If we were to summarize this card’s abilities in one word that word would be disappointing. If we could use four, it would be ‘disappointing but not unexpected’. Put simply the MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Aero ITX OC is not even remotely comparable to the Zotac GeForce GTX 1070Ti Mini. Instead it is everything we have come to expect from well-designed small form-factor video cards. That is to say a touch better than a blower style Founder’s Edition… but no where close to justifying its asking price. Make no mistake this card is an engineering feat. MSI has been able to create an actually useable GTX 1070 card that is nearly an ITX form-factor. However, in order to do this, many compromises had to be made. These include lack of higher clock rates we have come to expect from GTX 1070 cores. Lack of thermal headroom, and noise levels well in excess of what people have come to expect from a custom cooling solution clad card.
In testing this card had troubles staying much above its factory specifications and when trying to manual overclock it further this card quickly hits a thermal brick wall… and hits it hard. Even with the fan set to ‘buzz-saw’ 100% rotational speed, clocks are not going to be much better than what it is rated for. This is par for the course with small form-factor models, but as Zotac proved it does not have to be true. It just has to be when dealing with single fan models.
Worse still is while giving up a good chunk of performance in return for being able to fit a decent card inside a shoe box sized case… this card really does not offer much more than what Zotac’s Mini can do. Yes it is petite compared to the length of the Zotac Mini, but the Aero ITX OC is actually ‘taller’ of the two cards. For every shoe box case that is limited in the length of the video card it can handle there are almost as many that are height restricted. Usually because the Power Supply sits ‘over’ the motherboard. This means that nearly any case the Zotac Mini will fit in (99%) the MSI Aero ITX OC will as well, with only the occasional case being able to accommodate the MSI but not the Zotac option.
As such we would recommend long and hard on the Aero ITX OC before buying. Its lack of value, lack of performance, and lack of noticeably better case support makes it rather tough to justify. So while it is impressive from an engineering perspective that is not the same as saying it is an impressive video card. The only time we would ever opt for this card over the Zotac GTX 1070Ti Mini is when a build’s budget simply cannot stretch the extra 60 or so dollars that goes along with getting a GTX 1070Ti class card and a normal sized card will not fit. If this is an accurate description of your next build understand its limitations and go into the build with your eyes wide open on what you can expect. Then and only then will you ever be happy with what this card can do. For everyone else looking for a small video card that is actually big on performance the Zotac GeForce GTX 1070Ti is the gold standard.
The Review
MSI Aero ITX OC GTX 1070
The MSI Aero ITX OC GTX 1070 is not going to be right for everyone. In fact, it is not going to be right for most buyers. Yes, it is incredibly small, but for not that much more in cost and size buyers can get a much better card like the Zotac GTX 1070Ti Mini. By the same token if you have a case that simply cannot fit the Zotac Mini in, the MSI Aero ITX OC may be your best choice. There are very, very few cards that are remotely this good for its size. Just understand that it does make a lot of compromises in order to get its small – but still not true ITX – dimensions.
