Scored using Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Graphics cards Methodology v1.0: technical specifications plus authentic consumer ratings, with 0% commercial bias.
Explore Graphics cards Methodology v1.0

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC Review | 118 Data compared

Avg. price:~£1,140VRAM:16 GBMemory bus width:256 bitThermal Design Power (TDP):360 W

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC Review: Compare 118 technical specifications and user reviews to see how this product ranks in the Graphics cards category and whether it is worth buying.

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC
9.4/10

Overall score

Score
9.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An overall evaluation of the graphics card's quality, based on technical analyses and user reviews.
When it matters
When you need a quick reference to identify the best graphics cards on the market.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components

90%

9.4

Technical score

10%

9.1

User score

★Better than 98% of graphics cards
7.9

Value for money

Value for money
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components

70%

9.4

Overall score

30%

4.5

Price

▲Better than 84%
9.4

Technical score

Technical score
9.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components

44%

10

Performance

24%

9.6

Memory

12%

7.7

Power & Cooling

11%

10

Platform & Features

5%

6.5

Design

4%

10

Connectivity & Media

★Better than 98%
9.1

User score

User score
9.1/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components

70%

9.2

User ratings

30%

8.7

Number of reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
▲Better than 86%
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Technical Specifications of graphics card MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC

Technical score
Technical score
9.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components:

44%

10

Performance

24%

9.6

Memory

12%

7.7

Power & Cooling

11%

10

Platform & Features

5%

6.5

Design

4%

10

Connectivity & Media

9.4
User score
User score
9.1/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components

70%

9.2

User ratings

30%

8.7

Number of reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
9.1
Popularity
Popularity
8.7/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator based on the number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you prefer a graphics card that has already been chosen and reviewed by many other users.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Popularity:
MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC has a popularity score of 8.7 points, which is higher than that of 81.1% of products in this category.
8.7
Value for money
Value for money
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components:

70%

9.4

Overall score

30%

4.5

Price

7.9
3DMark Time Spy benchmark score
32,252 points
This graphics card scores 32,252 points in 3DMark Time Spy, which is higher than 91.5% of graphics cards and equal to 0.1% of graphics cards.
3DMark Port Royal score
26,035 points
This graphics card scores 26,035 points in 3DMark Port Royal, which is higher than 93.8% of graphics cards and equal to 1.1% of graphics cards.
PassMark (G3D) result
35,847 points
This graphics card scores 35,847 points in PassMark G3D, which is higher than 89.4% of graphics cards and equal to 0.2% of graphics cards.
PassMark (DirectCompute) result
19,343 points
This graphics card scores 19,343 points in PassMark DirectCompute, which is higher than 76.1% of graphics cards and equal to 1.5% of graphics cards.
Floating-point performance
57.1 TFLOPS
This graphics card delivers 57.1 TFLOPS floating-point performance, which is higher than that of 89.8% of graphics cards and equal to that of 0.1% of graphics cards.
Show more
VRAM
16 GB
This graphics card has 16 GB of VRAM, which is more than 61.5% of graphics cards and equal to 28.6% of graphics cards.
Memory type
GDDR7
GDDR version
GDDR7
This graphics card uses GDDR7 memory, which is newer than on 79.4% of graphics cards and equal to 20.6% of graphics cards.
Memory bus width
256 bit
This graphics card uses a 256 bit memory bus, which is wider than that of 49.7% of graphics cards and equal to that of 35.9% of graphics cards.
Maximum memory bandwidth
960 GB/s
This graphics card reaches 960 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is higher than that of 88% of graphics cards and equal to that of 5.8% of graphics cards.
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PCI Express (PCIe) version
5
This graphics card supports PCIe 5, which is newer than on 74.5% of graphics cards and equal to 25.6% of graphics cards.
PCIe lanes
x16
This graphics card uses x16 PCIe lanes, which is more than 23.4% of graphics cards and equal to 76.6% of graphics cards.
DirectX version
12 Ultimate
This graphics card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is more advanced than on 22.6% of graphics cards and equal to 77.4% of graphics cards.
Vulkan version
1.4
This graphics card supports Vulkan 1.4, which is more advanced than on 20.7% of graphics cards and equal to 79.3% of graphics cards.
OpenGL version
4.6
This graphics card supports OpenGL 4.6, which is more advanced than on 1.9% of graphics cards and equal to 98.1% of graphics cards.
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Max displays supported
4
This graphics card supports up to 4 displays, which is more than 8.3% of graphics cards and equal to 88.9% of graphics cards.
Max digital resolution
7680x4320
This graphics card supports a maximum digital resolution of 7680x4320, which is higher than that of 9% of graphics cards and equal to that of 91% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort outputs
3
This graphics card offers 3 DisplayPort outputs, which is more than 21% of graphics cards and equal to 76.8% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort version
2.1b
This graphics card supports DisplayPort 2.1b, which is more advanced than on 78.6% of graphics cards and equal to 21.4% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort link rates
80 Gbps
This graphics card supports DisplayPort link rates up to 80 Gbps, which is faster than on 86.3% of graphics cards and equal to 13.5% of graphics cards.
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Thermal Design Power (TDP)
360 W
This graphics card has a TDP of 360 W, which is higher than that of 88.8% of graphics cards and equal to that of 4.4% of graphics cards.
Power consumption while under peak load
360 W
This graphics card draws 360 W under peak load, which is higher than 85.7% of graphics cards and equal to 4% of graphics cards.
Recommended PSU wattage
850 W
This graphics card recommends a 850 W PSU, which is higher than that of 83.1% of graphics cards and equal to that of 12.2% of graphics cards.
Board power limit
360 W
This graphics card has a board power limit of 360 W, which is higher than that of 83.9% of graphics cards and equal to that of 3.4% of graphics cards.
PCIe power spec
360 W
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Size
303x 121x 49 mm
This graphics card measures 303x121x 49 mm, which is more compact than 54.7% of graphics cards and equal in size to 1.7% of graphics cards.
Length
303 mm
This graphics card is 303 mm long, which is longer than 60.8% of graphics cards and equal in length to 1.3% of graphics cards.
Height
121 mm
This graphics card is 121 mm tall, which is shorter than 56.8% of graphics cards and equal in height to 1.9% of graphics cards.
Slot width
3 slot/s
This graphics card occupies 3 slot/s, which is wider than 69.8% of graphics cards and equal in width to 17.3% of graphics cards.
Weight
1,046 g
This graphics card weighs 1,046 g, which is heavier than 51.1% of graphics cards and equal in weight to 0.1% of graphics cards.
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MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC vs the average graphics card

