fps, at 1080p. However, it was already struggling quite a bit a 1440p. The last two graphs show how the GPUs performed when ray tracing (psycho) is enabled with DLSS or FSR (for AMD GPU). I didn’t include DLSS 3 results for the other RTX 40 series cards since I’m just demonstrating the RTX 4060 Ti’s DLSS 3 capability. Of course, if I include DLSS 3 numbers for the other RTX 40 series GPUs, expect that those GPUs would be on top of the charts.
Again, with DLSS 3 enabled, your not really getting 111 fps at 1080p or 72 fps at 1440p, natively. Instead, it just looks like you are getting 111 fps or 72 fps, thanks to the generated frames. The MSI RTX 4060 Ti got an average of 73 fps, which are real frames. That means when DLSS 3 was enabled, those extra 38 fps (ave.) are not real frames.
It is also worth mentioning that DLSS 3 behaves differently from one game title to another. In some game titles, you get double (or more) the “frame rate”. But in others, it’s just a ~50% improvement. Also, you can enable Frame Generation without ray tracing.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
Watch Dogs: Legion
The Witcher 3: Next-Gen
As I said in my other review, the RTX 4060 Ti’s performance is generally disappointing. It looks like the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB performs just the same as the RTX 3060 Ti. It only edges it by a hairline. Let’s check out some more game benchmark results in traditional rasterization only.
1080p Game Benchmark Results
The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB is geared towards 1080p gaming. By the way, Forza Horizon has its RT enabled. But its ray tracing is only applied to the car’s reflection. So, it’s not that demanding compared to The Witcher 3’s or Cyberpunk 2077’s ray tracing. Below are the results I got using traditional rasterization.
1440p Game Benchmark Results
Another thing that I am somewhat disappointed about is how NVIDIA downgraded the status of its XX60 Ti-class GPU. When the RTX 3060 Ti was released, it was an excellent GPU for its price (its actual MSRP) at that time. It was able to play games at 1080p and 1440p quite well. So it wasn’t just a 1080p card but a capable 1440p card as well.
Unfortunately, NVIDIA only marketed the RTX 4060 Ti as a 1080p GPU this time. With the latest game titles, the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB may not be able to deliver a smoother gaming experience at 1440p resolution. Not without the help of DLSS 2/3.
With older game titles, the RTX 4060 Ti is still a pretty capable 1440p GPU. But you’re not buying a new RTX 4060 Ti just to play old games, right? So it’s rather disappointing that NVIDIA gimped its specs and degraded the XX60 Ti-class status down to being just a 1080p GPU.
Latest games like Hogwarts Legacy, Last of Us, Returnal, and many more do and will require more VRAM. The gaming experience is different, with only 8GB of VRAM. You will encounter stutters or be forced to adjust and lower the graphics quality just to get a smoother gameplay experience. And I think that’s unacceptable for a 2023 gaming PC that is supposed to be better than a console.
Now that we have seen the results, it’s time to conclude this review. I have nothing further to discuss since the graphs speak for themselves.
Pricing and Availability
The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB will be available starting May 24 at a retail price of $400 USD. Meanwhile, MSI’s GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio 8G comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $450. That’s $50 more than the base model.
Check the latest pricing and availability: (#ad)
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio 8G is available on Amazon.com here.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X 8G is available on Amazon.com here.
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Ventus 2X Black 8G OC is available on Amazon.com here.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio Review Conclusion
Let’s talk about MSI’s Gaming X Trio first. As expected, the custom-design Gaming X Trio is an excellent graphics card. It is aesthetically pleasing, and its cooling performance is excellent. During my test, it only reached an average of 53°C while boosting up to 2835MHz. It ran silently and inaudible most of the time, even when the case’s side panel was open.
When it comes to efficiency, the MSI RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio only drew an average of 142 watts. It’s more efficient than the RTX 3060 Ti while performing 10% faster on average.
RTX 4060 Ti’s Lackluster Performance
Now let’s discuss the broader issue of the RTX 4060 Ti. Overall, I am disappointed with how the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB performed. The new RTX 4060 Ti performed only slightly faster than the RTX 3060 Ti in general. It feels like the RTX 4060 Ti is just an overclock RTX 3060 Ti card in terms of raw performance.
The RTX 4060 Ti 8GB is only about 10% faster on average in 1080p. The difference decreases in 1440p, with the RTX 4060 Ti only being 6% faster on average. Its performance decreased at higher resolution due to having only 8GB of VRAM. Not to mention, the VRAM’s config/specs are gimped.
The RTX 3060 Ti was released with an MSRP of $399, similar to the new RTX 4060 Ti 8GB. I think that’s good, but we expect more performance for the new generation card. The graphs show a considerable performance gap between the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4070.
I think the upcoming RTX 4060 should have the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB performance, and the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB should perform a bit faster. Perhaps somewhere closer to the RTX 4070. I don’t think NVIDIA plans to release an “RTX 4060 Ti Super” card in the future since the RTX 4060 16GB will occupy the $500 price point.
Saving Grace
Performance aside, the only (new) thing that the RTX 4060 Ti offers are DLSS 3 AI frame generation and a newer NVENC encoder with AV1 support. But are those features enough to entice gamers to upgrade or buy the RTX 4060 Ti? I doubt. It’s also an efficient GPU; you only need one 8-pin PCIe power connector and a 550w PSU.
Finally, Should You Get An RTX 4060 Ti?
Maybe if you are coming from a much older generation graphics card, like GTX or RTX 2060, then the RTX 4060 Ti may be worth considering. Or if you are coming from an older AMD graphics card and want to experience ray tracing, DLSS, and a better video encoder. But if you already have an RTX 30 series GPU, I think you should skip this card.
Overall, MSI’s RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X Trio is an excellent graphics card. This is a review of the Gaming X Trio, after all. It’s not MSI’s fault that the RTX 4060 Ti has a lackluster performance. They don’t make the GPUs. The Gaming X Trio is an excellent card held back by the RTX 4060 Ti GPU’s performance. You may want to consider this graphics card if you’re really set on getting a 4060 Ti. But personally, I’d wait for prices to drop.
