GPUs Graphics Reviews

MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio 8GB in test – Heavy chunk on quiet soles

Board analysis and power supply

The graphics card uses a board design with 8 layers and without backdrill. The kind of power supply is again similar to Turing and there is no need to split the main power supply in two parts. MSVDD is omitted and only NVVDD remains, which stands for the conventional core voltage, what we like to call GPU voltage. Here there are a total of 9 individual phases (a maximum of 10 would be possible), which are provided by an NCP81610 from ON Semi on the back. This is a digital PWM controller with VID interface, compatible with NVIDIA’s Open VReg specification.

These 9 phases are each equipped with the somewhat cheaper power stages (DrMOS) NCP302045, which do not allow real MOSFET DCR, but provide a temperature protection circuit and a readout output. The voltage range of NVVDD is between 0.7 and a maximum of 1.2 volts, whereby the maximum value can never be reached by the end user without special firmware and software.

For the memory, MSI uses two phases that rely on a discrete pair of MOSFETs. The PK616BA (50A) used here for the high-side and PK698SA (95A) for the low-side from NIKOS Semi are sufficient and above all one thing: cheap. The coils are in the normal range with 150 mH.

For input smoothing, three coils with 1 µH each are used, behind which a fuse and a shunt are located, over whose voltage drop the flowing currents are measured. On the right side we see the PWM controller NCP81610 from ON Semiconductor, which is used for NVVDD.

The following two pictures show one of the NCP302045 DrMOS from ON Semi, and one of the many 220 mH coils.

 

We see below the voltage converters of the GDDR6 memory, consisting of the MOSFETs from NIKOS and the 150 mH coils. It is a simple step-down converter without big secrets.

Cooler and disassembly

Above the heatsink and the only partially open structure behind the long board, there are a total of three very quiet, PWM-controlled 9.2 cm fans. But also the maximum speed of the separately controlled fans of up to 3000 rpm will hardly frighten you, because MSI rarely lets these fans turn over 1500 rpm. Let’s hope it stays that quiet here too.

MSI uses the DHT principle with a total of 6 ground heat pipes. This cools the GPU, the memory and the coils of the large voltage transformers are cooled via the thermally connected mounting frame or the finned cooler. A total of six nickel-plated 6-mm heatpipes made of copper composite, which are pressed into the mounting plate, ensure that the waste heat is removed. A kind of bracket stabilizes the board in addition to the backplate and is firmly screwed to it.

The voltage converters of the GPU have a separate finned heat sink screwed over the backplate, which is thermally connected to the finned cooler by means of a pad.

The backplate consists of graphs, which is an interesting solution. The manufacturer thermally connects the backside under the RAM modules with the backplate, so that it is not only purely optical in nature and also has a stabilizing effect on the PCB. In addition, the area below the voltage transformers is also cooled.

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About the author

Igor Wallossek

Editor-in-chief and name-giver of igor'sLAB as the content successor of Tom's Hardware Germany, whose license was returned in June 2019 in order to better meet the qualitative demands of web content and challenges of new media such as YouTube with its own channel.

Computer nerd since 1983, audio freak since 1979 and pretty much open to anything with a plug or battery for over 50 years.

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