246810TotalPerformanceMemoryPlatform & FeaturesConnectivity & MediaPower & CoolingDesign
  • 44 more compute units
    This graphics card has more compute units than the average graphics card (84 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    84 vs 40
  • 44 more ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has more ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (84 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    84 vs 40
  • 2.14x higher memory bandwidth
    This graphics card has a higher memory bandwidth than the average graphics card (960 GB/s vs 448 GB/s). The average graphics card has a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
    960 GB/s vs 448 GB/s
  • 2.31x higher texture rate
    This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (879.3 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 381.2 GTexel/s.
    879.3 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s
  • 5.4% higher boost clock speed
    This graphics card has a higher boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (2640 MHz vs 2505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2505 MHz.
    2,640 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
  • 37.5% higher base clock speed
    This graphics card has a higher base GPU clock than the average graphics card (2640 MHz vs 1920 MHz). The average graphics card has a base GPU clock of 1920 MHz.
    2,640 MHz vs 1,920 MHz
  • 152 more TMUs
    This graphics card has more TMUs than the average graphics card (336 vs 184). The average graphics card has 184 TMUs.
    336 vs 184
  • 48 more ROPs
    This graphics card has more ROPs than the average graphics card (112 vs 64). The average graphics card has 64 ROPs.
    112 vs 64
  • 13.3% higher user score
    User score
    9.1/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
    When it matters
    When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
    Score distribution
    ▼
    ▼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC
    the average graphics card
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC has a higher user score than the average graphics card (9.06 vs 8.000).
    9.06 vs 8
  • 10.2% better value for money
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC has better value for money than the average graphics card (7.93 vs 7.2).
    7.93 vs 7.2
  • 2.07x more popular
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC is more popular than the average graphics card (8.74 vs 4.2).
    8.74 vs 4.22
  • 44 more compute units
    This graphics card has more compute units than the average graphics card (84 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    84 vs 40
  • 44 more ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has more ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (84 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    84 vs 40
  • 5.4% higher boost clock speed
    This graphics card has a higher boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (2640 MHz vs 2505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2505 MHz.
    2,640 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
  • 2.31x higher texture rate
    This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (879.3 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 381.2 GTexel/s.
    879.3 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s
  • 37.5% higher base clock speed
    This graphics card has a higher base GPU clock than the average graphics card (2640 MHz vs 1920 MHz). The average graphics card has a base GPU clock of 1920 MHz.
    2,640 MHz vs 1,920 MHz
  • 152 more TMUs
    This graphics card has more TMUs than the average graphics card (336 vs 184). The average graphics card has 184 TMUs.
    336 vs 184
  • 48 more ROPs
    This graphics card has more ROPs than the average graphics card (112 vs 64). The average graphics card has 64 ROPs.
    112 vs 64
  • 192 more AI cores
    This graphics card has more AI cores than the average graphics card (336 vs 144). The average graphics card has 144 AI cores.
    336 vs 144
  • 81.2% higher pixel rate
    This graphics card has a higher pixel rate than the average graphics card (295.7 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 163.2 GPixel/s.
    295.7 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s
  • 2.52x higher FP32 performance
    This graphics card has a higher FP32 performance than the average graphics card (56.8 TFLOPS vs 22.57 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS.
    56.77 TFLOPS vs 22.57 TFLOPS
  • 2.84x higher ray tracing score
    This graphics card has a higher ray tracing score than the average graphics card (26035 points vs 9166 points). The average graphics card has a ray tracing score of 9166 points.
    26,035 points vs 9,166 points
  • 2.2x higher gaming score
    This graphics card has a higher gaming score than the average graphics card (32252 points vs 14678.5 points). The average graphics card has a gaming score of 14678.5 points.
    32,252 points vs 14,678.5 points
  • 58.2% higher PassMark score
    This graphics card has a higher PassMark score than the average graphics card (35847 points vs 22653 points). The average graphics card has a PassMark score of 22653 points.
    35,847 points vs 22,653 points
  • 7.44x higher INT8 performance
    This graphics card has a higher INT8 performance than the average graphics card (1801 TOPS vs 242 TOPS). The average graphics card has INT8 performance of 242 TOPS.
    1,801 TOPS vs 242 TOPS
  • 6,400 more FP32 units
    This graphics card has more FP32 units than the average graphics card (10,752 vs 4,352). The average graphics card has 4,352 FP32 units.
    10,752 vs 4,352
  • 2.48x higher compute throughput
    This graphics card has a higher compute throughput than the average graphics card (57.1 TFLOPS vs 22.98 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has compute throughput of 22.98 TFLOPS.
    57.1 TFLOPS vs 22.98 TFLOPS
  • 2.14x higher memory bandwidth
