MSI MEG Trident X: this fast gaming PC can quietly squeeze into crowded quarters

Sarah Tew/CNET
Although it did not encourage me to call it the way in which the Corsair One Pro i200 did, I’ve grown fairly keen on MSI’s Trident X compact gaming desktop. It’s quick, matches on my overcrowded desk, has fairly lights with followers which might be seen however not heard and hasn’t given me any bother since preliminary bootup. Even the bottom configuration has ample energy to spiral downwards in Flight Simulator at 1440p and play the a lot slower-moving Deliver Us the Moon in 4K HDR.

LikeFast for its dimension and componentsSurprisingly quietLooks like a gaming system, however not gaudy about itIncludes a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port

There are restricted prebuilt configurations to select from, besides when you’re Amazon; there, you should purchase it with both 32GB or 64GB reminiscence and tons of various mixtures of the NVMe or 2.5-inch SSD, plus a single onerous disk. Otherwise, it comes with the 8-core Intel Core i7-10700KF and an MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Ventus or 2080 Ti graphics card. In concept there’s additionally a 10-core Core i9-10900Ok configuration, however I could not discover the present mannequin on the market anyplace. The line begins at $2,299, however when you just like the case and do not want the ability, the same (however not similar) MPG Trident 3 begins at $1,049 with a Core i5-10400F and a GTX 1660 Super. Some bundles include MSI’s Vector GK30 keyboard and Clutch GM11, which really feel slightly too low-budget for this technique.

The configurations are completely different within the UK, however so far as I can inform the entry Trident X mannequin is £2,299. And it isn’t out there in Australia in any respect.MSI MEG Trident X (10SF-863US)

Price as reviewed

$2,299

Size

10.4 liter mini ITX (15.1 x 5.4 x 15.6 in/38.4 x 13.0 x 40.0 cm)

Motherboard

MSI MEG Z490I Unify and 650 watt PSU

CPU

3.8GHz Intel Core i7-10700Ok

Memory

32GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,932MHz (2 slots)

Graphics

8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (MSI Ventus)

Storage

1TB SSD (1 NVMe slot); 2 open bays for two.5-inch storage

Ports

6 x USB-A, 2 x USB-C (1 x Thunderbolt 3); on GPU 3 x ShowPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, on motherboard 1 x ShowPort, 1 x HDMI)

Networking

1 x 2.5Gb Ethernet, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (802.11ax)

Operating system

Windows 10 Home (1909)

It’s an ideal configuration for gaming in 1440p; 4K efficiency is dependent upon the sport, however when you use Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling (and are not distracted by the overprocessed appear to be I’m), you may play fairly effectively at excessive decision. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider each DLSS 4K and 1440p delivered round a cushty 90fps or so. If you need strong 4K, the 2080 Ti is the way in which to go. But the $2,299 system ought to provide you with sufficient energy and room to develop. You can overclock the CPU, GPU and reminiscence with MSI’s Dragon Center utility, which presents a whole lot of management over the voltage and frequency parameters. Long-term, you’ll improve the storage, reminiscence and graphics card; it has a 650-watt energy provide, which ought to be capable of deal with most upgrades. Replacing the PSU could also be difficult, as is common in compact designs. Ditto for dimension constraints on the attainable graphics card decisions, since there’s solely room for a single-slot card.

Sarah Tew/CNET
Most of the elements are accessible on one aspect of the system; solely the graphics card and among the NVMe SSD are on the bottom of the motherboard on the opposite aspect. It’s about as expandable as you’d count on for a PC its dimension — two 2.5-inch bays, two dual-channel RAM slots, an NVMe slot — and all the pieces is comparatively simple to achieve. It’s bought 4 lighting zones, seen on the aspect followers, the entrance strip and thru the highest vent.Opening the case requires eradicating simply two screws per aspect. While I want thumbscrews slightly than having to seek out a screwdriver, it is hardly onerous. You may substitute one aspect with a tempered glass door that has a mesh part over the fan. The one disadvantage is you may’t lay it on its aspect like you may with the Trident 3, not less than not with out rigging one thing up; there are followers on either side and you do not need to block the airflow.People have complained about spotty Wi-Fi connections with this line, which matches my expertise with the identical Intel AX200 chipset in laptops. However, I did not have any points with it within the Trident. One good perk that I do not see a lot on desktops is a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port.There are flashier compact gaming PCs, however this one strikes an ideal stability amongst efficiency, design and value.Geekbench 5 (multicore)

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