    This graphics card has a higher memory bandwidth than the average graphics card (960 GB/s vs 448 GB/s). The average graphics card has a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
    960 GB/s vs 448 GB/s
  • 57.9% faster memory speed
    This graphics card has a higher effective memory speed than the average graphics card (30000 MHz vs 19000 MHz). The average graphics card reaches an effective memory speed of 19000 MHz.
    30,000 MHz vs 19,000 MHz
  • 4 GB more VRAM
    This graphics card has more VRAM than the average graphics card (16 GB vs 12 GB). The average graphics card has 12 GB VRAM.
    16 GB vs 12 GB
  • 2.67x larger L2 cache
    This graphics card has more L2 cache than the average graphics card (64 MB vs 24 MB). The average graphics card has 24 MB L2 cache.
    64 MB vs 24 MB
  • 7.1% faster VRAM clock
    This graphics card has a higher VRAM clock than the average graphics card (1875 MHz vs 1750 MHz). The average graphics card runs its VRAM at 1750 MHz.
    1,875 MHz vs 1,750 MHz
  • Newer GDDR version
    This graphics card uses a newer GDDR version than the average graphics card (GDDR7 vs GDDR6).
    GDDR7 vs GDDR6
  • Newer PCIe version
    This graphics card supports a newer PCIe version than the average graphics card (5 vs 4).
    5.0 vs 4.0
  • 2 newer
    This graphics card was released more recently than the average graphics card (2025 vs 2023).
    January 2025
    2,025 vs 2,023
  • Newer encoder generation
    This graphics card uses a newer encoder generation than the average graphics card (9 vs 8). The average graphics card uses encoder generation 8.
    9 vs 8
  • Newer DisplayPort version
    This graphics card supports a newer DisplayPort version than the average graphics card (2.1b vs 1.4a).
    2.1b vs 1.4a
  • Newer HDMI version
    This graphics card supports a newer HDMI version than the average graphics card (2.1b vs 2.1).
    2.1b vs 2.1
  • 4x higher HDMI bandwidth
    This graphics card has a higher HDMI bandwidth than the average graphics card (48 Gbps vs 12 Gbps). The average graphics card has HDMI bandwidth of 12 Gbps.
    48 Gbps vs 12 Gbps
  • 4x higher DisplayPort bandwidth
    This graphics card has a higher DisplayPort bandwidth than the average graphics card (80 Gbps vs 20 Gbps). The average graphics card has DisplayPort bandwidth of 20 Gbps.
    80 Gbps vs 20 Gbps
  • 7 °C higher thermal ceiling
    This graphics card has a higher thermal ceiling than the average graphics card (88 °C vs 95 °C). The average graphics card has a thermal ceiling of 95 °C.
    88 °C vs 95 °C
  • More compact card size
    This graphics card is more compact than the average graphics card (303x121 x 49 mm vs 285x127 x 52 mm). The average graphics card has a size of 285x127 x 52 mm.
    303x121 x 49 mm vs 285x127 x 52 mm
  • 67.4% higher TDP
    This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (360 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    360 W vs 215 W
  • 30.8% higher PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a higher PSU requirement than the average graphics card (850 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    850 W vs 650 W
  • No RGB lighting
    This graphics card does not include RGB lighting, the average graphics card does.
  • 60% higher board power limit
    This graphics card has a higher board power limit than the average graphics card (360 W vs 225 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 225 W.
    360 W vs 225 W
  • 0.5 slot/s wider design
    This graphics card occupies more slots than the average graphics card (3 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
    3 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
  • 2.15x more expensive
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC is more expensive than the average graphics card (£1,140 vs £530).
    £1,140 vs £530
  • Narrower decode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware decode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1).
    H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1
  • 18 mm longer card length
    This graphics card is longer than the average graphics card (303 mm vs 285 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 285 mm.
    303 mm vs 285 mm
  • 2.15x more expensive
    MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC is more expensive than the average graphics card (£1,140 vs £530).
    £1,140 vs £530
  • Narrower decode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware decode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1).
    H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1
  • 67.4% higher TDP
    This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (360 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    360 W vs 215 W
  • 30.8% higher PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a higher PSU requirement than the average graphics card (850 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    850 W vs 650 W
  • 60% higher board power limit
    This graphics card has a higher board power limit than the average graphics card (360 W vs 225 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 225 W.
    360 W vs 225 W
  • 63.6% higher peak power draw
    This graphics card has a higher peak power draw than the average graphics card (360 W vs 220 W). The average graphics card has a peak power draw of 220 W.
    360 W vs 220 W
  • 8 °C higher load temperature
    This graphics card has a higher load temperature than the average graphics card (75 °C vs 67 °C). The average graphics card has a load temperature of 67 °C.
    75 °C vs 67 °C
  • No RGB lighting
    This graphics card does not include RGB lighting, the average graphics card does.
  • 0.5 slot/s wider design
    This graphics card occupies more slots than the average graphics card (3 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
    3 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
  • 18 mm longer card length
    This graphics card is longer than the average graphics card (303 mm vs 285 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 285 mm.
    303 mm vs 285 mm

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

E
eurogamer.net
09/04/2025
Summary of the review

Third-party reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
Reviews last updated: June 2026 · How we calculate this

What we like about MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC

  • Efficient thermal performance with users reporting temperatures frequently staying below 60-65°C under heavy load.
  • Quiet triple-fan cooling system that remains barely audible even during intense 4K gaming sessions.
  • Clean, minimalist aesthetic without RGB lighting, which appeals to users looking for a professional or understated build.
  • Relatively compact size for an RTX 5080 (303mm length), making it easier to fit into many ATX and some smaller cases.
  • Strong performance headroom for 4K gaming with smooth frame rates and stable behavior when pushed.
  • Excellent value for a 'budget' 5080, often available at or near MSRP prices.

What we don't like about MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC

  • Basic build quality and finish compared to higher-end MSI models like the Suprim or Gaming Trio series.
  • Lack of RGB lighting and premium 'bells and whistles' might be a downside for users who want a flashy PC showcase.
  • Potential for higher temperatures (up to 82°C reported) in cases with restricted airflow or smaller form factors like the Fractal Terra.
  • The 16GB VRAM is viewed by some as a potential future-proofing bottleneck for 4K gaming compared to competitor offerings.
  • Users have reported that the included GPU support stand may be necessary due to its weight (approx. 1.2kg), despite its compact length.

Verdict

The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC is an enthusiast-class graphics card featuring 16GB of high-speed GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a massive 960 GB/s bandwidth. Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture with 10,752 CUDA cores, it achieves a boost clock of 2640 MHz (extendable to 2655 MHz via MSI Center) and supports DLSS 4 and advanced ray tracing. Main pros include its relatively compact 303mm length and SFF-ready design, effective triple TORX Fan 5.0 cooling, and a reinforced metal structure with a clean, RGB-free aesthetic. However, cons include a high 360W power draw requiring at least an 850W PSU, potential coil whine under heavy loads, and a default aggressive fan curve that can be loud without manual tuning.

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